I'm a little off, but back on.

Yeah so I think I have been pissed long enough and I am going to try and post a more chipper update. That's not so hard is it?

So the cast is finally off! I have been walking on my own 2 feet for almost a week now and that feels very strange. It feels like my left leg is just along for the ride. It just kinda flops around. Especially since I have no feeling or motion in my great toe from the nerve damage. You know... the captain of the toes. I have no captain. It does do a cool trick and turns blue in about 2 minutes of dependency though. 

                                              

 I must say, it is a very painful experience and a little more so than I had prepared for. I also have a huge difference in my leg sizes. Especially my left calf, it measures 11.5 inches and the right is 15 inches around. That's a little off. Good news is that my back is feeling mucho better, thank goodness. The best news of all is that I have been back on the bike! It is a weird feeling, but after 3 rides it is starting to get familiar again. I am not able to clip out so I have some sweet BMX platform pedals on there right now. Getting back to the roots!

                                                          

Hopefully in the next couple weeks I will be stable enough to venture away from the trainer and go outside into the big world. Until then, Anne and I will be watching the ToC on the trainers. 

Officially Pissed

Okay, so I'm done trying to be chipper about this whole ankle ordeal. First, the surgery was bigger than expected and I put my chin up. Then I had nerve damage from the cast and severe pain from neuropathy. My great toe is going to be numb for a while (we hope)... I put my chin up. I couldn't ride my bike when they expected that I would be able to, I tried to work round it. I invested in every resource I had to try to keep in shape and didn't have much luck. I kept my chin up. I did research on my own then and came up with my own plan and got Darrell the corrective fitness trainer that has kept me busy doing some work. That helped me keep my chin up.  But last week after cheating on the bike I had another major set back. I had major back spasms from the inbalance from the height of the cast boot throwing my hip out of whack. It was so bad that I spent 2 days in bed. Again. Even though chiro Matt J. has faith that this will pass, I am tired of all the drama and tired of keeping up the faith for now. I am officially pissed with it all and am venting an unusual side of my personality on my blog. I am not happy, but I will report back when I somehow find an attitude adjustment. Ahhhh!

I'm in trouble...

becuase I was caught in the act of doing a ride I was not allowed to do. I knew it was wrong for a few reasons. Number 1 because I was not given permission from my surgeon, number 2 since my PT told me "no" when I asked,  and three because I had to rig up the bike to make it work. I knew it was really bad when I had to sneak in a ride when all of my family and friends were not around. It was like having an affair with my bike! I road 4 times last week and would have kept on until my friend came over and snuck this shot. Next thing I knew my family, friends, surgeon and colleagues knew I was cheating. I finally confessed it to Coach Don G. Now I know it was totally wrong and crazy for doing it after major ankle surgery, but my love affair with the bike got the best of me. 

No longer though, I hope to have 8 more days in the cast and I don't want to screw it up now.  I guess I will go back to the boring arm rower at the gym. That's okay for now, but I miss my bikes.  One thing this down time has helped me realize is that when it comes down to it, I really just miss riding my bike.  I really do love it. It keeps me stable.

Let the 8 day count day begin!

How sweet it is!

I can think of only a few things sweeter than getting a shinny new bike. I won't list those things on my blog for all to see, but a new bike is up there, but it's not number one. Team DRT received all the goods a while ago and I was putting off picking up my new stuff mainly because I knew it would kill me not to be able to even spin one revolution on the new SL, and also because I haven't been able to keep my leg dependent in a car for very long to make the trip to Fort Wayne to pick them up. But it was time for me to get my new goods and get out of a mental funk of being off the bike for so long. Getting all this was like Christmas minus the family! The SL is super sweet and I LOVE the feel of the new Dura-ace levers. Seems to fit me well. Thanks to super mechanic Zach E. for building it up for me to drool over.  The tricross frame is super cool as we all already know and I have big plans for the final build and results for this bike. I have some other sweet goodies from the big "S" and I must say, I love their products. I really do. DRT elite team is also sporting the super sweet Lazer helmets and I think it has one of the best retention system out there. But who couldn't be excited about the hook up with Champion systems clothing this year. I have to say, I don't know what I'm more in love with, the fleece lined cx skinsuit, the summer ventilated crit skinsuit, the winter cycling cap or the coolness of the standout DRT logos. It is all so overwhelming for an injured athlete to take in. Just look at it!  Besides that I am also excited to be getting the rest of my house painted on the inside. After meeting with the interior designer we have decided on some great colors and a great layout for an earthy, tree theamed great room. I am a tree dork so I think this fits me really well. This makes my Mom very happy because she thinks that all I do is plan bike related ventures and that I should put some focus on my house. I don't know where she gets that idea from, I mean, my basement looks great as you can see. Seriously, I do take a lot of pride in my home, I love it and am very thankful for it. That's why I over think every decision I make about it and that ends up taking so much time. But I guess I have a little of that on my hands right now. I will post the shot of the great room when the project is complete. Mostly to make my family happy.

Cx heading for the Olympics?

That's right, could the best sport cycling has ever know be hitting the near Olympics? Cx Mag online had a write up on this today that sounds like that may be a good possibility. Even though I know the majority of the "real" sports fans don't even watch cycling, BMX, or track cycling during the games, I think that this is a huge step forward in promoting cross. My real hope is that some animated NBC commentator will give a broad explanation of what cross actually is to the general public. This would save a lot of time for me by explaining just what it is that I do when I'm not putting people to sleep. I love to hear the million different ways that people explain cross and watch the blank expression that normal people give when they hear it...but if you could see it. Well, that's the important part. Who wouldn't want to watch ultra fit athletes run around in the mud while wearing tights with an occasional wreck? We just won't tell them about the snot coming out of the nose.
So I was totally energized yesterday by going to a personal trainer for the first time in my life. I have to admit that I never would have seen me doing this in a million years, but I ran out of ideas on what to do right now. Besides he is a corrective trainer (trainer who focuses on imbalances from injury) and that helps the idea a bunch. But he was really low key and informative and not some guy who trains rich, scary people. We topped it off with some seated boxing and I think I have a new stress relief. That was super sweet to hit things!
I have graduated from crutches to full weight bearing. That wasn't planned for a couple more days, but I have been so hopped up on milk, vitamins and health food store magic that I can tolerate the weight, painful, but tolerable. When you haven't put your leg in a walking position for 3 weeks, it feels like a foreign part dangling there. This will take some work to get back! I'm game.

A step, or one foot forward.

Cleared to go hit the gym! That's a big step forward. Its still only one step forward on one leg, but it feels good to be able to do anything even if it is only an arm rower. I think everyone just gave in to me asking to go workout everyday. I am able to kinda lift the good leg on some machines and with the left leg getting smaller by the day that should leave the right looking like Hell Boy's one massive arm. At 3 weeks post-op now I was also given permission to start trying to put some weight on it. Man is that painful! I can only hope that will get better day by day and hopefully ditch the crutches by next week.

I had a great massage today by the Russian Guru Yulia Abair. I know everybody's person is the best- but she's the best. Funny how a cyclist depends on a massage therapist like a crack addict needs a fix. 

Other than all that, I have got a new fix on TV other than my Seinfield viewing. The Dog Whisperer on Nat Geo channel is awsome! I don't even own a dog,  but this guy has mad skills as a pack leader. I tried to work some of his tricks on my cats and let's just say it didn't work in the least bit. 

I also have to mention how stocked I am about the exit of GWB today and the entrance of Obama as our nation's leader. His statement that there is nothing as satisfying as taking on and taking control of a difficult task, pretty much puts the life of a driven person in a nutshell. It was as cold as cyclocross race in DC today, but it appears that a lot of other people took on the cold and are pleased with the new president selection.  So that's what the reference is to the current pic is up there,  that's me visiting the Air Force museum in the spring and that was air force one in which JFK was transported in, dead and alive. He was another loved president and I pray Obama doesn't have the same exit. That is a great museum for anyone to visit and even though the field museum in chi town is still my fav, this one is on the top 10 list. 

Crazy Squirrels

First look at the incision, not too bad. 

Well, my boredom with being stuck at home has lead me to be entertained by watching squirrels. Being an avid bird watcher, I keep the birds happy with the feed and that also attracts the crazy squirrels. I must say, they have mad skills, as much as I hate them eating my bird food. They are nimble, crafty and mad jumpers while risking life to get a nut!

Obviously I'm still stuck in handicap mode. It has been an interesting week, I got back to work with the help of the scooter on Monday night after I had a trip to the ER myself. Which is kinda funny because I was back in the ER that evening doing a lumbar puncture for a patient. By yesterday I was completely done in. That's humbling for an elite athlete to admit. 

So, its official, I have major nerve damage from the swelling in the cast. I had to get out of the cast early and into the storm trooper boot because the ankle swelled too much in the cast. And that's what had me make a trip to the ER, in order to make sure the damage wasn't getting worse. No surprise, I kinda knew that was happening. My great toe is going to be numb and nonfunctional for a few months, but I really don't need that until cross season. I have severe pain on top of my foot that I go to PT everyday for to try and get under control. It's getting a little better I guess. The real bummer is that I am delayed in getting back to the gym. My surgeon says he has a bounty on my head with about 10 scouts if anyone sees me trying to get my fix in the gym. Since he won't give me names, I'm not gonna risk it.  Good news is that the actual reconstruction is looking like it is on track.

So I am dependent on my super support people right now. My sister is a rock star at this, she is the best manager and sister ever! Finally got to the chiro-cracker; Matt Johnson rocks the house for sure! Coach Don G has revealed his hidden skill of mental therapist, and I wander how long it will take before he thinks I'm really crazy. I'm crazy but very thankful for my family peeps, sleeper Janet V, faithful Anne Y,  superman John C, and I am blessed to have PT guru's and overall great guys Tom Johnson and Dan Tucker around to fix me up. I already know I'm crazy, but good crazy and these people help keep me there. 

In good news, I heard from GU management last night and they have offered me to join their pro team co-sponsorship in addition to my main DRT team! This is great news since I love their products and have always felt their stuff works well with me. That just puts one more piece in the puzzle for me to turn up the whole pro package this year! I hope more companies come through and I can take some more time to devote to training.  In the meantime I have the flying squirrels to keep my mind on extreme sports.