I’ve been quiet lately. Quiet enough that my dad messaged me and asked what was up, quiet enough that a friend and non-cyclist asked why I haven’t blogged lately. This post is a stream of consciousness tale of how things have been going. On the surface, it may seem pessimistic but the good news is I’ve managed some level of balance and kept all of the really important, most time-critical things going.
Boiling Over: a story about high blood pressure
I was motoring along steadily on the trainer like the diesel I am, and suddenly my power output dropped to 100 watts. I slammed on a few more gears and cranked hard. The power numbers barely rose and I watched my virtual teammates speed away. Well, I thought, if I keel over on my bike at least those that know me knew I’d die happy.
Spinal Fusion: 18 months Later
18 months after lumbar spinal fusion, I finally feel like I’m on a steady upward trend. More miles, weight loss, and I’m hosting group rides again!
Happy Hundred: A Day at the Jesse James Bike Ride
I went into this week not knowing how the Jesse James 100 miler would go. I was out of town again for a decent portion of the week, and I’ve learned that work trips are hell on my back. My nerves were frazzled this morning, that’s for sure.
Getting Over My Fears
Last weekend I decided that I should go on my former normal Saturday morning group ride and try to get over my fears. It had been months since I had gone. The last time I went, I hammered to stay attached, got dropped, and ended up with back spasms. Not good. How did it go this time?
Too Afraid to Ride
I’m scared of riding right now. If I’m too busy to ride, I don’t have to test my body. If I don’t test my body, I don’t have to know whether I’m too broken.
Elimination
I’m in the middle of an elimination diet. Even though it’s thoroughly irritating to execute properly, I’m learning great things. Have you tried an elimination diet? What did you learn, and how did it affect your cycling?
Flow
Somehow I managed to have one of my worst rides, and one of my best rides, all within a span of a few days. The second ride got me into the blissful state of “flow” and I forgot just how good that could be.
Ride Across Iowa in a Day, Part 2
A group of 9 intrepid cyclists headed out in the extreme heat to tackle riding 300 miles across Northern Iowa in under 24 hours. Did we make it?
“Don’t do anything stupid”
I have an upcoming crazy / stupid / bad idea ride coming up. It’s one of those rides that makes people pause and say “wait, you’re doing WHAT?!” and I couldn’t be more pleased. This comes on the heels of my one year spinal fusion anniversary, and it seems like a fitting celebration if you ask me.