Red Rock World

Things are looking up...

Of course, no running yet, although I did trudge/run up the stairwell in a 26-story building many many many times (opted for the elevator down :-). And after weeks (seemed like years), I continued to spin spin spin away on my road bike/trainer...even "rode" on the back deck a few times.

Now that I'm back from the long "roadtrip" down south, and up north, and back home, I hope to venture out on the mountain bike to reunite with dirt, endorphins and sweat! The Doc still says no running and no extra weight to carry around, but that I'm waaay ahead of the recovery 'norms'. I had gained pretty much full range of motion by week-2. The scar tissue is still built up pretty thick on one side of my knee cap, and they say that might take 6+ months or more to dissolve. As far as whether or not I'll be able to run competitively or even for fun anymore, time will tell. Not even being able to try it now is at least keeping me optimistic :-)

So, to recap the past few weeks, here're some highlights...

--SURGERY -

Nothing I want to experience again. I had an outstanding ortho surgeon who I'd promptly recommend to anyone. He's young and athletic and though he's pretty strict w/me, he "gets" me and is on board to get me back on the trail soon. Also, I must mention, I was the worst patient ever ever ever. Grouchy and a big cry baby. I went off the painkillers on day #1 (sick) and in exchange, sadly, made it more painful for a certain dude trying to take care of me. Whah whah whah. (If I act like that again, just kick me! :-) Dedicated physical therapy, movies and ipod scrabble kept me occupied for a while, and I lasted a few minutes on Call of Duty before I hurled the controller! (Bring back donkey kong and the simple atari joystick!)

--RABBIT -

The day I was loading up the truck for my roadtrip back east, lo and behold a white angora rabbit hopped up to the truck and just sat there staring up at me looking all pathetic. Well, as you might imagine, a white rabbit doesn't llast long in the desert, for ravens, coyotes, etc. love to chow down on such pristine sad little bunnies such as this one. So, I made the mistake of seeing him and subsequently felt responsible to find his owner. It was a week before Easter so I didn't want some dumb kid crying because his rabbit ran off. I posted a listing on craigslist and signs around the neighborhood, and then let him stay in the spare bathroom overnight. (Note: he loved leftover Whole Foods organic salad.) As no one had called and I had to hit the road, I took him the next day to the Humane Society. (A few days later, the "owners" noticed the signs and called me...I directed them to the HS...tbd.)

--ROADTRIP -

The US is big. Really big. I've driven x-country numerous times, but its size continues to impress me. Other than stopping regularly to stretch my knee and do some physical therapy, I pushed straight thru to FLA. The truck (the Buffalo) is well equipped for long excursions -- a memory-foam mattress and satellite radio have changed my world!! :-)

And caffeine and compression-wear kept me truckin on down the road!!

--FLA -

I have the coolest grandparents! Papa more freely speaks his mind, and Nanny more freely assigns me chores. It was great to spend some time with them! Even got to reunite w/one of my bestest childhood friends ever!!! ("Hoots and Glutes!" :-)

--DC/VA...and even some NC -

Did some jobscouting and hung out w/my 'nurse'...the one and only CB. Speaking of chores...he even had me knocking out drywall. It was fun for the first few whacks of the hammer...an hour later, not so much. I also got to hang out w/some friends and even my cool cousin, all whom I rarely get to see!

--WESTWARD -

Found a great pool/fitness center in Little Rock for a much needed swim and workout. Even took the bike out for a light spin and saw some monkeys at the zoo. Then, got to eat waaaay too many green chili's in the Sandia Mountains of NM w/my family. Hunkered down there for a night and introduced my little cousin to the Nacirema essay.

What's next? Well, other than weaning myself off 5x shots of espresso-a-day, I'm heading back to work for a few weeks and hopefully continue the rehab so I can knock out a few races this season. Happy trails...

One more day...

My New "Temporary" View

QUICK UPDATE & PICS

OL' LEFTY. . .
Ok, so yes, I finally found a doc who not only comes w/outstanding credentials/experience, he also seems to "get" that I really really really want to play for 70+ more years (ok, I'll take 60 too!). He's going inside ol' lefty in about 2x weeks. Perhaps I'm being a bit naive about this all, because I thought I'd actually be able to drive myself home for the 2-hour drive up the Mogollon Rim the same day as the operation. (I mean, my truck is an automatic, for goodness sake, and I really don't NEED my left leg for driving do I??!!) Errr, the doc said NOT! Also, I had to go pick-up and get trained on these 2 devices that look pretty medieval and seem to require about 500 volts of electricity...but apparently combined they'll keep my knee cool (think ice, without the mess and frostbite) and free of scar tissue (think an automatic lazyboy designed just for a leg and keeps straightening/bending that leg nonstop for 8+ hours a day). I've learned how to use the DVR and have already recorded a lot of movies to hopefully keep me from going stir crazy cooped up inside. Any ideas??

RACING. . .

Not sure how many triathlons/ excursions /grand canyon trips I'll be able to take over the next few months (??), but I'm optimistic for sure! I've learned that I really like the routine of it all, even when sometimes there's absolutely no routine at all. And of course, I LOVE getting that heartrate up on great western trails!! Even if I can't race any XTERRAs this year, I still hope to at least go volunteer at some (Ive always wanted to try out the "other side" anyway.) I have been dabbling in some mtb racing though. Ol lefty doesn't particularly like it and I have to "peg-leg" a lot, especially on the technical downhills, stairsteps, etc.. BUT it's still so worth it to be outside, pushing limits, and avoiding being mountain lion dinner for even one more day! I even got in an inadvertent night-ride this week.

CAMPING --

Did some camping this week. Nothing crazy, but ended up in a pretty cool and very isolated area. Saw no people for days...only a few coyotes, lots of jackrabbits and geckos, and a handful of cows. Somehow cheap instant coffee on a desert morning in a remote site ALWAYS trumps the coveted starbucks 1-pump sugarfree vanilla soy latte extra hot :-)

Cheers!

What do Lake Tahoe summers & Northern Virginia blizzards have in common?

. . . they both require scuba socks!

So, I'm on day 3 of being stuck in this "knickerbacher-part-II" blizzard here...they say over 2 feet of snow! All flights remain cancelled. Never a good place to spend time anyway, and certainly not during a crazy blizzard! Fortunately, a great coffee and taco-loving amigo let me crash at his casa, and I watched more movies, played more ipod-scrabble and ate more junk carbs than I'd like to admit. BUT I did spend about 4 hours outside anyway, tried some snowshoe'ing, shoveled some snow and even ran a few miles. (The plowers must've thought I was nuts as I caught 2x taking my pic w/their phones??) The trick for this desert rat was to wear my scuba/tri socks, which I've learned to always keep in my swim bag. Voila!!

Am soooo ready to head back to AZ!!!

Never ceases to impress me...

I love coming home to this view... (click it to zoom and appreciate!)

Of course, I'd hoped to ride, ride, ride, but we got pounded by one of the worst snow storms in recent recorded history...yep, in Arizona. Here at the casa, we did get some snow, but it was a lot of rain too. All the roads were closed (at least to the places I wanted to go). Flagstaff airport was closed as was Phoenix for a while. It was crazy. It did afford me (alot) of time to ride the road bike, the gorgeous Edwin ; however, it was all indoors on the trainer. I did manage to to swim OUTDOORS (heated pool) under falling rain/snow. It definitely didn't help me and my already-lack-of-love for lap swimming, but at least I was able to do something.

Now it's sunny again. The trails are still soaked but they should be dried out and ready for me in the next few days!

Back in the US of A....

Goodbye snow...hello sunshine! Yes, the sunrise is visible from Florida's Gulf coast....when on an island! :-)

Joshua Amos Pete - A Life Remembered

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I didn't know him, but his story is one of many that hits home in many ways....

The Coconino High School grad and decorated Army veteran touched many lives in Flagstaff and abroad. He was an honor student. He was a soldier who served his country in Afghanistan. He was beloved by his family and friends and will be deeply missed.

(Click here to read more. . . )

Nope, it is NOT just like riding a bike...

...apparently you CAN forget how!

Despite that my knee still hurts and it's excrutiating to walk down even ONE flight of stairs, I ventured out this morning in a big wooded park here in the Balkans to see if I could handle running/jogging for 15 minutes (uphill and flats only; no downhills). I'm sure I'm not helping other parts by landing more on the balls of my feet rather than center like I normally do, but I found that using my ankles as suspension too takes the full load off of my knees.

It was sunny and reggaeton was on the ipod and I guess I got carried away...I made it about 20 minutes before I realized I'd run longer than I'd planned/expected. Yes, it hurt, but really no less nor more than it has for the past 3 months. (The problem though lies in the fact that I'm probably causing more long-term damage than simply "toughing it out".)

I decided to make it an even 30 minutes, enjoying my first "runners high" in about 3 months, then WHAM, I tripped and flew through the air and, once again, looked like I was sliding into 1st base. Faaaaar less grace than a burly Pete Rose!

Sticks in my flesh, blood on the autumn leaves, and egg all over my face. hought #1 - how's the knee? Thought #2 - please dont let the wild dogs eat me alive (like they claim to do here). Thought #3 - get up and go before you cry like a big baby! (I dont think anyone saw the launch, & though it hurt, it was actually pretty funny.)

I can't believe I was running so many miles just a few months ago, and was actually getting pretty fast. Until then, I'd been sorta like a sturdy goat...good balance, sturdy limbs, very sturdy ankles...I sure wasn't THAT girl today. I knew it was time to go home because due to the new pains in my elbow, hand, hip, I totally did NOT feel my bum knee. I didn't want the "pain-masking" to make me do something stupid like run another 20 miles. :-) So, I came back and am now icing my knee and letting the neosporin seep into my booboos.

Cheers...

Happy Thankgiving...

Though I'm not getting to eat turkey with the family this Thanksgiving, nor indulge on my grandmother's/aunt's tasty pumpkin pies, I am sooooooo thankful that I have such a great family. We're scattered all over the place but somehow stay pretty darn close. And how lucky we grandkids are because we have grandparents who are totally internet-savvy and stay in touch via email! (Technically, they are great-grandparents!!) Very cool!

Anyway, have a great day...and take a second to be grateful for the perks in life.

Cheers...

(pic courtesy of someone else)

Bikes keep the (my) world going 'round...

Yaaay!!

I scored a bike! Took me only 4 days. It's a tad big and burly and not really my style...but it's temporary and takes me on some cool (cold actually) singletrack! It even took me up a pretty big Balkan mountain already! It also helps me not to be so homesick :-) (I'll be home soon, Mr. S-Works!)

Properly Introducing "Donkey"....

It seems I didn't properly introduce my lil dirtbike previously, so I thought I'd do it now...

While he likes to look all harmless and mopey most of the time, especially when he's parked beside his big brother (the graceful and sturdy stud), he tends to be quite ornery and show his butt when I'm on him. Like a donkey, he bucks and brays and kicks and farts and generally either wants to go at full RPM and/or buck me off (often all at once).

He reminds me of this lil donkey from North Africa who wanted attention and would follow me around, but then when I'd try to pet him, he'd try to bite me and would take off bucking and braying and fartin' and making all sorts of racket! Looked all innocent until ya get to close! (Note the comparison of my Donkey and this lil arse.)

His latest exploit was earlier this week when we took the bikes out to the western Sycamore Canyon area where we were minimally packed to ride, hike, explore and camp. The first 30'ish miles were on primary paved roads, with the first 20m of those being on a smooth highway through the desert/red rocks but where Donkey couldn't quite go as fast as the max speed limit as he's pretty much a midget.

Once out of the old mining town of Jerome, the rest of the roads (50'ish miles) were on dirt -- wide fireroads, doubletrack jeep roads, as well as some ol mule-packing trails.

(Sorry about the quality, most were w/the phone camera.)

So, for our little excursion, ol Donkey (he demands I capitalize his name) was fun and relatively well-behaved most of the time. However, apparently he had some flashbacks to his former ass-life on the rougher stuff, because he simply refused to take me up a few rough pitches. While I'm pretty comfortable ascending/descending the rock stairs, slickrock, loose gravel, deep sand, etc., apparently I have not yet mastered the steep pitches which have 10" of loose dust/sand and big babyhead rocks and giant unsettled boulders scattered intermittently below the surface. That, and Donkey simply doesn't want to take me up them.

So, by the end, I'd crashed twice out near the Great Western Trail. Neither were catastrouphic; in fact it was more like we were 'rrvv rrvv' up the loose and rocky pitch, slammed into a jagged boulder, I put my foot down (forgot it wasn't my 21lb mountain bike to catch, and subsequently all 200+ pounds fell on top of me...all atop a bunch of jagged rocks and CB watching the whole ordeal. Cheap entertainment! Five minutes later was a redux basically, with Donkey still being stubborn and me being kinda gun-shy at that point. CB hauled Donkey's fiesty arse up the pitch where he got 'tied up' beside his big brother while we decided to hike from there.