Whew Part 2: It’s All Good

I’ve been training since the scariest moment of 2011 struck last weekend and everything is okay. Although riding the trainer isn’t the most fun thing in the world, I enjoy it because I know I’m getting faster each time I hobble off that stationary thing.

Whew, That Was a Close One

I scared the shit out of myself today.

Randy and I decided to ride up to Niwot this morning so I met up with him and his neighbor around 9:15. About an hour into the ride, the bottom of my right knee cap started shooting pain in all directions. The sharp pain surprised me because: 1. I haven’t felt any knee pain at all since the team training camp in March when I finally blew my knee completely out. And 2: The pain was in a different spot than before. Before it was above my knee cap, directly in the center. This time it was below my knee cap in the center. I was confused. I kept on pedaling, putting more force into my left pedal than my right. I thought maybe it was because I haven’t ridden much in the last 6 weeks. I thought maybe I hadn’t placed my cleats correctly since I got my new pedals. Whatever it was, the pain lasted 3 to 5 minutes then subsided.

Another hour went by and the pain came back. Shit. What the hell is going on here? Same place, but this time the pain was more intense. I had to grit my teeth to get through the second bout. After a few minutes it left. Finally, at about the time we were back at Randy’s house, it started back up again. But this time it was so intense that I couldn’t keep it to myself anymore. I told Randy what was going on and he offered me a ride home. I said that I’d try to get through it once again. Besides, I was only a few miles from my house. Randy’s neighbor Don said that I should check my seat height since it sounded like that might be the problem. Hmmmm… Well, my seat height is exactly the same, but I did get new pedals. Granted, I went from the Ultegra 6700′s to the carbon Ultegra’s so I wasn’t thinking they’d have a different stack height. I thought about this possibility as I approached the final hill. My knee was throbbing with pain as I attempted to start the climb. Ouch. This was way too much pain. I went about 4 feet and had to get off my bike. I pulled over to the side of the road and sat down. I contemplated calling Randy up and getting that ride home. I sat there for awhile really freaking scared. I was thinking about losing another whole season to a knee injury. I’m not sure I could do that again. After 5 minutes of scaring myself, I got back up and back on my bike. I tried to pedal again but it was still too much. I went a few feet and had to get off. This time, I reached into my back pocket and remembered that I had my allen key with me! I figured, why not give the whole seat height thing a try. I remembered the rule of thumb: if your knee hurts in front, the seat is too low. If the knee hurts behind, then it’s too high. So I pulled my seat up about 2mm. And what do you know? NO PAIN. Problem solved. Yeah, it was a little sore from all the stress I put it through over the last 4 hours, but it was indeed a world of difference.

Whew, that was a close one.

Penn on Point

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Stupid Hobbes

Circular Hobbesian irrationality.

Hobbes, you suck.

It’s a shame so many people buy into this nonsense to this day.

Just married…

In case you hadn’t heard yet, I married my best friend and soulmate this past Sunday the 9th on top of beautiful Lookout Mountain. We are now in Breck celebrating on our honeymoon. Things couldn’t be better!

Here are some pics from the best day of our lives.

PS: Yeah, I rode for a bit on our honeymoon. Here’s what you missed yesterday morning…