NMBS #3 Cross Country - Santa Ynez, CA

Psyche!! No I didn't race. I was a good girl and stayed home which was hard but I knew it was coming.

So while everyone was feeling the effects of the heat during the NMBS race today I got out for a killer ride with about 4000 feet of climbing. The temperatures were still searing but not nearly as bad as where the race was being held.

I was in heaven on my bike and just could not get enough today! I could have gone all day it seemed but finally had to make myself stop after hours in the saddle. I was having SO much fun hammering all by my lonesome! It sucked that I felt SO good today too. SO good. But I did put it to good use and got some serious intensity in.

Sometimes I think my body just knows its Saturday and that it has to pull it together to make things run the best that it can. Because there is really no reason I should be feeling stellar right now other than the fact that I don't have food poisoning anymore. That will make one feel good I guess!

Overlooking the ocean on the way up to the 95 degree heat that was up and over the mountains.


The Painted Cave State Historic Park was on the way up. Kind of cool!


Thank god this chair appeared outta nowhere. It was fun heckling other cyclists as I enjoyed a local brew with my feet up in the middle of my ride.


Then it was off to the beach with Kristin to watch the boys surf.


Eric and Chris.


Chris heading on out to surf it up on the tiniest waves known to man kind (1 foot). They are supposed to be at 7 feet this Wednesday though!


Kristin, the sun goddess.

10th Anniversary

Wow. How did we already hit 10 years of marriage? Crazy. We were lucky enough to be in Santa Barbara together and hit the beach for some r and r then out to dinner with some friends. Good times and more to come!

To Race or Not to Race?

I figured the best way to figure out whether I could race or not this weekend was to see what the thumb could handle so I headed to the Santa Ynez race course and jumped on. And it was so bumpy and jarring that I almost ducked out on half a lap. It was so bad. Check out the course conditions here:




Some of those cracks were so cracked that they created tire traps which just added another element that I am not up for this time around. I have got enough to worry about as it is without adding that into the equation!

It was so jack hammery though that I feared that I undid any progress I made on my thumb just from pre-riding!! I was getting rattled, the bike was getting rattled and most importantly, my hand was getting rattled. I mean, you expect mtbing to be bumpy and stuff but this was outrageous and quite honestly it flat out sucked.

As I was heading around the course I would hit one little piece of smooth singletrack and would make a decision that "I can do this on Saturday!!!" and get all excited . But then I would be thrown back into jack hammer hell and take it all back very quickly. The course was about %80 jack hammer and %20 smooth I'd say which isn't good for a healing hand. I felt so great on the climbs too!! But then I felt like a little wuss on the downhill sections, especially when I tried to lean the bike over around a corner. Bummer!!!!

After a full lap on the course I realized that I just simply wasn't opening up on the downhill like I normally do. I was hesitant and not very aggressive which is a bad combo and can get you into more trouble. My cast wasn't giving me much room to budge and I am finding that you need that extra room to budge to be safe! Plus.....I am not really even holding on to the bike as you can see in this photo:

Bottom line is that it is just not a safe scenario for me to race with a broken thumb that is all casted up. I tried at least. Plus, racing is hard enough when you are going into it a %100 well and ready and I am just NOT well and really not ready either after coming off of food poisoning for a week. I am still feeling the effects of the massive depletion as my body makes its way back to fully normal. Did I just call myself normal? Hmmmm. Not sure that is very accurate. :)

More bumpy singletrack on the NMBS course.

So the decision has been made or just really finalized here today. I am not racing in this NMBS race on Saturday. It is the first one I have missed since 2003 but I am making the right decision.

Here is one of the first singletrack climbs up the NMBS course.

Good luck to all those who are racing!

Dr. Appt

I went to another hand doctor here in Santa Barbara today, got an x-ray and was told that everything was healing up just fine and dandy so far. I was also given strong words of advice not to go mess up the progress of bone filling in that 1mm space, or risk prolonged time in the cast. Grrrrrr. But I waaaaaant to race on Saturday!! Whaaaah!!!!

As it is right now, I can have the cast off in 3 weeks making this a 5 week ordeal. But if I go and jar the heck out of the joint and bone I risk undoing what has been done by my body to heal itself. I know what the correct answer is but I don't want to accept it yet dang it. I have had time to mill this all over up to this point, going over all the various scenarios in my head but I have a big choice to make right now and I pretty much know what the right answer is. Ugh.

So I walked out of the office, cast still on which was a big decision right there because all along I wanted to splint it at this point. But I have been so happy with the cast and its stability and the lack of pain and all. I have absolutely no pain right now so why mess with something good? My bone is safe and that is the best thing for it. Hmmmm. I think I know where I am going with these thoughts which is a good thing in the end....

Then everything was just hit right to home when I ran into a guy today that said he had a walking cast and still played soccer, then went in to see the doctor for an x-ray to monitor progress and the next thing he knew he was having a pin put in. Then he told me all about the annoyances of a pin which he really didn't have to do because I really don't want one!! No - thank - you. I am not into that unless it has to be done and from what it sounds like......I am clear at this point.

But now, my future is in my hands - Oh man I am funny.......that was a good one wasn't it??? :)

Santa Monica Riding

Chris and I got an invite to head south to Newbury Park and meet up with some Giant Bicycle employees among some others for some good ole fashioned dirt hammering session. It was the first time since I got sick with food poisoning last week that I had done much intensity but things turned out ok and were as good as they could be.

Chris on the other hand had gotten up at 5am to go surf until 10am this morning and was pretty shot before we even turned one pedal over. Despite that though he did well during his hammer session with the boys.

And, I was surprisingly able to hold my own riding on the dirt for the first time since getting my cast on 2 weeks ago. It was a good test and I felt pretty stable although breaking with my left hand (the one with the broken thumb) was a tad interesting and shifting was annoying (and pretty much not existant too). Not an ideal situation to be riding in a cast on singletrack but I made the best of it and had lots of fun!

Chris mixing it up.



There was even another nut job out there who was riding on a compound leg fracture (see the soft cast on this guys leg below?). His doctor who was at first opposed to him riding at all is now considering different methods for future patients based on just how well and fast this guys fracture is healing. Wow!! Every ones body is different - that is for sure! So 2 of the 11 of us tonight were riding with broken body parts. What is wrong with people like us? :)



After that the group rode to the top of the Santa Monica Mountains just in time for the sunset.

Andrew J., our fearless leader who promised he wouldn't leave me up on the mountain to die alone because I couldn't keep up with my thumb holding me back a bit, with Chris hanging at the top.

Here is Some Free Advice

as you are looking for a wireless network......


Funny.

When I stopped to take this pic of a lemon tree and the lemon grove while on my ride today all I could here was an all over buzzing sound in the air. After putting 2 and 2 together (bee sightings everytime I ride and the fact that I was surrounded by yummy bright fruit) I was gone!!!!!



The heat wave is trying its darned-est to get here. And I wish it would already cuz it has been overly chilly willy for CA!!!

Riding in the Park

Chris, Brooke, Kristin, Eric and I all headed to Solvang, CA area where it is sunny and about 10 degrees warmer than Santa Barbara. It is weird because you drive up from foggy, yuck-o, "Gorilla's in the Mist"weather about 10 minutes up and over the mountains and wham, you get sunny blue sky and a heck of a lot warmer than SB. I guess it is always like that when it's "May Gray" in the Barb with the mountains trapping it in.

Kristin, Chris, Eric, Brooke ready to ride


We parked at a school off of Figueroa Road which is just across the entrance to Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. You can't see anything except the entrance to the the ranch from the road. It is well guarded too. Want to buy it? I guess you are too late.


But I wasn't sure they were going to let me onto Figueroa road in the first place.....


Not sure what peak that is in the distance? Perhaps Figueroa?


After tackling that road and a bit of the climb we headed over and up to Foxen Road which parallels the Firestone Vineyard where the next NMBS race is this weekend.

Chris and Brooke taking a break.


Kristin making a face at me!


Here are some pics looking down at the NMBS course. In years past we have parked near that tiny lake and the single track goes through the vineyard behind it and then comes up to where I am standing taking the picture at one of its higher points on the course. From there it's just lots of rollers.


The singletrack is looking dusty and crusty and word is that it is supposed to be 95 degrees plus here this weekend. Heat wave!


Seriously? A gov't sign for Tarantula crossing?

May Gray in SB

I got out yesterday for a pitiful ride. I just felt hollow inside which isn't a big shocker considering that everything inside me IS hollow right now after getting over the flu. Not a good feeling especially when you are dressing for "May Gray" in Santa Barbara. That doesn't add to the fake cheer in my face.

So for today....we are trying to coerce our buddy, Brooke who lives here in SB to race beginner this coming weekend at the NMBS race in Los Olivos. She just ran a marathon in Oregon in 3 hours 29 min and her fitness is fabulous right now! Plus she knows how to ride! Kristin and I took her out on a local trail to see what she thought about racing this weekend. I think she like-ee.

Kristin should race too - she was ripping up and over stuff on a cruiser bike with slicks on!! Plus her fitness is amazing right now also.....she just got done running the Boston Marathon a few weeks ago in a rippen fast time.

Kristin and Brooke ........the "to be" bike racers if I get my way.

Meanwhile the other runner of the group, Eric decided to run up San Marcos Road with his bike by his side while enduring the hecklers yelling "just ride it" out their car windows (maybe THEY should get out of their CAR instead of making fun of others while DRIVING to the top-gheesh people!). But Eric does this because he enjoys running up vs riding up and then riding his bike back down vs running down. If those hecklers only knew that this guy is anything but lazy or unable to ride up the hill.............he road to work today, worked all day, swam after work then road home only to run up a 1000 foot climb and ride bike down. My oh my!

Update

Well I have certainly been MIA for a while. I guess that is what losing weight rapidly with a stomach flu will do for ya. Yeah. This week hasn't been the most pleasant of weeks you could say but it is working out of my system finally. That along with my sweet cast has made for one very unpleasant cyclist.

So here is what has happened since my post last Friday.

On Sunday, we took our buddies kid out for a final farewell breakfast in AZ before we drove to Santa Barbara that day.


We were so tired from driving from 800 miles (Santa Barbara, CA - Silver City, NM) for one day of racing (instead of FIVE-grrrr) so we took a few days and hung out in Fountain Hills, AZ with our friend on the way back through. It was a good move definitely.

Our buddy has a sweet view of the fountain from her house too. It was fun to see and hang out with her again for the um-teenth time this season as we keep needing to head through the Phoenix area for races.


Monday in Santa Barbara was the "see if the cast actually fits on MY bike" day since we molded the cast to Chris's bike in AZ. Seemed to be a pretty good guess in AZ too as it turns out. Not sure we could have done much better.




The thumb position is perfect!


I was able to train on my mtb just fine on the roads. 3500 feet of climbing right outside our buddies door. Wow! That was cool and fun and I was so happy just to be outside riding!

Up up up


and away!


Tiny CA roads in the high country:


Then, as I already mentioned it was a little of this and an extraordinary amount of this which is always the best times of your life especially while you are hanging in beautiful Santa Barbara.

I AM better now though and I do plan on getting the heck out of the house today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you tell I am excited about that?!

Can you say stir crazy!?

Thank You

for all the emails, phone calls, text messages and blog comments, everyone! Your support and understanding is overwhelming as I try not to get too discouraged about my thumb. Granted IT IS JUST A THUMB but by the same token it is a thumb and to have full use of it right now would be mighty nice. Needless to say with all your help and support along with some good healing I will be back in one piece soon!

And thanks to my buddies in Santa Barbara, CA and Phoenix for putting up with this craziness of coming and going all the time not as planned originally. Hanging out with the Sherwins is never a dull moment as I am sure all my friends can attest too!!

Be safe!

What's Up Doc?

Today we busted a move outta Silver City, NM to Phoenix, AZ where we had an appointment with a Orthopedic Hand Surgeon. How'd we get an appt so fast you ask? Major good luck, one good search on Google and the doctor making room for someone begging on the other side of the phone line. We had to get the show on the road quick so we could figure out if we are staying or going and where we were staying and going since home is far away.

Saw a long choo choo train on the way which was the most exciting thing out there really.

Once at the Brown Hand Center in Phoenix the doctor looked at my New Mexico ER xrays that we had emailed to my account (vs paying for more!!) and gave me 3 options starting with putting a pin in in my thumb to get the broken piece back to where it was before. That option would take 2 weeks off my heeling time but I am not an advocate of opening the body up unless absolutely necessary so that option wasn't really considered too much. Plus it would require more travel time back to Utah where insurance has me covered, getting the surgery, then maybe heading back to Santa Barbara for the next NMBS race. And, we don't want to be on the road that much more than we already are which could make us tired making the 2 extra weeks off of the 6 week healing time a wash.

The second option was casting it for 6 weeks and the third option came after the doctor saw us not jumping for joy at any of the options yet, was simply splinting it in such a way that I could train.

Obviously my primary concerns were training and racing......not really the thumb unfortunately and the splint was sounding mighty fine because I could take it on and off too. But after discussing the options we decided on a hand molded cast that would fit on my mtb handlebars so I could train. The cast will allow for the thumb to be very immobilized and more protected if I were to say....fall off my bike or hit it on a door way or whatever. We have talked to about five Orthopedic Surgeons at this point (thanks to Chris working at Deer Valley and knowing these guys) and every one of them has said you MUST keep it immobilized for 1 week if not 2 weeks.

But my cast will be taken off in 2 weeks for 2 reasons. First is that the swelling will go down by then making the cast too loose and the second is that I want to race the Santa Ynez NMBS race near Santa Barbara, CA as planned. So the plan is to keep the thumb immobilized as much as possible while I can here for a few weeks up until race day. It will have a better chance at healing WELL that way. It will heal, but its just a matter of how well and how well determines that joints future as far as arthritis, pain and function. So I am going to do the right thing while I can and then hopefully race on it splinted if it comes to that and get it re casted later possibly. Now, plans could change radically if they take the cast off, take an x-ray and find that the bone moved the wrong way. That scenario = surgery but is not likely if I take care of this thing (hence the hard cast choice and not the splint).

The doc making my cast. Can you just see what I am thinking?

So the doc made my first ever cast in my whole life and as it was drying I ran down to the car at full speed and then road Chris's mtb bike around the parking lot for 15 minutes allowing the drying cast to mold itself to an mtb set up. My mtb's are in Santa Barbara so we had to use Chris's bike to do this hoping the set up will be similar.

Everything seemed to work well as I got out an hour later on my road bike (it's all I have right now with me) which was interesting because I have no front brake function because the cast is molded like you see in the picture so I can't get to it. So back brake only but I was happier that all heck just to be riding and not on a trainer in 90 degree beautiful weather!

Now the plan is to train normal in AZ for a bit and then head back to Santa Barbara, CA as planned, not cutting our "trip" short just yet.