Mmmm….. carbon.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Rock Out

Rock out like your life depends on it. Because it does.

Two-Nine or not Two-Nine? That is the question.

I finally got back on the bike a bit this weekend. Lungs aren’t quite clear, but well enough. Borrowed a friend’s 29er to get a feel for how they ride. Granted this was a custom Quiring 29er with Jones bars (kinda odd but comfy) and single speed, no less. It was perfect. Just an easy Sunday ride up and down the fireroad, no single track even, but it was just what the doctor (Dr. Me) ordered. Unfortunately, I stopped in at Fat Tire Farms and window shopped their full squish bikes, both 29s and 26ers. And then they showed me… An Ellsworth Evolve. It is not inexpensive. It is Pink. That is all I will say. If you know me even a little, you know what I’m saying. Anyhow, I was pleasantly surprised at how squishy the ride was, but because it was a completely non-technical ride, still have no real idea of how it would handle differently, say on single track with roots and rocks. Clearly more testing is necessary. *insert muddy grinning picture here*

Did I mention how good it felt to be riding? And today I found an old picture from Tabor last summer. I made it my screen saver. I needed some reminder of better days when I was riding it like I stole it, and having fun and feeling fit… Looking at it reminds me of how much I love speed and the thrill of riding hard, fast and TOTALLY in control. I find it helps my resolve to stay focused on returning to riding and racing, but SLOWLY. Train slow to go fast. That will be my new mantra. It goes against most training knowledge, but when you’ve been through a repetitive stress injury and run into by a truck, you aren’t afraid to throw conventional training “advice” out the window.

The PT, acupuncture and ART/graston seems to be helping. My hip feels night and day better, though I’m sore as hell everywhere else. Apparently I have a surplus of scar tissue from getting knocked around all these hard-livin’ years. Next week I get a pro bike fit, cleat adjustment, and running gait analysis to try to get me back in the saddle and back to full time training, starting with base prep again.

So the question remains… Two nine or not two-nine?

Really, it is entirely the wrong question. But I’ll tell you what the answer is:

Pink.

The definition of madness…

I’ve been sick for over a week. I call it the “Johnny Cash after 2 packs and a bender death rattle plague”. It’s been going around. I don’t dare ride. I know 3 people who turned a similar affliction in to pneumonia last year because the insisted on training outside. I figure at this point, I’m so far off my game, another week, hell… another MONTH off the bike… won’t make much difference. When I do start up again I’ll be in Base Prep, starting from scratch. I HATE IT but at the same time, what can I do? I’ve come to a grudging acceptance that this is the way things are. Last year I tried to ride through the pain, and it didn’t really work out too well. So, it would be certifiably insane to expect anything would change by doing more of the same. I’m pleased to say a new strategy is well in place. Top secret rehab plan… You’ll know when I’m feeling better. I’ll be talking about riding again.

On a positive note, I am climbing a LOT. It’s indoors at the Circuit, though next week I’ll be checking out the Portland Rock Gym. The first time I did any trad climbing I was at a 5.10b. After bouldering pretty consistently since early January I am still working v1. What this means? Nothing special. “Easy” routes. Big handholds and nothing too crimpy on the fingers. Some of the routes are pretty technical like the one I was working for the past three weeks… It was totally stumping me. I thought it was strength holding me back, but it was definitely technique. I kept attacking it the same way. Finally, I ran into a few familiar faces at the gym, and they helped me work on my technique. It was on a 30degree overhang which is just tiring to work (I thought I had a strong core… jeeeez do I have a lot of work to do!) so I was pretty cooked. My hands felt like raw meat, burning, hot, searing… Still, I persisted. Leaving defeated another day was not an option. I finally bagged it, got a high five from a new buddy and headed home feeling for all the world as if I’d just scored a podium finish. Thanks, Matt and Della! All I needed was a different move in my toolbox. It worked like a charm… Well, after like 9 more fetid attempts, but still… It worked.

On a more somber note, a friend of a good friend was killed on a training ride in the SF Bay Area yesterday. Crazy shit, man. A COP drove over the line across two lanes and into the cyclists head on. Two were killed one’s in critical. It is sad, it makes me angry and I can’t help but wonder what the excuse will be THIS time… The full story can be found here

But it also brings to mind the comment someone made when my teacher died in a freaky climbing accident: Callie didn’t take excessive risks. She did what she loved. She loved camping in the desert, raves, yoga, tai chi and climbing. She loved life more than most. She died doing what she loved, and it was during an attempt to help someone in need. She was  young, beautiful and very, very awesome. It was a HUGE loss that impacted several communities. But here’s the comment that stuck with me:

You’re born, you live, you die. Too many people don’t even get to the middle part of that equation, or if they get to it, they forget about it at a “certain age”.
Whoever you are reading these words—and whatever your age—listen up close:

Go do what makes your heart sing and what makes your gut feel full, and do it now. No one will hand it to you. You can’t get it back when it’s gone. This is it. Spend your time doing what brings out the love in you. Though someone else might take it away in a  stupid “accident”, YOU are the only one who can offer yourself a life well-lived.

Can I get an “Amen” bruthas and sistas?

Snow is not a four-letter word.

My hamstring has been recovering exceptionally well. I took a full week off… sat around and iced every 4 hours, massaged after 5 days, rested and drank lots of beer to keep my stress levels low. Which was essential, since my computer died the same week. I mean, really died. I mean $3500 later I am still wondering how much data I’ll recover. Don’t even TALK to me abut backups, okay? Where’s my beer…

Ahem. I’m back. Hamstring is like 90%. I’m trying acupuncture and new forms of bodywork and physical therapy for the hip problems that persist. The acupuncture and ART leave me feeling wasted afterward, as if I just got hit by a truck all over again! But I can sense some small movements toward improvement. It has been difficult to deal with so much pain for so long and just keep being a “trooper”. Even I, the unsinkable Uma von Cowbell, have her limits.

My new “strategy” is to cross-train as much as my body will let me and HAVE FUN… Been trying to keep skiing but the weather hasn’t complied. Yesterday I finally got up to do some classic nordic skiing. It kicked my butt after two weeks off! And bouldering is still awesome, I just have to be careful, which is a good practice to get into anyway. Riding is fine, but I can’t push it. No long rides yet…. I am back at basemiles for the next 3 weeks. And I’m doing about half those miles on the mountain bike.

Shhhhh. Don’t tell anyone. No one will believe you anyway. “Uma on a MTB? Shut up!” That’s what they will say!

I think all this stuff coincides with an overdue need in me to transcend all labels, across the board, not just as a rider, but as a human being. I mean, we wear certain labels to present ourselves in neat and understandable ways to the world, and labels can be useful. But I think I am ready to challenge a few more of my assumptions about myself. I’ve been meeting more MTBing friends lately, too, and old dirt-loving friends from my California days are popping up again out of the blue… It’s a sign, I tell you. And the sign says:

Uma is a dirty girl at heart. Go ride your bike(s) and have fun getting dirty again.

Speaking of which, if you’re feeling low that CX season is over, check Larry’s Grossman’s Spring CultCross series this month in Eagle, Colorado. It might just be worth a road trip, dude! Spring CX, Colorado style… Makes those unintentional dismounts less painful. And afterward, hit the slopes. But not like this dude…

Check it, man! Click here for the race info!