Knee Surgery

So I think there's few people that really want to read all the medical details of my surgery. I will include a few. I went to see Dr. Guettler down in Detroit. (side note: No he doesn't actually practice in what I guess down state people know as "Detroit". However being from the northland if you point to the pad of your thumb/palm it's all "Detroit" to me).  Basically if there was something very significant wrong, Dr. Guettler had more advanced procedures and the experience and to try and repair those things (ex. cartillage defects). But hopefully it wouldn't be anything too bad.

As a side note a family member of mine is in the orthopedic field, and he gave me lots of advice and his professional opinion. As it turns out he also was in need of a knee scope (i.e. old knees). So we decided to have them done at the same time. That person is my dad.

So surgery day rolls around (March 15, 2012) and I'm obviously a little anxious. I'm in the OR prep room and the nurses are all doing all their thing. One nurse walked in and trying to make a big deal about how she now had to shave my leg for me. I think she was disappointed when she found out I had taken care of it already. Sometime after, they roll dad into the area next to me. Mom is also there and we open the curtain and just have a grand time while we wait. Next thing that happens is a nurse comes in, pokes me with some "feel good" drugs and I'm wheeled into the OR with a big smile. I see some people in masks and a bunch of lights and then I'm out.

So I wake up in recovery and am a bit punch drunk and STARVING, not having been able to eat since midnight. I eat anything they'll bring me and make jokes and hope around on my crutches. I was about in the same shape after getting my wisdom teeth taken out. "I can do it myself. I'm fine. Let me walk out of here." Dad gets wheeled out and the doc comes to tell me what the story is and show me the scope pictures.

So as far as knee scopes go this one was about as easy as they come. All the cartilage looked spectacular! (big grin on my face) Meniscus was fine! The only issues were some spots of scar tissue around the synovium and some sheath around my ACL. Basically it's the best news I could have, and a HUGE mental and emotional relief. Check out some pics below.

ACL and some scar tissue.

Intact Meniscus.

Winter Update and Spring Surprise

In case you missed this post a while back, I crushed my tibial plateau skiing in February of 2011. The injury got better through out the summer, but I still was unable to run. The winter was more of the same and it seemed like the progress had plateaued. Much better than when I first injured it, but not back to the level I would like. So it was some easier trainer sessions, a bit of skate skiing, and more of my core/weights/stretch band routines.

Discussing skate skiing can be left for another time, but as a quick note it's amazing how I can be a proficient alpine skier, have a superb engine...and so utterly fail at skate skiing. But with a sport that's so technique based that's how it goes. I got much better as the winter went on. Besides the fact we had a poor winter for snow, which also limited the number of times I could get out. Back to the injury update.

So as the winter progressed and 2012 came, I was not a very happy camper. I wasn't able to progress the intensity of my trainer workouts due to my knee, which was very frustrating. It's not that I couldn't have ridden hard, it just didn't feel like it was a good idea. And I've tried pushing through enough injuries before, to know that it wasn't a good idea. With two MRIs, and a few possible thoughts on the problem, the next option was surgery. After lots of thought my thought process was as follows: It was apparent that giving it time and rest, wasn't super effective to get back to the level of competition I strive to be at. Plus there was always the lingering thought that if there is some type of cartilage/bone defect as a result of the injury, I would like have the full picture so as to adjust my active lifestyle accordingly for the future. So I decided to get a knee scope. More on that in the next post.

Iceman 2011: First Mountain Bike Race

Anyone that happens to be unfamiliar with the Iceman Cometh Mountain Bike Race can check out the details here. In short it’s from Kalkaska to T.C. and it has grown to be the largest one day mountain bike in the US. It also happened to be my first mountain bike race ever.

The day dawned clear and chilly, right around freezing, with predictions for perfect race conditions later in the morning. We had a whole crew racing from the bike shop where I work at (No Boundaries in Boyne City).The race goes off in waves, starting with the fasted seeded times (those that raced previously) followed by age group waves. I was in a wave with my triathlon buddy, Dave Smith (who's blog is here) and we planned to work together. It was also his first mountain bike race. We were in wave 19 going off at 9:54, so there was bound to be lots of traffic on the trail. We we ended up being a bit rushed to get to the starting line (just how I like to roll), but got in our wave in time.

The horn went off as did the mad dash to get to the front, as the first part of the race is open and flat and not to get stuck behind slower riders in the single track. I fell a bit behind Dave after my poor positioning and lack of wanting to red line in the first 5 minutes. There was also a crash in the opening two track section, thus I spend most of the next 20 minutes trying to make up time to catch Dave, as we had wanted to ride together. I eventually worked my way back to him and as the course opened up to a long section of dirt road, he said that this was the spot to make up time and took off. My lack of riding in recent weeks was evident at this point as he was gone and I conceded to not blow up less than half way through the race.

The rest of the race was riding and passing a lot of people from earlier waves. I had to dismount up Anita’s hill, upon which my quads and calves immediatly seized and I noted to not get off my bike until the end of the race. I heard the crowd and the announcer at the finish, which was deceiving as I still had 2 miles to go. In the last section of single track I took few risks, just wanting to finish the race in one piece. I crossed the finish line in 2:07:20; a time I was pleased with considering my conditioning. Dave had a great day, finishing in 1:59. We found the rest of the No Boundaries crew, chowed down on some food, enjoyed some fermented beverages and hung out around the campfire. We stayed to watch the Pros come through around 3pm. It’s amazing how fast they can go. Uphill and on single track. Overall it was a super day and a race that I will certainly be doing more MTB racing in the future.

Cherry Roubaix Road Race

    Well it's been a while since I've posted something. Guess I could say I've been busy with work and getting my Trail Mix business going, which would be the truth. In July I also went on two week long camping trips as a supervisor for the Camp Daggett Wilderness Adventure. While backpacking trips to North Manitiou and Pictured Rocks are sweet, it presents a problem in riding my bike. Thus my July miles were pretty slacking.

Views like this or ride my bike? It's a toss up.

     So the time comes for Cherry Roubaix, which served as the Michigan State Road Race Championship. The course is a fun one, with several climbs over the 15 mile and change loop. This being my first Cat 4 race, I was excited to race around "less sketchy" people; however there were still 60+ in my race. This made for some nervous situations as I attempted to stay in the front part of the race. The weather was great, right near 70, partly cloudy but with a very noticable wind.

    The first lap was mostly uneventful as I was stuck in the middle half of the field. A few people tried breaks, but were reeled back in rather quickly. I just sat in and waited to see how it panned out. Second lap was more of the same, with some good efforts up the hills and then lallygagging around. The field wasn't breaking up and it was apparent everyone waits around for the sprint in Cat 4 as well. On the third lap I decided I would try to get a break up the climb by Sugarloaf. After all with a field that big, there would be SOMEONE that would want to go with me. As we turned left I put in a solid effort to get to the front and catch up to one guy that had gaped a bit. As I went by him I said, "let's go." After a few seconds I looked back and he had sat up to let the field catch him. I decided to push on solo and made it up the climb with a few hundred meter gap. The gap grew for a bit, then they pulled me back in about 2-3 miles later.

    After that the field was soft pedaling. I sat in, near the front for a while to recover and a guy went off the front during a section of rollers, but was chased down. As it was apparent everyone wanted a sprint finish, I was thinking "screw that" and decided my best option was to just keep trying to ride off the front and maybe get someone to work with, despite there being only 5 or so miles to go. A couple times I gaped, but no one went with me and then I was reeled in. The last 3 or so miles were downhill with a tailwind and I was on the front hammering. At one point I gaped the field, but had to sit up as there were slow cars ahead (not that I think it would have affected the result)
    I was on the front until the last left turn, which left about 300m to the finish. I was pretty spent and wasn't about to contend a sprint finish. Besides the fact that my sprinting abilities are nothing to brag about, they also make me nervous in a field that big. So as everyone pulled around me on the final turn, I sat up and pedaled in, finishing somewhere in 25th ish place (I have yet to see the full results). Not what I was hoping for, but looking back, I doubt  anything I could have significantly changed. 

    Doing this race just reassured my my slight ill feelings toward road racing. Don't get me wrong, they're fun; but I hate the BSing around and everyone being pu**ies and waiting for the sprint. Sorry if that offends you, but that's how I feel. To me it feels like a "less glorious" win. A feeling that I can only compare to Pre and Bowerman and the "front running" debate in "Without Limits". Or the classic "getting High Schooled". What it means that I either need to get a team or other people I know to work with; or just work on my Sparticus TT abilaties and be able to ride away from the field. Just more learning experiences for next year I guess.

    On another note it was cool to see Dave Ide (a 55+ Master's stud, who puts the hurt on me on the Tuesday "Fast Guys" ride) sprint for the W. It was also cool to see my lil sis Mara (more commonly known as Road Weasel) do her first road race. Although it wasn't a super enjoyable experience for her as she rode solo for most of the race, if she keeps riding she'll be able to hang in there. It was also fun to have Daemian, Ben D. Ben P. and James participate as well. (Yes that's 3 Bens if you were counting)

The Road Weasel cranks to the finish

   My plan now is to take a week or two off, to let me knee healing catch up as that is still bothering me somewhat. Then I'll hit the MTB training and hopefully get a cross bike and get some experience in that this September. We'll just have to see.

Everyone should go to a Monster Truck Jam

FYI: The following post has little to do with triathlon or athletics in general.

So last summer the Emmet County Fair announced there would be a Monster Truck Jam. Having never been to such an event I had to attend. Long story short it was an incredible experience and we had a blast. The finale performed by Predator was spectacular.Video on left. Reptoid on Right.

Thus when I was driving to the Farmer's Market to sell by B-Nuts Trail Mix and heard an advertisement on the radio for Monster Trucks at the North West Michigan Fairgrounds I decided I had to go. So we got a car full and drove down to TC for the show. Now this show was paced a little slower but had superb people watching. To blend in we dressed the part (pictures below).

Walker the Welder and myself. Trucks in background. 

Nigh Stalker crushes a helpless station wagon

The following is a short bit of prose I was compelled to write following the show.

A dusty haze settled over a technicolor sunset as the scent of high octane racing fuel entered the nostrils and implanted itself within, touching the deepest elements of the human soul. The raging behemoths sat silent, having already unleashed their rage and destruction on the derelict station wagons. Leaving with ringing eardrums and muted grins, we absconded into the night. 


 

Duck Lake Time Trial-My first pure TT race

     Today I competed in the Duck Lake TT (link here), which served as the Michigan Time Trial Championship. Having competed numerous 40K (24.8 Miles for us silly Americans) efforts in triathlons, putting in an all out, balls to the walls effort is slightly different. I was excited to see what kind of time I could put down, considering I've been focusing on my bike training since my injury this winter.
    I have an 11.8 mile rolling hill loop by my house that I've been training on. This year I've been doing the loop consistently under 30:00. Last year my Olympic Distance Tri I've had splits of 62 and 64 and taking those things into account  I set a  goal for the TT to be at 58:00.
    I drove down the night before and stayed with my Grandma in Big Rapids, before driving to the race, near Whitehall.  I felt a little rushed as I got my equipment set up, warmed up, etc. I'd rather be rushed than have to sit around and wait--less time to think about it.
   I was a little jittery from excitement and some caffeine as I rolled out at 9:07. I focused on keeping a steady and controlled pace for the first lap, passing several riders and splitting somewhere around 29:30 I believe. The roads were in decent shape for what I'm used to-chip sealed last summer or so.  There was a steady wind, leaving the long side of the rectangular course into the wind. I just tried to keep my head down, stay aero and slowly build up the effort. With about 10K to go I knew I needed to force myself to push the pace and I responded well. I rounded the finishing corner and sprinted to the line. Glancing at my watch I knew I was right close to 58 flat.
   After a cool down I was able to track down my official results-58:02 and another Cat 5 'W'. Reflecting on my race I am happy, but I do feel like I could have left a little bit more out on the course. It was a new experience and I'll have to learn the pacing required for optimal results. I also need to get more confidence and risk more on the corners. It was a great experience and I plan on doing some more in the future.

Cat 5 40K TT- 58:02

  I have to give a shout out to Lon Epstein, who was a roommate while I was in Colorado my first year. He had an internship at Cannondale and got Chrissie Wellington to sign a picture for me. It arrived by FedEx the day before the race. Thanks Lon!

"Where'd those guys go?"-West Brach Road Race

After winning the cat 5 race at Washtenaw I put in to upgrade to cat 4, despite having less than the required 20 points. I didn't think that USA Cycling really cared that much...but I got rejected. Thus when Daemian and I signed up for the West Branch Classic road race we were both racing cat 5. Upon registration there was no course map, no info about number pickup or much specific info in general. There was a hand drawn map to the start staging area where the heading had North pointed down. Judging by this we were expecting an interesting race. The course was 44 miles, two loops, with plenty of rolling hills and one mile long steady climb to the finish.

Our race started at 10:30, and as we were standing in a group waiting and it was HOT! Not like Kona, just overcast, no air movement whatsoever. I hate waiting around to start in the first place and the heat only made it worse. However once we rolled off and got a breeze I didn't notice the heat for the rest of the race. There were about 30 or 35 in cat 5.

 For the first lap everyone was in one group, no one was really pulling, just getting into it pretty easy. Like my experience with other cat 5 races, there was little organization and tons of brake use-age. Annoying blast up the hill, sit up and bunch together, etc. No one wanted to work to put in some pulls and break the group up. I just sat in the middle of the pack. At the finishing climb for the first lap, there was some more steady effort and some people fell off the back. Around mile 25, I started to move up to the front of the pack to try to work with some people to break the group up. I put in a pull and looked back and no one went with me, they were just hanging out. So I sat up and chilled.

A mile or two latter I made another move to see if anyone wanted to go in a break. No one did so I figured I'd try it solo, since they weren't very organized. I got probably 300ish meters off and the distance held as I worked for a mile or so. Then they closed the distance down and I re-grouped. Still, no one was making any moves. I guess everyone wanted a sprint finish.

After a couple more miles I tried to break again and get someone to work with. This time one guy went with me. We gained some distance and it looked like there was a mildly organized attempt to catch us. We started to catch a few cat 4 guys that had blown up, still gaining time on our pack. We made a right turn and were working together well as there were many rolling hills. At this point we had quite a distance on the pack, but kept the pressure on. As we approached the final right turn for the climb to the finish I new there was no chance we would be caught.
    Getting into the "lets finish this race" mode, the began to distance the guy I had been working with. About half way up the hill I had about 100m on him and eased up as I crested the hill to the finish, getting my second win of the season. Now I can upgrade for sure.
   With Daemien in the main pack he gave me the scoop after we broke away. There was an attempt to bridge up, but it didn't get organized. After the second to last right, everyone went back to the "chillin" mode and didn't work together. At one point, in reference to our breakaway, a guy asked, "Where'd those guys go?" (or something like that). Daemian said, "They're gone!", to which he responded, "WELL WHY DIDN'T ANYONE SAY SOMETHING!" Interesting, since I thought I was pretty obvious with my intentions.

After the finish there was pizza, sandwiches and beer for all participants. I'd never been at a race with "free" beer (even if it was Mich Ultra). Road races just keep looking better than triathlons. Tons of fun, cheaper, food, beer and good prizes. I won a beer tub with 6 beers, a beer mug, and a nice helmet. Granted I killed 8 flies, got bitten by mosquitoes and  sweated my stones off waiting around for the awards, which should have been more organized, but it was worth the trip. I highly recommend any triathlete try road racing. I'll be doing a lot more of it.