Not sure what did the most damage....

...the 26-mi road ride I did Saturday? The hot yoga session Saturday afternoon after three weeks off? My first ever climbing outing at Vertical World today? Or the Colonnade workout and 3-mi run I clocked at Greenlake tonight?

One thing is for sure: I'm now hooked on a brand new sport. I've always wanted to try climbing but have just never gotten around to it. I accepted an invite from a friend to hit Vertical World today and had a blast. Heights don't really bother me, but I've always had a bit of falling fear, so I honestly didn't think climbing would be my thing. I was wrong. I was so freaked out on my first climb though I could barely hang on to anything. I learned pretty quickly that chalk is your friend!

After a few climbs I figured out how to move around and felt a lot more comfortable. I found the mental challenge to be the best part. There were a few times I got stuck but knew where I needed to go. It's weird how your body knows what it needs to do but your brain is screaming, "No way! You're going to fall!" Every time I went for it I made it, so it's just convincing yourself you can do it. I'm now signed up for the belay class and well on my way to making this a regular thing :)

I think tomorrow is going to suck. I'm already feeling the climbing mostly in my triceps, shoulders, and legs. Or maybe the legs are hurting from Saturday's ride. My core is killing me from yoga, but that could also be from climbing. Ugh.

Time for an update...

This month has been busy mostly due to a huge work project. I took a much needed mini-vacation to LA to visit with my dad for a week over Thanksgiving and I can happily say it only rained for a day and a half. The rest of the time I spent soaking up sunshine, hiking, running, and mountain biking. I logged 60 miles of mountain biking, about 8 miles of running, and nearly 10 miles of hiking. Now that's my kind of vacation ;)

I flew back to Seattle Thanksgiving evening mostly because of cheap airline rates and empty airports. Travel is so easy on holidays. My mom and I had Thanksgiving together for probably the first time in nearly 10 years. It was awesome!

Friday I had my final follow-up with the knee doctor concerning my IT band injury and the great news is that the MRI shows no more inflammation or swelling in either my hip or knee. Might I finally be coming around?? On the flip side though, my right shoulder has been giving me increasing trouble, so I mentioned it to the doc, who decided to take a closer look and has now diagnosed me with a very mildly separated shoulder. WTF? The funniest thing was him asking me, "Did you take a spill on that shoulder that you can recall?" Hmmm, which one of my recent 50 accidents should I point to?

I honestly don't know how I did it. I took a good fall at Tiger about a month or so ago, but don't remember hitting it. I only started noticing the discomfort mostly during bowling or lifting at the gym. It's usually sore after bike rides, but it's not horrible by any means, more of just a dull, annoying ache. I've got some reduced range of motion on that side for some reason, but I did injure it probably 15 years ago, so who knows.

Good news is the doc said it's mild and a sling probably isn't necessary. Right now I'm just icing and taking some anti-inflammatory meds. At this rate, I should probably seriously consider retiring again from bowling since it's killing me, but I think I'll try to bowl through this season and then call it quits in April. At least the doc knows me well. He said I could choose to wear a sling during periods of inactivity, but he has no idea when that would be ;)

In other news, I actually got out on the road bike today for a nice south lake loop with a friend. First time in a long, long time I felt back to my normal self, except out of shape. My knee did great and I was able to stand and climb for the first time in a while. Hopefully I'm starting to come around and I just need to slowly build back my fitness.

Good luck to everyone running the Seattle Half and Marathon tomorrow! I'll be out bright and early to cheer for folks. Wish I was out there, but maybe next year!

Bremerton CX

Sunday I finally got back to the cross scene and boy did I have a blast!! It was so good to get out, play in the mud, hang with the team, and have a great time on the brand new Kona!

I usually do a good job of staying upright in races but the course in Bremerton killed me last year and didn't disappoint this year either. Last year I showed up with a brand new pair of Sidis and new cleats. On my practice lap I found out my cleats were too tight and took a header into a barrier, leaving myself with a spectacular calf bruise that is still discolored and knotty nearly a year later. Awesome.

Sunday's race was muddy and slick and I did a fair amount of slipping and sliding, but stayed up. On the second lap though, I noticed I couldn't get unclipped. WTF? I was rotating my foot at nearly a 90 and not disengaging. This is not a good thing to find out when you're setting up for barriers. I unclipped way too late and got so off balance I took myself out and had this spectacular flop in the mud right in front of the team tent. I remember lying on my back for a few seconds imagining how stupid that must have looked and listening to everyone cheering. Ha!

The rest of the race I struggled to get unclipped with my right foot, so combined with my lack of practice, I was pretty much a train wreck on wheels! Teammates checked my shoes after the race and discovered a very loose right cleat. Duh. I need to start doing some equipment checks I guess.

I did manage to pass a few gals but pretty much got my ass kicked, which I expected. I was just ecstatic to be able to get out and ride, not have any knee or hip pain, and find out my limiter was my cardio and NOT my legs. My knee wasn't even sore after the race. Since when has that happened?

The new Kona handled like a dream and I love it, love it, love it! I've lost pretty much the entire year to injuries, so I'm eager to hit the few remaining cross races on the schedule. Competitiveness aside, it's just great to be back on the bike! I'm considering a double-header this weekend and can't wait to get the Kona out again!

Stoked!!

I didn't get my Fuji back, but thank goodness for the rider I put on my insurance policy last year. State Farm is the greatest and sending me a check now so I can run out and get a new cross bike hopefully in time to race this weekend. Yay! They're not even requiring paperwork since I've been a customer in good standing for so long. They rock.

I thought my cross bike decision would be an easy one until I started looking at bikes and realized TONS of manufacturers make really great cross bikes now. Decisions, decisions...

Today I rode the neglected Giant into work and it's the first time in months I could ride round trip without blowing up my left knee. Stoked!! The road bike still puts some pressure on the hip (IT band issue) but it's miles away from how painful it was this summer. I'm still moving slow and standing on climbs is tough, but just getting back on the road feels amazing. What doesn't feel amazing is getting passed on hills. Grrrrr..... must ... control ... myself.

I even managed to climb up Irving to 31st from the I-90 bridge deck, but I probably shouldn't do that for a while. I'm hoping I can do a short road ride this weekend, but we'll see. I'd love to get out on a team ride but I don't think I'm quite up to that sort of mileage or pace yet.

Good karma coming my way?

Tonight I did laundry and matched all my socks. ALL of them. When does that ever happen? Good karma must be coming my way...maybe I'll get my bike back. C'mon good karma gods, work your magic because after unstable exes, bank fraud, and a stolen bike, I'm due damnit!

Stolen Fuji Cross Pro

After many, many years of owning bikes, today I had my first tango with bike theft. I hit the Colonnade for a ride today and when I got back to the car, my Fuji Cross Pro had been stolen right off my locked T2 rack. I have no idea how someone managed to do it, but I can only guess they may have gotten the quick release off and somehow wiggled the bike off the front wheel. Who knows. I got that bike two years ago on our Zoka team deal and it was a fantastic buy.

I haven't done much cross this year because of injuries, but was planning to get back to a series race tomorrow and finish the season. Now I don't have a bike to race with, so I'm pretty f'in bummed. I guess I'll have to race cross on the Kona and pray that my Fuji turns up or my homeowner's insurance helps me out.

I filed a police report, sent email to the WSBA, posted on the seattlecyclocross forum and craig's list, and contacted all the local used bike shops. I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed that it turns up, but I'm not holding out much hope. And of course, it's the one bike I don't have the serial number for. Drat. I miss my baby :(

Information Below:
Stolen Nov 1 between 12:30 - 3pm. My car was parked a block south of E Blaine and Lakeview near the Colonnade.

2006 49cm Fuji Cross Pro
Black/Silver/red striping
Shimano SPD pedals
Cateye type computer on handlebars (not working)
Michelin Mud tires

If you see it, please let me know, after you've pelted whoever is on it.