End of Year Injury Report

Knee and shoulder injuries in July start cascade of attention to all areas needing repair.

After an injury free first half of the year, it started with a simple knee twist when my worn tires slipped off the slick rock mountain biking at Grafton. A quick recovery and then a tumble on a rock slide hiking on Big Slide Mountain shoving my elbow and arm up into the shoulder joint. This one did not get better on its own. Also, walking down that mountain in the slick rain without full use of my arms put added pressure on the knees. As a result, I started to get treatment for the shoulder.

As the shoulder responded, attention turned to the knees. All the time, biking and spinning and snowboarding were all possible because the treatments did not hamper the activities. Until I added some injuries to the list doing the activities.

First, practicing wheelies on the front yard, landing hard on my back and snapping my head and neck back. Then catching an edge on the snowboard and re-injuring a repaired right shoulder. And finally, shoveling snow of all things, taking my back out again.

The ART sessions with Kieth Donato go from one damaged body part to another and back again. Today back to the back. The net accumulative effect is a slowly repaired and better functioning body able to do the ridn I want to do.

It is easy to get discouraged, but if the overall net effect is to re-build and strengthen weak and incorrectly functioning joints -- it is positive. At the end of the year the shoulder is better than it was going into that hike in July. The knees have promise to also be better with new alignment of the soft tissues around them; and the back issues which go back to running days, are being addressed. The New Year should be one of continued progress for total health and performance.

SSSS = Spining, Swimming, Snowboarding and Shoulder

Swimming and spinning provide indoor workouts while snow and cold weather continues. Snowboarding four Sundays in a row make this a great start to the winter season. Shoulder work at the chiropractor has paid off.

Heart rate workouts with hill climbing and sprinting intervals are the big benefit of spinning class. Dan is good at getting in the hills; Andrea specializes in high cadence sitting and standing intervals. Both get the heart rate over 150 for extended periods of time. Finding the time to get in the classes has proven to be a challenge with travel out of town Tuesday through Friday the last few weeks. Saturday spins save the week.

Swimming can also be a heart rate workout if done as interval sets. But I have never been fond of getting that out of breath in the water. Instead, I use the swim as a long, low impact aerobic workout that is similar to getting the heart at 135 to 145 on the bike. I once tried to wear the heart rate monitor in the pool - it did not work out well as it always got pushed down to my waist by the water. Also, the cooling effect of the water results in your heart not beating as fast, even though you get the same heart muscle effect. I get into a rhythm of 18 to 20 strokes per pool length (spl, 25 meter pool) and go for 30 to 60 minutes without stopping. The result is a good aerobic workout and improved joint flexibility as the back, legs and arms all stretch out without any pounding.

The shoulder has made great progress with the ART sessions from Dr. Kieth Donato. The swimming works the shoulder in a good way and the weight training exercises and calisthenics he has given me to do all have resulted in vastly improved range of motion and strength. The right shoulder is still very much restricted compared to the left, but it has improved and hopefully will continue to get better with the work yet to do.

Now we are moving to the knees. If I rated the pain associated with the shoulder work at 6 to 7, the knee work is pushing it to 9. We are working IT Band and hamstrings and little muscles around the knee joint. It is too early to tell, but I can say that things are moving in the right direction so far.

Sunday is snowboard day. At least it has been for the last four weeks in a row. Killington has had about 40 inches of snow in the last 7 days! The temperature has rarely gone above freezing in over five weeks, so snow making has gone full tilt. This week was the first week on the natural snow -- and it was great. You could really dig the edges in and get the carved turns that makes snowboarding so much fun. I started out on the double diamonds of Cascade and Double Dipper, then hit East Fall. Getting these steep runs in early in the day when the legs are fresh and the snow is still deep is best. After that I returned to Chute, my favorite cruiser run. Getting off at the top of the lift and then going non-stop all the way to the base, only slowing as you cross Great Northern twice, is a heart-pounding, leg burning blast.

Edges fully dug in! =====>

I have been getting to the mountain before 8, so first tracks are a bonus. By 11:00 my legs started to feel the effects of the Donato work, so I decided to take a trip over to see how Cruise Control and the other Skye Peak trails were. I should have stayed where I was. I got confused with the way the trails were arranged since the Skye Gondola was closed and at the top of Superstar I started to go one way, then looked around for another way, and before I knew it caught an edge and pitched over taking a full blow on my RIGHT SHOULDER!! Immediately I knew it reversed a lot of the work and progress we have made. Hopefully it will heel up and get back to where it was.

Easy Spinning July

Knee injury makes progress and then returns with a hike in the Adirondacks. Biking is a cure but at a more relaxed pace than I am used to, which provides surprising benefits.

Slipping and falling on a slippery rock while mountain biking at Grafton left my knee in pretty bad shape. But, it returned to good working order in short order after biking on the road. So good that I agreed to do a hike with Donna - big mistake! The hike I agreed to was a 7 mile walk up Stratton Mountain. The hike we wound up doing was a 9 mile climb over the Brothers and Big Slide, an Adirondack 4000-footer. Donna's brother called the morning we were taking off and told her about his planned hike which started with the hike we did. So, we would meet them on the way up instead of going over to VT. Which worked out well.

We caught Kevin, Luke and his two buddies on the ascent of the first Brother and stayed with them until we started over towards Big Slide. Then we separated as they were moving pretty slow due to their large overnight backpacks. It started to rain pretty good and the climb to the peak of Big Slide was done in a downpour. The downpour would last the rest of our trip. The climbing part is the easy part for me. The descent is the killer. Every step puts pressure on both knees that just drives the pain home. With slippery conditions, it is even worse. We hit a bare, slick rock section that was ice-like. Even being extra careful, I managed to fall heavily on my right elbow which pushed my arm up into my shoulder, resulting in a partial separation or tear in the A-C joint.

After eight hours of trudging through the trail, we returned to the car. Kevin and his group were to go up a couple of more High Peaks before camping that night, but we were sure that did not happen. As it turned out, they just made it down low enough to camp in a lean-to after peaking on Big Slide, and then trudged out themselves the next day. Needless to say, now both my knees and shoulder were hurting. Muscle soreness, since I am no longer running, also was an issue for a few days. The joints were to be a longer lasting issue.

However, after a couple of days recovery, I was out on the road bike. Last month (June) I set a record for Mountain Bike miles at 103, mostly due to the Black Fly Challenge. In July, I pretty much stick to the road, doing 13 rides averaging 34 miles each with still a couple of days to go. I am 43 miles short of a record July road mileage, so will have to see if I can work that in tomorrow.

The riding I am doing is at a much slower pace due the joint tenderness. Donna and I have ridden together more than ever this month and it has been great. I still get a good workout because I can hit the hills hard and then wait at top or circle back. Once in awhile I will time trial out ahead and then again wait or circle back. Going slower has allowed for faster recovery, so more rides. Also, new routes are ridden when someone else picks the roads. We have been taking turns "leading" the rides.

One thing I did to relieve strain on the knees was installing a 12-25 cassette on the Cannondale. With the 50/34 crankset, the effort needed to get up and over steep inclines is much reduced. Also, I have been doing more time trial riding on flat roads - getting the cob webs off the Y-Foil. Finally, last Friday, I got back into the woods and did an intermediate ride with the Grafton group. New tires on the Epic have reduced the chance of slippage on rocks. It was a mistake to go so long with the worn out tires I was running. I now have to get a new set for the Yeti.

With quite a few vacation days on the book for August and September, we have a great opportunity to get some good riding in. We have a couple of Adirondack long group road rides planned, along with a ride from Lake George to Ticonderoga, returning by boat. Playing around on the home trails has inspired me to use the great opportunity of getting out in the woods at home for workouts - even using the lights to get rides in. Who knows, maybe I can get Mountain Bike race-fit for one of the fall races.

Rest, Then Ride - a Knee Cure ?

Twisted knee takes longer to mend than anticipated; a 30-mile, flat and fast ride moves it to ride-ready state.

After the initial swelling went down, the knee seemed to get worse. Bone-on-bone pressure would not let me walk without discomfort and any twist or side pressure was painful. I stopped all riding except very light stuff - which actually opened my eyes to the pleasure of just going places on the bike. I rode the Epic at a very easy pace on the home trails and then met Donna up on Route 40 as she returned from a Willard workout. Then, after a full moon rising over Willard Mountain dog walk, I rode into the moon lit night to watch the fireworks from the Elks Club. The planets and moon and lightning bugs were all the fireworks I really needed. After circling the large sweetcorn field behind Hand's the fireworks started just after 10 pm. I was riding as slow as I could go, even just had on sneakers. It was a memorable night of wandering in the night on a bike and being treated to natural and man made fireworks.

My knee just kept getting worse with all the rest. I became despondent thinking that all year long I wait for the good weather of summer, and then when the weather is absolutely spectacular, I am 'resting and recovering' instead of riding. Which is fine, except the knee is not responding. I start thinking about knee replacement for the future and wonder if I will get to do the activities I want to do later in life - hiking the ADKs with Donna and ridn - snowboard and bicycles, and start getting depressed.

In order to keep some level of aerobic condition I decided swim at the Y. A good set of laps for 45 minutes one afternoon provided a boost to the spirits and condition. The next day the knee felt no better or worse and I just decided to ride the bike to see where I was at. I selected about as flat a route as possible from home. Out past the fairgrounds, down to Thompson and out Route 4 along the Hudson - against a strong head wind. I felt good and strong and though I did not want to push it, wound up averaging about 19 MPH into the wind. I turned at the 15 mile mark and then took it easy with the help of a tailwind. I was a bit uncomfortable and had to take out the foot and flex the knee a few times on the way back. Took a side detour along the river at Fort Miller. Taking it very easy on the climb back up Booth's hill and returning to home, I felt good. I iced the knee and took ibuprofen after eating a light meal before bed.

Waking the next morning I forgot about the knee when I walked around the house. Then I remembered and was amazed that there was absolutely no pain when I walked. I felt good enough that later in the day I mowed the backyard. I decided that was enough of a push this early, but I am encouraged. Today I will do another similar type of ride to see where I am at. Hopefully, Donna and I will do some riding or hiking over the 4th of July Holiday.

Recovery Takes Over From Racing

Racing takes a back seat to recovery as my ambitions write checks my body can't cash. Road riding and mountain biking events midweek tell me it is time to recover and not race on the weekend. After four races in since the middle of April and three in four weeks, it was time to back off.

Wednesday's CVC ride last time was a casual affair with plenty of opportunity to test yourself against fast riders, but also time to wait for the slower ones. So, I was expecting to be with the slower riders this time since I was still feeling the effects of Blackfly and Whiteface Races. Well it was a different ride this time. The pace was fast, the climbs were many, and the waiting did not happen for me. We climbed nearly 2000 feet in a little over 21 miles, so at more than 80 feet per mile it was a hilly ride by anyone's standards. The "kids" and other faster riders were in attendance and the slower riders elected to do another ride, but I did not realize that until we were well under way. As a result, I was dropped on every climb and got to feel what it is like to keep going when someone else has been doing the waiting. It was a good ride, and the ego hurt more than the body, but it was a sign to me that my body probably was not yet fully recovered from racing.

However, the week was young and the spirit still strong, so my plans for a big event were on at this point for the weekend. Donna and Alix were going to be away and I had charge of the house and four dogs. There was a MTB race on Sunday I could do and Donna would be home in time to care for the dogs. If that didn't pan out I could still do a long road ride or explore the trails at Spier Falls and be home in time.

But first, to start things off, I had a choice of doing a Time Trial practice with the Cambridge group or a Mountain Bike at Grafton State Park with the Capital Gang on Friday. Since I already embarrassed myself with the Cambridge group, and it was a threat to rain, I picked the Mountain Biking. As I pulled into the Grafton parking lot it was evident a downpour had occurred -- the parking lot was a lake. Additionally, it was windy and cool - around 60 degrees. But seven of us showed and we did a long ride on some good trails. I felt good and strong on the climbs and enjoyed the challenge of negotiating the difficult roots and rocks in the slippery conditions. Towards the end of the 2:20 ride, as the light waned the rocks got more difficult as we ended the ride on Water Tower trail. I slipped off a long, sharp, slippery, three-foot high knife of a rock and tipped over to my right. Unfortunately, my foot had not yet cleared a tree close to my right, so my foot remained hooked around the tree as the rest of my leg, body and bike tumbled off the knife edge. Result: right knee twisted.

So, on Saturday instead of racing, or even riding, I was recovering. Intense I+I therapy (ice and ibuprofen), plus lots of recliner time with it elevated. By the end of Saturday the knee could bear some weight if I had on a brace and I took the dogs on a long slow walk. By Sunday the leg was responding nicely and I was able to do a 22-mile ride on the Lemond covering mostly flat terrain. Today the swelling is gone, but some pain remains. I just returned from an eleven mile ride with Donna on the road bikes - nice and easy and enjoyable.

A break from the race schedule always happens - if you don't plan it, your body will.