13 days of rib pain later, and I have found my saving grace...Naproxyn. It is not a miracle drug or a new drug, but I can take a deep breath without that stabbing pain just to the left of my sternum, and so it is my favorite drug for now. I will not go into the slightly old, post-CVA physician who prescribed it or the long wait to see him which nearly made me late to work. Nor will I detail the not-on-time opening of the base pharmacy this morning and how I was nearly late to work because of it as well. All I will say is that when it comes to government-controlled free health care, you get what you pay for...keep that in mind those of you pushing for the public option. You will not be getting next-day appointments with the best physicians money can buy because you won't be paying. You will get passable care from adequate practitioners 4-10 days after you call to schedule the appointment, but that is enough of my soapbox.
To recap the last 13 days, Neil and I finished the Chicago Marathon. Neil finished in an impressive 3:39:57...pretty fantastic for a first marathon. I amended my goal of sub-3:20 and finished in 3:24:57. It was 33 degrees at the start of the race, and I am glad that I didn't talk myself out of the long-sleeved-shirt and vest. 5 days and one massage later, my legs are not sore, and I am looking forward to my next training challenge. Now that Chicago is over, I turn my focus to the Ironman which is terrifying yet thrilling. The Ironman World Championships were the day before the marathon, and Chrissie Wellington won her third straight...impressive to put it mildly.
To be honest, I can't wait to get started, but I am apprehensive that I have no formal training plan. I am not worried about being able to follow-through, but I just need it laid out in front of me. I need a list/pie chart/PowerPoint presentation of exactly what I need to do, and I will do it...as soon as I get my bike fixed and find somewhere to swim.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Ouch
I spent part of yesterday and today volunteering at the Delaware MS Society's Bike to the Bay. I was feeling fairly inspired, so I decided to take my bike for a spin this afternoon. I almost did the same yesterday but opted instead for a nap and a beer. Today the weather was just too perfect...low 70s, not a cloud in the sky, and only a light breeze. The Chicago Marathon is in a week, so I didn't go to crazy. There is a nice loop of approximately 3.5 miles near my house which seemed appropriate...just enough to whet my bike appetite. I was feeling good after one lap, so I decided to go for two. All was well when a car pulled/served into the shoulder not too far in front of me, requiring a fairly quick direction change, and the rest, as they say, is history.
I am a relative newbie to biking, and although it is true that you never forget how to ride a bike, I think you do lose a bit of your finesse when you haven't done much riding in a while. I overcorrected and fell resulting in a not-at-all-graceful skid into a concrete barrier. Did I mention that I am a huge fan of helmets, even though they are not required in Delaware? I am. A silver lining in all of this is that the branches and leaves and gravel on the shoulder slowed my pace so that by the time my head hit the barrier, I was barely moving.
As I gave myself a quick once-over, hoping that no one had seen me, a nice woman pulled over to ensure that I was alright. I assured her that it was primarily my ego that had sustained injury, and I tried to gather myself to finish the ride home. My shiny new bike was relatively unscathed except for a 90 degree bend in the left handlebar. Fortunately, the bike was still drivable and brakeable, and I made it home without further incident. The hands/wrists are a bit scraped, and there is a nice bruise/lump on my left shin. I am fairly certain that I have not sustained a major head injury, but I fear I may have cracked or bruised a rib. Running over the next week and in particular next Sunday should be awesome.
All in all, it could have been much worse. A man fell during the MS ride yesterday and broke his jaw while another was hit by a car. A gentleman who stopped at the rest area today had taken a spill which, it appeared, was mainly absorbed by his face. The riders today had to be detoured an extra 2 miles because of police searching for a suspect in a stabbing nearby. I am lucky to be alert and typing and only slightly sore/stiff. Now, I am going to pop a few Advil and watch some football...if only I had been so inclined this afternoon.
I am a relative newbie to biking, and although it is true that you never forget how to ride a bike, I think you do lose a bit of your finesse when you haven't done much riding in a while. I overcorrected and fell resulting in a not-at-all-graceful skid into a concrete barrier. Did I mention that I am a huge fan of helmets, even though they are not required in Delaware? I am. A silver lining in all of this is that the branches and leaves and gravel on the shoulder slowed my pace so that by the time my head hit the barrier, I was barely moving.
As I gave myself a quick once-over, hoping that no one had seen me, a nice woman pulled over to ensure that I was alright. I assured her that it was primarily my ego that had sustained injury, and I tried to gather myself to finish the ride home. My shiny new bike was relatively unscathed except for a 90 degree bend in the left handlebar. Fortunately, the bike was still drivable and brakeable, and I made it home without further incident. The hands/wrists are a bit scraped, and there is a nice bruise/lump on my left shin. I am fairly certain that I have not sustained a major head injury, but I fear I may have cracked or bruised a rib. Running over the next week and in particular next Sunday should be awesome.
All in all, it could have been much worse. A man fell during the MS ride yesterday and broke his jaw while another was hit by a car. A gentleman who stopped at the rest area today had taken a spill which, it appeared, was mainly absorbed by his face. The riders today had to be detoured an extra 2 miles because of police searching for a suspect in a stabbing nearby. I am lucky to be alert and typing and only slightly sore/stiff. Now, I am going to pop a few Advil and watch some football...if only I had been so inclined this afternoon.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
In Unrelated News
I love the Saint Louis Cardinals. I am a huge Pujols/Carpenter/Molina fan, although I confess that I like Molina mainly because his first name is Yadier. Having said that, I think baseball is completely ridiculous, and a disturbing new trend is developing wherein teams celebrate every tiny milestone as though it is the World Series.
Don't get me wrong. I am all in favor of embracing the wonderful things that happen in life as it seems that the messages we see most often involve doom and gloom. However, can we put away the cases of champagne until you win a game that actually means something? I do not have a photographic memory by any means, but I cannot recall an NFL team or even an NBA team having an all-out party just for making the playoffs. If ever there was a group of professional athletes with an exaggerated sense of self-importance and diva-esque behavior, it is the NBA, and even they have the self-respect to save the confetti for when they actually achieve something worthy of a t-shirt on QVC.
A few days ago, the Boston Red Sox lost to the Toronto Blue Jays. Later that day, the Texas Rangers lost to someone and, in so doing, clinched Boston's place in the post-season. Certainly, there would be a sense of relief at having backed their way in to the playoffs, but certainly, they would not have a champagne shower-fest, right? Wrong. After waiting around hoping for the Rangers to lose, the 9-games-behind-the-Yankees Sox partied like it was 2007. To their credit, they didn't let the media in to capture the festivities on film because that might make them look silly. Maybe it is a tree-falling-in-the-forest thing, but I think that the coverage of your contrived party does not make you appear like a 5-year-old getting a participation trophy. You look like that whether the cameras are there or not.
Sadly, I think this reflects a disturbing trend in America in general. I am talking about everybody needing to feel important and special all of the time. I don't bust out the streamers every time I see a new patient. Do you know why? Because it is my job...the thing that I get paid to do well. The sad truth is that these grown men who make too much money to play a game that involves more standing and sitting than actual movement apparently need more validation that they are awesome. If the regular season division winners get a gala held in their honor, I think it only appropriate that the 100-game losers get to be stoned as they leave the stadium by season-ticket holders who pay money earned at jobs where if their performance is sub-par they get fired.
Also disturbing is the plastic tarping of the locker rooms and goggles worn as they break into spontaneous and emotionally-driven revelry. GIVE ME A BREAK! If you are going to party like Pacman Jones in a Vegas strip club, just do it Take the protective eye wear off. You aren't weed eating or welding for crying out loud. You are taking a beer/wine bath to celebrate the fact that you still haven't won anything. Put the booze down, finish out the season, and call me when you win a pennant.
If the reality is that MLB is doing its part to sustain the struggling sparkling wine/goggle/plastic sheeting industry, I sincerely apologize and withdraw my criticism.
Don't get me wrong. I am all in favor of embracing the wonderful things that happen in life as it seems that the messages we see most often involve doom and gloom. However, can we put away the cases of champagne until you win a game that actually means something? I do not have a photographic memory by any means, but I cannot recall an NFL team or even an NBA team having an all-out party just for making the playoffs. If ever there was a group of professional athletes with an exaggerated sense of self-importance and diva-esque behavior, it is the NBA, and even they have the self-respect to save the confetti for when they actually achieve something worthy of a t-shirt on QVC.
A few days ago, the Boston Red Sox lost to the Toronto Blue Jays. Later that day, the Texas Rangers lost to someone and, in so doing, clinched Boston's place in the post-season. Certainly, there would be a sense of relief at having backed their way in to the playoffs, but certainly, they would not have a champagne shower-fest, right? Wrong. After waiting around hoping for the Rangers to lose, the 9-games-behind-the-Yankees Sox partied like it was 2007. To their credit, they didn't let the media in to capture the festivities on film because that might make them look silly. Maybe it is a tree-falling-in-the-forest thing, but I think that the coverage of your contrived party does not make you appear like a 5-year-old getting a participation trophy. You look like that whether the cameras are there or not.
Sadly, I think this reflects a disturbing trend in America in general. I am talking about everybody needing to feel important and special all of the time. I don't bust out the streamers every time I see a new patient. Do you know why? Because it is my job...the thing that I get paid to do well. The sad truth is that these grown men who make too much money to play a game that involves more standing and sitting than actual movement apparently need more validation that they are awesome. If the regular season division winners get a gala held in their honor, I think it only appropriate that the 100-game losers get to be stoned as they leave the stadium by season-ticket holders who pay money earned at jobs where if their performance is sub-par they get fired.
Also disturbing is the plastic tarping of the locker rooms and goggles worn as they break into spontaneous and emotionally-driven revelry. GIVE ME A BREAK! If you are going to party like Pacman Jones in a Vegas strip club, just do it Take the protective eye wear off. You aren't weed eating or welding for crying out loud. You are taking a beer/wine bath to celebrate the fact that you still haven't won anything. Put the booze down, finish out the season, and call me when you win a pennant.
If the reality is that MLB is doing its part to sustain the struggling sparkling wine/goggle/plastic sheeting industry, I sincerely apologize and withdraw my criticism.
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