Down Time

Whether I needed a break from riding or not, I got one. I haven’t felt right since sometime around the Iowa races and my health got slowly and progressively worse after returning from that weekend. It started out with a general tired feeling and grew over the next few weeks into all-out fatigue. I’ve been getting slowly better for about a week now but for awhile I was literally coming home from work, eating and collapsing on the couch. I was sleeping 12-14 hours a night and still couldn’t muster energy to do anything during the day. Eventually, headaches were added to the equation and finally some restricted breathing- just for good measure, I suppose.

About 2 weeks ago, I stopped riding. My daily routine was: Work, eat, sleep, and that’s all. Aside from a weekend mtb ride, I’ve put in less than 100 miles since Iowa at the end of May. I tried to get in to see a doc here in Manhattan but there are no openings- not even my own doc of 14 years could see me! They told me that since I hadn’t been in for over 3 years, they dropped me from their patient list- wow. Whatever, I’m getting better now anyway. I figure whatever it was, I’ll be that much more immune to it next time.

That brings us to last Sunday, when the Kansas Age Group State Champs were going to be taking place in my backyard. The route would follow the same roads I ride nearly everyday. I still wasn’t feeling 100% but I figured I’d give it a go. Not having been on the bike in awhile, I thought it best to get out on Saturday and ride the course one time. It felt great to be moving the legs again and pulling air deep into my lungs. I had installed my new IRD carbon cranks and I was having fun feeling those out as well. The ride went well and I even turned in a pretty good time. But after I finished up and stepped off the bike, something that felt like a hydraulic vice grabbed me just under my left ass cheek. I knew what it was instantly and I knew what caused it. A pulled muscle- probably groin. And it was my own fault for riding too much, too hard, too soon. Ouch, that wasn’t going to help during tomorrow’s race. I went home and iced it and tried to stretch it but it was still extremely tight on Sunday morning so I didn’t race. I marshaled a corner instead. Something or someone did not want me in that race.

Sometimes it just be’s that way.

So, now I’m back to square one. I figure the only thing to do now is start from this point with the objective of getting back to top form around September. Hmmm, what happens on two wheels around here starting in September that I could possibly be interested in?

Tonight I’ll take a slow and easy ride and see how the leg feels. Same goes for tomorrow. This weekend I’ll try a longer ride and I’ll build up to where I can ride the ToKC for starters. Maybe show something in Lawrence. Then maybe expect a result for the August ToKC.