Alterra and everything else.

I have been a bad summer blogger. Life has gotten way too busy and it's hard to find time to do anything else other than go to work, ride the bike and go to all my stupid doctor's appointments. So I guess a short recap of my summer is in order.

In June and July I tried to pass myself off as a cat 4 road racer. I've been putting quite a bit of training in since the spring, but unfortunately I still don't understand the fine details of racing on the road. So my results weren't exactly reflecting the shape that I've come to be in.

I tried my hand at the last two Wors races and my attempts were pretty unsuccessful. Leading up to the Alterra race, I'd been very sick. I ran out of water on my third lap and had to soft pedal my fourth lap sans anything to drink. I figured I drank over 70 ounces of fluid during that race and when I finished I really needed an IV. I'm probably not recovered from that episode.

Last week I showed up to Sunburst which has to be one of the most boring courses on the WORS circuit....which is super fine with me because I've only been able to mountain bike a handful of times in the last calendar year (stupid swollen wrist) and my technical riding skills have diminished to that of a citizen rider. After two laps, I pulled myself out of the race. My hydration was fine, my heart rate was fine, but my body was so exhausted I just couldn't continue. I've never experienced anything like that before. Plus I had a terrible stomach ache that wouldn't quit. As much as I love Muddy Cup coffee, I think that it is best consumed after a race and not before.

I finally had my appointment with the wrist surgeon from UW-Hospital. He is a sports medicine orthopedist and is also an avid cyclist. He ran me through a bunch of physical tests, looked at my x-rays, ordered an MRI and a nerve test. The MRI was actually pretty painful. I was in a super-contorted position for 45 motionless minutes. When the MRI was over I was numb wrist to shoulder....well, at least I'm not claustrophobic because that little tube they stick you in is pretty damn tiny. My nerve conduction is set for Tuesday. I'm a little concerned as I understand that this is an exceptionally painful test involving needles and electrodes. Whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger, or something like that.

What all these annoying tests boil down to is that either my wrist is irritated or it's damaged....the surgeon is not sure which it is. So that means either complete rest or perhaps surgery followed by complete rest. The doctor said my "version" of rest isn't the same "version" of rest that is need to rest a ulnar nerve. At least he is a cyclist and understands how obsessive we can be.