Here I am miming (somewhat) riding a bike. (One with really wide handlebars). The raised arm in the above photo is the collar bone I broke five weeks ago and underwent surgery on four weeks ago. The bone itself hasn't hurt for a while, though I've got stiffness from lack of use in that shoulder, and the idea of doing certain things--such as raising that arm above my head--makes me tentative more than any actual pain.
I've started doing spin classes in the past week, continuing the long walks, and have done some easy easy strength training with 2- and 3-pound dumb bells. But I'm thinking that might be taking it too far right now. (What am I hoping to achieve?) So I'll back off on that at least until the six-week point, at which time I'm scheduled to see my surgeon again.
I went for a very tame hourlong neighborhood and northside B'ham environs bike ride this past weekend. It felt super terrific and that night I read a story on cyclingnews.com about Christian Vande Velde who broke his collar bone (sixth collar bone break of his career) on May 10, had surgery a couple days later and was already up to five-hour rides. Here's the story.
Speaking of stories, the kooky one is that Fabian Cancellara used a motorized bike to win Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. There's even a video out that shows him shifting gears but that claims that he's actually pressing a button to turn on a motor. That's here. Personally, I don't believe it, but what I'm amazed at is that the people who are making these claims aren't also pointing to something that he actually did in each race--change bikes. At Roubaix, it was just after the Arenberg Forest when he cracked a wheel; not sure what the reason was at Flanders, but I do remember his flawless bike change when he lost no time at all. (Repeat and just to make myself clear, I think the story's BS. I'm just suprised that if they're going to make paranoid wackadoo claims, why didn't they grasp at every straw they could've?)
Looking ahead to when I'll someday (theoretically, at least) be again able to run, the Orcas Island Triple Ripple Trail Festival sure looks fun. Essentially, a three-stage two-day running race in early October featuring a 4-mile flat run and 10K hill climb on Saturday, with a 30K trail run on Sunday. Seems like an incredibly fun (but oh-so-hard) event in one of my favorite places in the world!
Lastly and finally, check out the Summer 2010 issue of Adventures NW for, among the many great stories and photos, my piece about playdates featuring Barb Macklow and Vicki Griffiths.
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