CANCELLARA AND ME

Sadly, Fabian Cancellara broke his collarbone in Sunday's Tour of Flanders. Looks like he dun it but good too. Check out his X-ray (above). There're four breaks. 

Here's mine from two years ago.

Wish I'd could've had the jaunty, Europey sling that Spartacus has.

BROKEN COLLARBONE UPDATE

Being that this is Valentine's Day I felt it was the perfect time to post an update on my collarbone break and subsequent surgery of almost two years ago. (?) Here's what it looks like today:

You can see a straight line (that's the titanium pin) and then a prominent bump which I presume is one of the nine screws. (Hopefully, not working its way out.) 

Here's a close-up:



(The top is a mirror shot; that's why it looks like they're opposite shoulders.) Admittedly, I'm sort of jutting my shoulder out a bit to make it more visible for the camera, but even when I don't it's still pretty prominent.

I never feel any pain or discomfort, I've got full strength and range of motion back, it never stops me from doing anything and I can throwing a baseball as hard as I could before the surgery (low 90s with good movement) but still ... there's something weird about the way it feels. The bone underneath doesn't feel straight; it almost feels like it's the shape of a spoon with a dip or divot in it. And right next to that is where the screw sticks out, which itself feels weird. I spend a lot of time just unconsciously touching it, tracing my finger along the weird shape, the way you unconsciously finger an earring after you've had your ear pierced. 

So, I don't know if I'd have surgery next time were I to break my collarbone again. I also don't know what the long-range effects will be of having a titanium plate in my shoulder. And though I know that I can have it removed--seems like that's what the pro cyclists do--I'm fairly loathe to have more surgery 'lest it's absolutely necessary.    

With that, Happy Valentine's Day!

HIGH CASCADES 100; COLLARBONE UPDATE



Saturday, I enjoyed a three-hour mountain bike ride in the Chuckanuts with chiroprator Steve Noble who raced last August's High Cascades 100-mile mountain bike race near Bend, Ore. He gave the race mucho thumbs-up ('cept for the two flats he suffered) and so I've been ogling the race website ever since. And since the Capitol Forest 50 was so much fun, I'm putting High Cascades on my short list of very possibles for 2011.

And for those interested in broken collarbone recovery, I'm pretty much at the six-month mark. (This blog comes up a lot when people, most likely cyclists, are Googling info for when they can get back on the bike after breaking their collarbones.) Six months after surgery, I feel no ill effects. I think I started running/riding at six weeks, rode a road century at just under three months, did a 50-mile mountain bike race at four months--all with no soreness or discomfort. Strengthwise, for about a month now, I've been able to lift the same amount in the weight room that I was lifting before the break. And I can finally sleep on my right side (broken clavicle side) with no problem. 

Surgically implanted pin and prominent screw. (Please excuse my Sean Connery chest-hair wig.)

If I have any issue it's that one of the nine screws sticks out--a bump under my skin--fairly prominently. (See above photo.) Doesn't hurt, just looks weird. I know some people get their pins and screws removed--i.e. world champion Thor Hushovd among them--but I don't like the idea of more surgery. I guess I figure if I'm just going to have it taken out, then why did I have it put in in the first place? But who knows, there're so many pro take-it-out/pro leave-it-in stories on the Internet all I can do is what seems like a good idea to me. And right now, leaving it in seems fine.     

COLLARBONE AND ROAD BOOK UPDATE

So, here're a few updates about one thing and/or another.

Collarbone: (I update this from time to time because when I first broke mine, I was eager for info on what to expect from my recovery; I'm hoping that this is of interest/help to someone.)

I'm four months out from the break and surgery and I'd estimate that I'm probably 95 percent back. Been road riding and running for two-and-a-half months now. Along with a century I've ridden numerous epic climbs including Hurricane Ridge; Sunrise, Paradise and Cayuse-Chinook (Mount Rainier); Washington Pass (Highway 20); Artist Point (Mount Baker) and McNeil Canyon (near Chelan). My running is pretty low-key these days but only because I'm riding so much; it's not at all a collarbone-related issue.

Mountain biking-wise I've been riding for about a month and this is where I'm still inching my way back. The distance and climbing are no problem but yesterday, when the Titanium Cowboy (Scott Young) and I did the epic Samish Loop, I got off and walked part of the steep rocky descent on So Easy which I can usually ride. And there's one challenging bridge in Arroyo Park that's still in my head a bit.

I don't feel any pain in my collarbone, it's more a confidence thing. In fact the only pain I feel is when someone comes up and squeezes my shoulder as part of a friendly greeting which, oddly enough, happened twice on Saturday. (Ouch! and various curse words.)  

The Classic Road Rides of Washington book: I've been road riding lots this summer, gathering routes for my book--the aforementioned mountain spots along with various flat and rolling routes in places throughout Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, King counties and the San Juan Islands, with rides in ever-expanding geographic circles throughout the state once my son is back in school. My Seattle Times story of last week generated a few e-mails and suggestions for routes include a couple epics up near Chelan and one killer climb (Lion's Rock) near Ellensburg. The elevation profile looks McNeil Canyon-esque. Weather permitting, I'm hoping to head down and try it this week. 

Other rides and routes on the agenda before the rain and mountain snow starts include Mount St. Helens, Paradise from the east (Stevens Canyon approach), and hopefully another foray to the Methow Valley. I'm always looking for suggestions so please feel free to send them my way.

Also possibly on my agenda is the Capitol Forest 50-Miler , a mountain bike race down near Olympia. I've ridden here a couple times (once with Gary Klein: see here) and always wanted to go back. Looks like a fun killer race. Or, as I wrote in my Times story about mountain road routes, a painfully evil, rollicking good time.

TWO MONTHS POST COLLARBONE SURGERY

For a few weeks now absolutely no one has been clamoring for an update on my collarbone recovery so here it is.

I'm at nine weeks, today, since surgery and not that I sometimes forget about it, but sometimes I forget about it and reach for something (or try to catch something) a little quicker than I probably should. And not that the collarbone itself hurts but the muscles all around there--biceps, triceps, upper chest and back, etc.--just aren't used to quick motions yet. (I've lost at least eight miles-per-hour on my fastball and my split finger doesn't have quite the same movement, he wrote jokingly.) I've been lifting weights for those muscles, up to 10-12 pounds with a dumbbell, and my range of motion is probably 80 percent. I feel like I can do pretty much everything, just more slowly.

Riding and running have really been coming along well. Been doing a bunch of road riding, up to three hours at a time, with the sleek carbon Tarmac Pro soaking up a lot of the road chatter. (Meanwhile Thor Hushovd, who broke his collarbone and had surgery at about the same time I did, won yesterday's cobbled stage of the Tour de France and is leading in the green jersey competition.)

Tomorrow, the Titanium Cowboy and I are planning a four-plus hour ride, out to Samish Island and thereabouts. Actually, now that I think about it, last week I got in four hours on the mountain bike, but it wasn't mountain biking per se. Mostly dirt roads just to get in time on the bike and a bunch of climbs. My lovely new Garmin Edge 500, which I'm digging to death, told me I climbed 4,300 feet! To the top of Cleator, to Burnout Road viewpoint, Cleator to Two-Dollar intersection, California Street, Sehome Arboretum, etc. I haven't done much MTB-ing on the trails yet; I climbed up through Arroyo Park but descending those switchbacks still seems too dicey right now. So I'll wait for that kind of stuff 'til at least my three-month check-in at the end of the month. (Really bummed that I'll miss this year's Padden Mountain Pedal but thems are the collarbone breaks, I suppose.)

Running-wise, in the past three weeks, I've gotten in a few runs in the 30- to 40- minute range and truthfully, the first few left my collarbone area a little sore. But again, I think it was just the muscles getting used to the repetitive motion. Yesterday, I was even able to blaze a run wherein I averaged less than nine minutes per mile (!), according to my Garmin 500 which I stick in my backpocket when I run.

Saturday, I'm likely to head down to Redmond for something called the Super Torture Century. The long ride is 125 miles with some 13,000 feet of climbing; I'll go for the (sorta) metric century though: 58 miles and 6,000 feet of climbing. Along with being a lot of fun and great way to meet other riders, I figure it'll be a bit of research for my road rides of Washington State book.

By the way, I'm always looking for cool new and/or popular road-riding routes, so if y'all have suggestions and/or want to get together for a ride sometimes, please contact me. Along with getting mentioned in the acknowledgements, you might even get your picture in a book. Not just a newspaper, but a book! A book that lasts forever. Even on those newfangled Kindle-iPad thingees.

COLLARBONES, HIGHWAY 20 AND MORE

Yesterday was seven weeks since clavicle surgery and after my 42-mile Colony Road ride astride the sleek, elegant Tarma Pro, I noticed that my scar looked a tad funky. Like reddish, hot spottish, and perhaps a little infected-looking. Me liked not that. Called my surgeon's office and luckily they were able to see me earlier this morning. Alas, nothing (prolly) to worry about. Possibly just the remains of a stitch that hasn't quite melted in. Gave me some antibiotics for whatever infection might be festering there and assured me that I didn't have to cut back on my activities or anything. Right on!

"You able to get out on your bike at all?" Dr. Bergman asked me.

"Actually, quite a lot," I answered somewhat sheepishly.

"Good, good, good," he said.

I repeat: Right on!

Last weekend it was 30 road miles on Friday, 40 road miles on Saturday, and two hours of mellow Interurban Trail mountain biking on Sunday. The back-to-back-to-back rides feel like they're bringing back but quick which I kinda need. I've just started working on a road biking book of Washington State and with my quick deadline, I need to get in a lot of road rides pretty quickly. 

I've been able to run (albeit very slowly) about four times in the last 10 days. It doesn't hurt my collarbone, but I've probably felt the repetitive arm swing motion of running (in my muscles) more than anything else since I upped my activity level about three weeks ago.

Book work and Bake being off from school means I haven't gone walking with Mellow Johnny Boy Clark for a while. But he came along last week when I drove to Winthrop for a Seattle Times story I wrote and that will be in next Thursday's paper and on the website. He took the above pic of me near Washington Pass below Liberty Bell.

We saw a lot of folks riding Highway 20 that day including Mitch and Ryan Kiesler, the below father and son duo. They'd started two days earlier in Anacortes and were taking the next 65 days to ride to Connecticut. Good for them! Mitch, the dad who will turn 50 during the ride, said his bike with all the gear they were carrying, weighed 70 pounds. Weight weenie that I am, that sounds absolutely frightening. Here's the blog they're keeping following their progress.   

And of course, here's some random stuff:

A cool waterfall near Washington Pass.

Mellow Johnny sans sling near Washington Pass.

Eleven-year-old Bake McQuaide in his improv class at the Upfront Theatre.

SIX-WEEK POST-SURGERY CHECK-UP

Today was the biggie: the six-week check-up to make sure the screws haven't popped out, the titanium plate hasn't split in two, or become twisted all a-catawampus. Also, to find out when I can run, ride a bike, lift weights, and to find out what things I shouldn't do.

All looks good, said my surgeon, Dr. Bergman of Bellingham's Pacific Rim. In the above x-rays (two separate views of the same clavicle), you can still see a crack and apparently that will be visible for some time, but everything is holding together well. He said I'm 50- to 70-percent healed which seems like a wide swath. I'm probably closer to 70 but he throws the 50 in there so I don't go overboard and start playing tackle football. I can run easily ("don't fall"), bike easily (again, "don't fall"), and lift weights, starting with 5 to 10 pounds, and working up to 25 pounds by the time I see him again at the 12-week mark in late July. He really wants me to work at getting my mobility back; he raised my injured arm almost straight over my head and while it didn't hurt at all, the idea of it just made me squeamish.

I, of course, immediately went to the Y where I ran (sorta) for the first time since late April. Felt great. I made it to a whopping 4.4 mph on the treadmil. But that's at a 6-percent incline; I figure the more uphill running I do at first, the less jarring it will be on my clavicle. So that's where I am. Pretty happy widdit.

Switching gears, yesterday I drove to Winthrop for an upcoming story I'm writing for the Seattle Times about Highway 20. John Clark went along for the ride. Here's a photo or two. 

 

Liberty Bell by Washington Pass

Waterfall near Washington Pass.

This is actually from last week on our hike up the Chinscraper above the Fragrance Lake Trail.

FIVE-WEEK CLAVICLE PARANOIA

So, five weeks out from surgery (sugary), not a whole lot new to report. It's six weeks that's the biggie--next Tuesday when I see my surgeon and he checks out the state of his handiwork, x-rays it, and hopefully gives me the OK to pop wheelies on my 29er down the mean streets of Bellingham. Shoulder feels great, I've had no real pain, and last weekend I went for a very mellow two-hour bike jaunt (flat pedals and jeans, pantlegs tucked in socks) down the Interurban to the spot where last November a tree fell upon us. But it didn't kill us, so it's a place of grace. I rubbed my collarbone on the fallen tree. Kind of for healing or positive juju or something.

As you might imagine, Mellow Johnny Boy and I talk about our surgically repaired and healing collarbones all the time. Because we're both filled with fears of things that could go wrong--our titanium collarbone plates will twist and snap, the screws loosen and fall out, we fall on that shoulder and we can't get up, etc.--it's not always a good thing. Lately, I could swear I feel an odd slant on my collarbone that I don't think was there a week or 10 days ago. Did part of the bone get yanked off the plate? I called my surgeon's office and described it to the nurse who told me I was being paranoid. There's no way it could come off, she said, and if it did, I'd be in a lot of pain. I'll guess I'll know more next Tuesday. For now, I keep fingering my scar and feeling the screwheads on the plate through my skin. (Meanwhile I read about Thor Hushovd who broke his collarbone in early May--probably about the same time I had surgery--and who is returning to racing this Sunday in the Tour de Suisse.)   

In other news, I started work on my sixth book and can proudly say that I'm two-75ths done. Feel free to pre-order now. 

Sunday, I have a story in the Seattle Times Travel section on biking in Paris. The website will have a cool video I shot of our tour group maneuvering our cruiser bikes through the Place de la Concorde. Pretty cool. I'll include the link on Sunday.

Appropo of nothing, the above photo is from a streetlight on the Champs Elysees. Enjoy.

FOUR WEEKS POST-COLLARBONE SURGERY

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. 

THREE WEEKS (now YEARS) SINCE COLLARBONE SURGERY

For those of you interested in the progression of broken collarbone recovery, here're some photos 'n' such. (For the most current update, three years later, go here.) Below is me the day after surgery with a giant maxi-pad type bandage on my shoulder, feeling high on life and Percoset.

Now please take a moment to enjoy my scar photos!

Above is two days after surgery--or, as I keep wanting to write, sugary--mit large maxi-pad-ish bandage removed. Finally able to shower. Fetching scar, don't you think? I had Steri-strips rather than stiches and they had to stay on for about 10 days. Below is at about the 10-day mark, Steri-strips removed, and is closer to what it looks like today at the three-week point. (For those of you scoring at home, I had sugary a week after I broke me clavicle so the referred to three-week point is actually four weeks since I broke it.)

The scar is pretty Frankensteinish, about five inches long, but becoming smoother looking every day. With the swelling down, I can feel bumps (sorta) on my collarbone ridgeline which I can only guess are the screwheads. Feels like I'm part robot.

Mellow Johnny Boy Clark is about two-and-a-half weeks behind me on this whole thing (feels good to finally be ahead of him in something) and so we've been able to help each other in our recoveries, pumping our respective surgeons for info on what we can and can't do.

At three weeks, I'm pretty much 99 perecent out of my sling. I can finally drive a little (both our vehicles have manual transmissions and because I broke my right side, driving was verboten), I've done a bit of stationary bike, steep treadmill walking, some eliptical trainer and yesterday did my first 45-minute spin class which was super fun and super hard. (I'd forgotten what a great spin class Mary Latta leads.) No running until at least the six-week mark when I'll see my surgeon again. As for real bike riding, I took the single-speed out for a very mellow six-block ride a couple times last weekend. Felt great but also a little scary; I so don't want to fall on my shoulder. I don't really feel any pain per se, just some stiffness in my shoulder, and it's more the idea (or fear?) that I'll move my arm in such a way that pops all nine screws out of my clavicle bone-slash-titanium plate that at times gives me pause.

Been thinking how Team Unattacked has quite a few months here. Titanium Cancellara (Scott Young) broke his scaphoid last August, John and I got hit by a tree in November and then broke our respective collarbones the following April/May. Perhaps we should change our name--Team Always Attacked? Team WTF? Team Titanium (since John and I now have titanium collarbone plates)? Team Try-to-Stay-on-Your-Friggin'-Bike-for-a-Change? Team Try-to-Stay-Out-of-the-Friggin'-Emergency Room? ...

LOOKS LIKE DOC LEFT HIS COMB IN THERE

Area man is screwed. Together. Percoset, take me away. ...

LOOK WHAT I DUN

Inspired by Paris-Roubaix, I've been taking my old road bike out on dirt roads and rail trails. However, I forgot to decrease the tire pressure and yesterday, just after dropping Boonen and Cancellara on the Boulevard Trail (in my mind, that is), I hit a bump that sent my flying over the handlebars and sorta cleaved my clavicle in twain. (See above.) Everything is put on hold for now.  

In other news, click here for a vdeo I put together of me running the streets and sites of Paris.