Day 102 - Like Old Times

Was jonsing for a ride this past weekend. Today was a great day to ride since we had a lot of cloud cover and it wasn't so hot. It's been a brutal summer. The temperature has been over 100 degree for thirty days straight. To make matters worse, we haven't had a drop of rain in months. It looked liked it was going to rain in the late afternoon. After mowing the yard, I went for a ride under the overcast skies. I did six laps around the school next to my house. I pushed the paced as much as I could, working up a good sweat maxing out the middle chainring and little cog. It started to sprinkle on my last lap. When I got to my house, my legs felt tight after getting off my bike. I hadn't had a good workout like that in a long time. It was like old times.

Day 98 - Grounding Lifted

I hadn't ridden my bike since my small fall two weeks ago, so I was itching to get back on my bike. I cautiously asked my wife, not sure if I was still grounded from riding. "Honey, do you want to go ride bikes?" She was reading and said "no". Seeing an opening, I then asked "Then can I ride?" "Where" she asked. "Around the school," I said. She paused and then said, "You don't need my permission to ride your bike." I couldn't believe my ears. I was no longer grounded. So before she could change her mind, I quickly changed into my bike clothes and put on my bike gear and headed out for a few laps around the school. The same school with the school signs and poles that took me out three months ago. I rode cautiously, staying far away from the sign poles. After the 6th lap, I rode home. Content and happy to be back on my mountain bike.

Day 96 - Slacking Off

I've been slacking off on my workouts and rehab lately. I've been bummed out my progress which has been slow. My hip has improved to the point where I am walking without my cane. What worries me is my lower back which I sprained two weeks ago when I went out for a bike ride and stood and hammered the pedals. Should have known better after being off my mountain bike for three months. I was dealing with the same back injury before I broke my hip. I don't know why. I used to be able to stand and hammer the pedals with no problems. Now every time I do it, I sprain my lower back. I am beginning to doubt that I will be able to race in the mountain bike race series in Brownsville this year. The first race is in October. I've competed in the races for the past three years. I will miss racing.

Day 92 - Walking Again

My leg felt better today. After work, my wife, son, and I went to Mission Trails. We walked and my son rode his mountain bike. I took a few pictures of him riding the trails. He likes riding down the hills on his mountain bike. I actually caught him smiling while riding! (See picture.) I walked from the parking lot to the cattle guard and back, about a mile, without my cane. I saw a couple of guys in our bike club riding. Made me miss riding my mountain bike. After three days of limping, I was happy to see improvement in my hip.

Day 90 - Limp Is Back

My limp is back. I've had to use my cane after my little mountain bike spill at the trails on Sunday. I didn't think my wreck it was too bad after it happened. But my hip has been sore for the last two days. Darn! Just when I thought I was over the hump and back to riding my mountain bike. One step forward and two steps back. To make matters worse my back is still sore from straining it a week ago when riding the Hike and Bike. Between my hip and back, I good for nothing. I haven't done my walking or rehab exercises. I haven't ridden my indoor trainer. I hope I didn't mess up my hip up too bad. It seems ok. It just feels like I regressed. I've learned my lesson. I've got to take it easy. No bike riding on the trails for me for a while.

Day 88 - Welcome Back to the Trails

Today marked my first time back on my mountain bike on the trails since my hip surgery three months ago. In the afternoon my wife, son, and I met up with Eddie and his 12-year son for a kid's ride at Mission Trails (that's me in red and my son, Noah, in yellow). I thought it would be a good introduction back on the trail. It was a slow pace for the kids. I got a flat about 1/2 way through the lap. I quickly pumped air into the tire and we were back on the trail. For the most part, I felt good. My balance was a little off. I was doing fine until the Quicksand drop, a 12-foot, 45 degree drop into a bed of sand. I made the drop but got off line at the bottom and panicked, hitting my front brake to avoid the trees on both sides. I slid out and went down into the sand. I got up. Nothing hurt. I continued and finished the ride. When I got back to the parking lot my wife saw that I was all dusty and ask "What happened? Did you wreck?". "Yes, I took a slight spill," I said sheepishly. Looks like I'm gonna be grounded from riding the trails for a little longer. At least I got my first flat and wreck out of the way. Welcome back to the trails.

Day 86 - Use Protection

So I have been looking for protection for my hip when I ride. I searched the web and found some padded hip shorts for downhill mountain bikers. Fox makes a nice looking pair, but they were pricey. Other companies such as Under Armor also make padded shorts for football with the cushions built in. But they also were pricey. So I ended up buying a 3-pad football shorts with pockets for football pads. I bought some football hip pads made of 1/2 inch EVA foam to place inside the shorts. I'm not sure if they will prevent a broken hip in a hard fall like the one I had, but they will give me confidence. At this point that is what I need to get back on my mountain bike. Remember to always use protection.

Day 85 - Snakes Alive!

Today was my wife's birthday. As the good hubby I am, I took off the day at work to spend some time with her and my son. In the morning I rode my mountain bike on my indoor trainer for 30 minutes and did my rehab exercises for another 30 minutes. For her birthday we went to lunch at our favorite sushi restaurant Kato Sushi. After lunch we drove to the mall to buy my son some shoes for school. I walked a lot at the mall. In the evening it was more walking as we went to Bentsen Park which had some night activities going on at the park such as bug hunting and meteror watching. My highlight was touching an Indigo snake one of the park volunteers had draped around his shoulders. It was scaly. It was close to midnight when we got home. I must have walked at least three miles without my cane during the whole day. My leg was spent. I hope it is not sore tomorrow.

Day 83 - My Butt Hurts

When I woke up this morning, my back and neck was sore from my ride on Sunday. My butt hurt too. I think I overdid it a bit by standing and cranking the pedals on the on the hills. Or it was the length of time I spent in the saddle. Most of my rides on the indoor bike trainer have been 30 minutes. I spent about 1 hour and 1/2 on my bike on Sunday. I need to spend more time on my bike.

Day 82 - Back in the Saddle Again

Rode my bike today for the first time since my surgery. I mustered up my courage and went for a ride on my singlespeed with my wife and son the Hike and Bike, which is a 10-mile loop from the Mission Trails parking lot to Bensten Park and back. I used the ride to test my leg. I knew I could sit and spin without any problems since I was doing that on the indoor trainer. The real test was standing up and cranking the pedals. A quarter of way into the ride, I decided to test it out on a slight incline. I stood up and hammered the pedals. My knee felt a little weak, but held. It passed the test. We continued the ride at a moderate pace. An hour and half later we made it back to the parking lot. Mission accomplished. Back in the saddle again.

Day 81 - Diving Fun

In the afternoon, my wife, my son, and I went swimming at the City of McAllen pool on Bicenntennial. It a nice pool with a big, twisting slide and a diving board. Feeling hot, I decided to take a plunge in the cool, inviting water. With a slight limp, I walked over to the diving board and stood in line with a bunch of kids. I did a cannonball on my first dive. Then I did a jackknife. After that I did a straight dive. I was having diving fun until my leg started to hurt after about seven dives. I limped back over to my wife and sat down in a folding chair under the shade of a big tree that we had found and spent the rest of the afternoon reading my Mountain Bike Action magazine. I dozed off and dreamt I was riding my mountain bike.

Day 78 - Help Me Tom Cruise!

My orthopedic surgeon told me I could start riding my mountain bike again on the road. He still wants me to stay off the trails until I'm fully healed. The main thing he said is to avoid falling on my hip again. After we left the office, my wife noticed that I was quiet and asked "Why aren't you happy? You don't seem excited about being able to ride your bike?" I hestitated for a moment before admitting to her "That's because I'm scared." After taking a hard fall, psychologically I am worried that if I ride again I'm gonna wreck out and hurt my hip. It reminds me of a scene in "Talladega Nights" when Ricky Bobby crashes his car and gets out and runs around the track in his underwear thinking he is on fire and shouting "I'm on fire! I'm on fire! Help me Tom Cruise!" Maybe Tom Cruise can help me too. I need to put the fire of wrecking out of my mind.

Day 77 - Some Days Better Than Others

Did a 30 minute bike ride on my indoor trainer in the evening. Took it easy the first 10 minutes then shifted to a bigger gear for the next 20 minutes. It was a moderate-paced workout. I got my heart pumping ok. Nothing too intense. My legs felt a little tight after I finished. Did my rehab exercises afterward. My leg always feels better after exercise. Usually it is stiff in the morning. I'm still walking with my cane. It's been about a month since I have been using a cane. I thought I would have dropped it by now, but my progress has been slow. Some days it feels better than others. On Sunday, I went kayaking with my wife at Anzuldua Park and I didn't need my cane. I carried a 35 lb. kayak without any problems. Then on Monday I was back to the cane. I can't figure it out. Will see what my doctor says. I have an appointment tomorrow morning.