Anatomy and Physiology 101

In today's class, we'll discuss the patella. This little bone that floats around magically around your knee is connected to tibia via the Patellar Tendon. This tendon is pretty sturdy, but doesn't really like being hit by a road sign at speeds in excess of, say, 5 miles per hour. If you were to hit said sign at something like 30 miles per hour in an acrobatic move that would make Sasha Cohen jealous, you would probably suffer post-traumatic patellar tendinitis. You also might invent a new olympic sport that is some combination of gymnastics and cycling.
...
Anyway, this is what my diagnosis is for my knee. It sounds bad (especially because it has 4 words), but apparently it will heal with time. Ironically, the doctor I saw today recommended cycling as a way to strengthen the muscles and ligaments etc around my knee. Super!! The swelling below my knee is from trauma to the lateral collateral ligament. He said it may take up to 3 months for the swelling to go down. But basically, I am okay, and I can keep riding and hiking and swimming (maybe avoiding breast stroke) at a not too intense pace.

:)

Backcountry Bliss - Sawmill Trail, Rawah's, CO

Chris and I had a nice weekend in the mountains. We needed a weekend for just the two of us, away from the house (if I had spent the weekend at home, relaxing would have been out of the question. I would have ridden my bike, worked in the yard, cleaned, worked on the newsletter, etc etc). We had very vague goals for this backpacking trip - 1. to be outside and 2. to not be in Ft Collins, where the highs were in the high 90's. We didn't really care where we were going, except I didn't want to too far from a trailhead because of my knee, just in case it gave me any problems.

So we decided on Sawmill Trail, just east of Cameron Pass, in the popular Rawah mountains. On our crappy map, the trail split about 2 miles in and then both branches ended. But it also seemed to get close to treeline, promising great views. We parked at the Blue Lake trailhead, there were close to 10 cars there already, but our trail started farther west on Hwy. 14. That worked in our favor - there was only one car parked there and we only saw 2 other people the whole time we were out there.

The trail was actually an old logging road. It was nice to be on a wide trail where Chris and I could walk side by side. We wound through a lodgepole pine forest, with a mix of old trees, young saplings, and bare stumps from the logging days. It was kind of sad to see all the trees that had been cut down, but it was also neat to witness the regrowth of a forest. The trail was in some spots covered in wildflowers. I tried to give some flowers names so I could identify them with my wildflower book that I left at home. I gave them names like 'rocky mountain honeysuckle' and 'buttercups', Chris opted for names like 'stardrops of death' and 'pixie farts'. In any case, they were beautiful and there were also an abundance of orange and black butterflies. We also saw a ton of moose and elk tracks, and a couple mountain lion tracks!

We had to cross a stream along the way that was FREEZING!!! I think it was the coldest water I've ever been in. It got above my knees and seemed to take forever to wade across. But it was a bit of a thrill, too, especially coming back across the stream early this morning when there was still a bit of a chill in the air. Our campsite last night was right next to Sawmill Creek. There were a lot of mosquitoes so we built a fire and relaxed for several hours with nothing to do. It was perfect. As we ate dinner, a young male moose wandered into the brush across the creek from us. It was very cool but made us both a bit nervous after our encounter with some aggressive moose last July. My sleep last night was interrupted by numerous nightmares involving charging moose.

We wandered around some more today and were rewarded with stupendous views of the 12,000+ feet mountains to our west and the towering peaks in North Park (literally the northern part of Rocky Mtn National Park) to our south. It was a lovely day.

The drive back through the Poudre Canyon was tortuously hot in Chris' non-AC'ed truck. Finally it got to be too much, so we pulled over and jumped in the river. It was fun and so refreshing. We had to drive home in wet clothes, but that actually felt really good!

This weekend was good for me. Hopefully I can refocus and work hard this week without feeling burnt out by the end of it. That's how last week went, I was exhausted by Thursday evening and didn't want to do anything but sit on the couch. Tonight Chris and I have done some cleaning and grocery shopping, and we made a delicious meal - salad, onion rings (yum!), and green chile/monteray jack cheese buffalo burgers, and I made a coffee cheesecake type concoction that is still chilling ... guess we'll eat it tomorrow.

Oh yeah, my knee felt pretty good this weekend. Chris was very kind and carried almost all of our stuff in his backpack, so I just had my clothes in a daypack. I have an appointment with an orthopedic doctor on Tuesday, just to get it checked out. It's not the joint that hurts as much as the bone right below my knee (tibia?), it still has a bump on it.

Well, seeing as how I am now rambling, I'll sign out for the night. Thanks for reading!
:)

I have a case of the Mondays ...

Good morning. I'm sitting here eating my delicious oatmeal (aka - overly-thick slop). It's not too bad, but I got sick yesterday so I want to take my time eating it to make sure it all stays in my belly. Nice way to start the week ... I'll tell that story at the end - if you want a good laugh at my expense you can just skip to the last few paragraphs.

We're in the dog days of summer out here (whatever that means). The weeks are flying by - June is already half way through! Last week was just another week, nothing too special. We bought life insurance on Friday, that was an important but not very thrilling step in our lives. The newsletter I edit for AGU's (the American Geophysical Union) atmospheric science section came out after about 6 months of editing and waiting for the bureaucratic tape to clear. That provided me with some satisfaction.

Thursday and Friday evenings we cleaned the rocks we had moved to the front yard - they had a lot of dirt on them and dirt = weeds. Although we have moved and cleaned close to 20 wheelbarrow's full of dirt, I think we still need about 4 more. Boo. But it looks much better!

Saturday we went with Jeramy and a friend of mine from the cycling team, Beth, to Lory State Park, which is right outside of the Fort. There is a new dirt jump park there for bikers. I'm not into that personally, but it's fun to watch. It was the grand opening so there were demos and give-aways. We also did some riding, I rode for a couple hours, mostly with Beth. We rode up a service road that is infamous for it's relentlessly steep pitch. It was kind of (REALLY) hot - Beth started getting the chills - so we stopped a lot and turned off onto a side trail early instead of forcing ourselves to go to the top.

The rest of the day was spent vegetating inside, and cleaning and mowing the lawn. But it was a good day for Chris and I, pretty much a perfect combination of fun, relaxation, and productivity.

Sunday we slept in and then rode our bikes to church. It was getting hot and the high ended up at 99!! We worked in the yard for a couple of hours and then rode our bikes over to Jeramy and Christine's for a cookout. There was a good group there - Victor and Marcy (their friends), Dave (also their friend but now ours via Steamboat), Matt, Beth, Rob, and Mollie (from our Bible study group). I had been looking forward to it. Good food with good friends, and I had a growler of beer in my bag (basically a jug of beer you can get filled up at the breweries in town, it's about the equivalent of a 6 pack but cheaper and fresher).

I was kind of grouchy by the time we got there because of the heat. Then I felt tired and thought a coke would do the trick. Then, after munching on some broccoli, I started feeling nauseous. Christine gave me an alkaselzer, which was so gross I almost threw up right there. So I laid down on their couch for a while, feeling gross and wiped out. Finally I decided to go to the bathroom and just see what happened. I hung out in there for a while with no effect. I flushed the toilet and it was kind of slow. I just wanted to go lay down again - but then the toilet overflowed!! Great. I quickly opened the top and grabbed the little stopper thing. Now I was stuck, standing in toilet water, feeling like I was going to be sick, and yelling for someone to come help. It was stupid. Why do things like this seem to happen to me? Finally Chris came in and Jeramy found a plunger and we fixed everything and cleaned up. Geez. I think people may have gotten the impression that something that came out of me had clogged the toilet, but it was just my bad luck. But I was too tired to set the record straight. Like I said, they're good friends and were being understanding and sympathetic, but it's still a little embarrassing. I told Chris that I wanted to go home, and he borrowed Dave's truck to drive me (so much for saving the environment with our bike ride).

I spent the rest of the evening on the couch, and I finally threw up, which helped a bit. It sucked. Oh yeah, and we were supposed to have a doctor's appointment this morning to show how healthy we are so we can get the life insurance. I had to cancel that.

The only thing I can figure is I got overheated, which is weird because I've done more intense things in the heat before. But I didn't eat much Sunday, so I doubt it was something I ate. Who knows. At least now I feel better and in the past 30 minutes I've eaten half my oatmeal. Way to go me!

Well, time to go to work. Joy! I really like summer, I don't mind that days pass with nothing eventful happening. I like the long days and extra hours of sunlight to play outside. I like the laid-back attitude that's bound to infect a college town when the deadlines and class schedules cease and 30,000 of it's most rambunctious inhabitants take a temporary leave of absence. And I even like what I do for "work" ... it's just that one thing stays pretty much the same regardless of season - Mondays suck!

Hope yours isn't too bad. Thanks for reading and have a good week! :)

PS

My dear husband pointed out a slight inaccuracy in my recap of the 24 hour race. I also pointed out to him that this is my journal and I'll write what I want. But, since he most definitely kicked butt this weekend, I'll respect his wishes this time and correct myself - He killed me on the hill and climbed like a freaking pro. Here is a loving email from him regarding this subject:

"Your blog does not adequately describe how I took it to you on the climb.
Easliy kept up...sure you did. And what about the fact that I never got out
of breath while you were panting away? Bring it on roadie!"

Oh, I'll bring it on, all right! Needless to say, this email has spurred me to add a few hill repeats to my workout plan this week, and next time we ride, we'll see who's leaving who.

I'm not sure if this constitutes a healthy marriage or not, but we sure are having fun. :)

24+ Hours of Insanity!!

It is amazing what the human body can accomplish and what new definitions we can put on the word "possible" when we push ourselves. This weekend, Chris competed in an insane event with 3 friends, Jeramy, Dave, and Josh - 24 Hours of Steamboat. Starting at noon yesterday, they took turns riding an 11 mile course, consisting basically of 5.5 miles of grueling uphill and 5.5 miles of fast, fun singletrack. Each lap had 2500 ft of vertical gain! The goal was for each rider to do 4 laps, that's 44 miles and nearly 2 miles of climbing each! Chris was the 3rd rider to go. His first lap was good and he felt really strong, although pretty nervous about what he had gotten himself into. The weather was HOT, but pleasant.

By about 9 the course was dark. You could make out dots of light as riders made their way to the start/finish. It was surreal. The first round of laps went well for the guys. Round two would be more eventful. Jeramy, the first rider, cramped up partway down the downhill and had to spend nearly an hour replenishing his electrolytes supply and getting a massage until he felt slightly better.

Dave was next, and was expected to finish around 9:30. We waited at the start/finish for Dave until 9:50, growing more worried by the minute. Eventually, we saw a pair of lights bobbing toward us - someone running, not riding. "Please don't be Dave, please don't be Dave", Chris muttered ... but to no avail. Dave had completely ripped his rear derailleur off, losing his chain and busting his rear wheel in the process. It happened at the top of the course, and so he had basically coasted and ran the final 5.5 miles back to us. We were glad he was okay, but concerned about his bike. Luckily, Dave is a bike whiz. He just happened to have a spare everything, and within an hour had his bike ready to go for lap 3.

Meanwhile, Josh's wife, Karen, had kind of vanished. She left for a long (15 mile!) run shortly after noon and it was now after 10. She had called Josh around 8 to say she had gotten lost, but hitched a ride with a nice woman who was driving her back to her car. That was the last we'd heard and Josh couldn't get in touch with her. He had to get ready for his next lap but he had to be severely distracted. Christine (Jeramy's wife) and I got Karen's vehicle information and left on an impossible mission to find her car ... all we knew was it was at a trailhead. Do you know how many trailheads there are around Steamboat?? Thankfully, she called Josh right after we left and said she was on her way back. Her 15 mile run had turned into a 30 miler and she was exhausted and dehydrated, but okay. Whew!!

By now I was pretty exhausted. I had ridden my mountain bike for a heavenly 3+ hours earlier and didn't have time for much of a dinner in all the excitement of the evening. I went down to wait for Chris to finish his 2nd lap, with his recovery drink and extra layers. I was nervous for him because this was his first night ride. After about 1:45, he came flying into the start/finish. "How was it?" I asked, tentatively. He was grinning ear to ear. "It was AWESOME!!", he shouted, drawing lots of happy glances our way. Well, I guess he had a good time! He was all jacked up on adrenaline. And Karen had made it back in time to see Josh off, so things were looking up.

I helped Chris get some things together back at our trailer and then went to bed just after midnight. Jeramy got up shortly after we hit the sack for his 3rd lap. We were all anxious for him, hoping his cramps were gone. Well, a few minutes after he left the trailer I heard a loud, "Owwwww!!!!". Jeramy toughed out that lap, cramping most of the way. While Chris and I slept, Dave left for his 3rd on his newly fixed bike.

At 2:45, Chris woke me up. He had to eat to get fueled up for his next ride, and I had to check in for a shift at the top aid station I had volunteered for from 3:30 to 8 AM - what was I thinking?? I met up with my fellow volunteer, Brian, and we were driven up to the aid station, passing many riders on the way up, suffering in the darkness. Our job at the aid station was simple - write down riders' numbers and times, offer food and water, and cheer them on as they summited the insane climb.

Not too long after I showed up, Dave passed, feeling good and with a functional bike - good news! He was happy to have a familiar face cheering him on. By about 4:30, we could make out a faint glow behind the mountains. The riders' long slog in darkness was almost over. This was a tough time for many of the riders, both physically and psychologically. Although Chris was on a 4-man team, there were many ways to compete, including solo! It is beyond my comprehension how the solo riders were able to do what they did. The winning solo man rode 16+ laps (176 miles!!!!!!!) and consistently had lap times under 1:40. The winning woman rode 10 laps, that's still a lot! The 2nd place woman "only" rode 8 laps, but she also had a stroke last year. These people are amazing.

Finally the sun came up. Dawn was beautiful. The Yampa River valley spread out below us and it seemed we could see forever. As the sun came up, birds began chirping and riders' spirits picked up - it was going to be a good day! Chris arrived around 6 AM, feeling good and actually a little disappointed to not be riding in the dark. He was psyched, although a little angry when I suggested he try a new carbohydrate gel that turned out to be gross. He set off flying down the singletrack.

Because of Jeramy's cramps, he took himself out of the race. The team turned to Josh, the ultrarunner, to do 2 laps in a row to make up for it. What a feat! He rode from 6:44-8:24 and then from 8:24-10:30, almost 4 hours of riding straight!

I came back to our trailer around 8:45 and the mood was relaxed. Jeramy and Dave were done, and Chris was actually excited to start his 4th lap. The team had pulled together when necessary, supported each other, and so far achieved its primary goal - to have fun. Chris was a little worried about bonking though, and I decided to come along to keep him company. Unfortunately, this was a last minute decision. I hadn't drank very much in the 6 hours since waking up and had just eaten half of a breakfast burrito. I was about to find out if sausage, sour cream, green chile, and beans make good pedaling fuel! But I was riding for the sheer joy of it. Watching so many exuberant bikers pedal by the aid station had made me yearn for a ride of my own. Besides, Chris had been riding all night and I had semi-fresh legs, it would be no problem.

Hah. Chris' blazing 3.7 mph pace up the mountain felt agonizing to me, but I stayed with him and we chatted and encouraged each other on the flatter sections. Every now and then I would sing the refrain to some random song - "I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike." After about 45 minutes I had a gel and immediately felt the effects. I was easily keeping up with Chris until my hamstring suddenly cramped up. Well, that was the end of that, I got off and walked as Chris hauled it to the top. I was so impressed by his stamina and strength. This was a huge accomplishment! He finished in 1:38, his second fastest time, still feeling good and loving life. Meanwhile, my cramps subsided and I had a blast on the rolling downhill. What a fun course, and so beautiful, winding through mixed lodgepole pine/aspen forests, and across wildflower-speckled meadows with infinite views of valleys and mountains. I finished about 5 minutes behind Chris, not too shabby.

So, now we are back home, somehow still awake, although probably not for long. This was a great event. There was so much energy in the people there, and it was cool to see the range of competitors - from awe-inspiring performances like the 16 lap solo effort, to the guys and gals out there just living life to the fullest and loving every pedal stroke, it was truly a 24 hours to remember!

I'll attach a picture of Chris, Dave, and Jeramy on a practice run over Memorial Day weekend. Hopefully I can put more pictures on shutterfly soon.

2 useless things: weeds & dead computers

Okay, first let me say that having a blog is no good when you can't remember your username. That's a kind of essential first step.

Anyway, now that that's taken care of let me say hello and thanks for reading! It is a little odd that I am writing in the middle of the afternoon on a Tuesday, but my hard drive on my school computer died, so I am finding it hard to get re-motivated to work from home. This is the 3rd problem I've had with this computer (iMac G5 - looks cool but doesn't work so well, apparently) and so I hope my advisor will buy me a whole new computer instead of just a new hard drive.

Chris and I were busy last weekend working on various home projects. He helped our friends, Erica and Tim (Erica is my officemate), get ready to tile their bathroom. Which is very nice of him, but left me to do landscaping basically by myself. I weeded for hours, pruned rose bushes, laid down weed-proof fabric around our huge pine tree and in the island in our front yard (with some help from Chris), moved mulch from said island to the perimeter of the pine tree, cut branches off the pine tree b/c it was dropping pollen down my clothes, and attempted to move rock from our backyard to the island ... only to find out our wheelbarrow has a flat tire. We are remedying that and will recommence with the rock-transport tonight. When we are done, I think it will look very nice.

If you haven't been to our house yet, we have a pretty big backyard but about 1/3 of it is covered by rocks. And since we try to pretend that that part of the yard doesn't exist, a multitude of weeds grow every summer in the rocks. Last summer, one weed named Horace grew to be 8-9 feet tall. So this landscaping project will serve 2 purposes: 1. improve the look of our front yard, and 2. help us in the never-ending quest to rid our backyard of weed-infested rocks. I want to put a bench under the pine tree, from there you could enjoy the shade, a glass of sweet tea (or a beer), and the view of Ft. Collin's famous Horsetooth Rock - a strangely shaped rock formation atop one of the foothills west of town. The sunsets over the foothills can be spectacular, so that would be nice. Hopefully it will be a calm afternoon so pollen won't fall on you.