One Step Back

I woke up with very little stiffness. I hopped on The Mule and headed for Friday Coffee Club. When I dismounted outside Swings House of Caffeine, my back was really stiff. Ow.

I straightened up after a few seconds. Inside Swings, the joint was jumpin’, I got to tell my tale of back woe several times. Sympathy is good medicine. @ultrarunnergirl urged me to try Bikram yoga. She says it saved her back. Lawyer Mike told us about visiting a senator with a client while he (Mike) had a ruptured disc. (“Help my client for god’s sake so I can get the hell out of here!!!)

Jacques held Hugo, who is now an inquisitive toddler, as he talked with @bobbieshaftoe looking very stylish in her waterproof Gore jacket. Good thing she was properly attired. With no warning, Hugo let rip an impressive sneeze. He nailed her. She laughed it off because she is Ubermom. I’m sure she’s encountered worse with her kids. I sure have with mine.

I enjoyed riding part way to my office along side Jacques and Hugo. Hugo’s not nearly as talkative as his dad. This probably has something to do with the fact that he is just now learning to talk. He got a rise out of a school bus parked on the side of the street. “SkooBus” was my son’s first word. (He said it over and over and over again. Good thing he was impossibly cute.)

The ride to work was uneventful but the dismount in the garage hurt quite a bit. I gingerly made it to the locker room and eventually to my office.

A co-worker had spilled something on his shirt and needed an emergency replacement. Fortunately, he’s about the same size as me and I, like all experienced bike commuters and boy scouts, keep a spare change of clothes in a filing cabinet in my office. Yet another reason why employees should be encouraged to ride to work.

The ride home was a bit of a slog despite the warm (50!) temperature. Between staying up until midnight to watch the Olympics and fighting back pain for days on end, I was pooped. I could barely maintain an 11 mile per hour pace. I made it home in one piece but the dismount at home was bad news. Owie. Once I went inside, I looked at myself in the mirror. I was listing to starboard. My spasm was back.

It’s going to be 70 degrees outside tomorrow. Normally I’d go for a long ride but I think I will do the smart thing and take it easy. There will be plenty more nice days soon.

The Mule’s Not a Fool

The Mule’s Not a Fool, a photo by Rootchopper on Flickr.

Today was my first bike commute since I threw out my back about 2 1/2 weeks ago. I had a big, stupid smile on my face the whole way in and the whole way home. Even encountering four icy sections of the Mount Vernon Trail didn’t dampen my enthusiasm. It helped a lot that I was riding in daylight all the way to work and most of the way home. Commuting with sunshine, what a concept!

Another surprise was how noisy my commute was. Migratory birds are back in force and they are chirping up a storm. I was serenaded by redwing blackbirds, cardinals,and blue jays all the way to work.

Admittedly I was taking a gamble this morning. My back is not 100 percent. It still feels like somebody whacked it with a baseball bat. And it stiffened whenever I sat during the morning. The four dismounts during the morning commute were rather unpleasant. (Please don’t go out! Please don’t go out!)

I tweeted about the stiffness and was offered a suggestion by Kirstin (@ultyrarunnergirl) my friend in bikes and coffee. She suggested doing yoga back bends. I googled it and saw some impossible limber skinny people doing contortions that demonstrate that aliens walk among us. But I gave it a try.

Damned it it didn’t offer relief! So every now and then throughout the day, I gave my back a bend. In my office. In an elevator. In the bathroom. Ahhh!

This evening, Mrs. Rootchopper, who has been doing yoga since college, showed me how to extend the stretch. She’s a bit of a yoga freak. She did head stands when she was 6 months pregnant. She started with a back bend. She went back pretty far. She bent forward as if to re-load. Then she went waaaay back. Dang. I married a space alien.

So I now have a new exercise to add to my morning routine. Once I get this down, I’ll be integrating some twisting yoga moves.

For now, I am just absolutely slap happy that I can ride to work again.

See you at Friday Coffee Club #bikedc!

Back Out, Day 17: Id Iz Nod a Toomah

With temperatures rising into the 50s today, I cursed my stupid back. And my dermatologist. I drove to the doctor’s office to have the suture that was used to close the biopsy removed. No need. It had fallen out. So I asked about my biopsy. It was negative. I suppose finding out you don’t have skin cancer is worth passing up a bike commute in 50 degree weather, even if my back wasn’t up to it.

Driving around Alexandria and Arlington is truly insane. I was in the car for well over an hour to go less than 20 miles. I must say that I-395 is one impressive parking lot. Hey America, aren’t you glad you’re throwing billions down the interstate highway hole every year? What a great idea! Not exactly the wonderful idyllic driving experience that the car companies’ television commercials depict, is it?

I drove home at 4 with one thing on my mind: ride my damned bike. It was 62 degrees out and The Mule was kicking to get out of the shed. So I went for a ride. My first on-the-road ride in over two weeks.

I didn’t set the world on fire, but I made it through 13 miles of neighborhood streets. My back didn’t mind the ride at all. I was expecting bumps to hurt but The Mule ate them up. Getting off the bike was a little iffy. And painful. I had to walk the bike to the shed. I felt like an old man with a walker.

About an hour later, I got up from eating dinner and I felt pretty much the same as I did last night. Stiff and bent over. Until it my back gradually loosened. It’s possible that I will be a wreck in the morning.

So you know what I did.

I packed for my first bike commute in nearly three weeks.

Knock wood. Cross fingers. Throw some salt over my shoulder.

Back Out, Day 16: Nearly There

I kept to my new program. Morning stretching. Short walks every hour. An unintentionally long walk (where the heck is that bank?) at lunch. Fifty-six minutes of easy pedaling on Big Nellie in the basement.

I am nearly there. The bad: My left calf is really tight. My back stiffens up whenever I sit. Reaching high is not a lot of fun. The good: I can feel my legs getting stronger, probably the result of getting normal range of motion and mechanics back.

During the day, my friend Charmaine suggested that we do a series of rides down in coastal North Carolina in early April. I do believe I’m going to give it a go. I’ll wait a couple of days so as not to jinx my back.

Since I have a dermatology appointment tomorrow, I will drive to work, passing up what is sure to be a 60-degree bike commute. My fingers are crossed that my skin biopsy is clear. Otherwise they’ll have to cut the little bastard off my head. Which raises the question, if it might be cancer, why not cut it off at the start, then do the tests?

Speaking of cancer, I just finished reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. It’ a teen novel about kids with cancer. It’s pretty heavy for a kid’s book and pretty damned brilliant.

It’s hard to get down about 2+ weeks of back spasms after reading it.

Back Out, Day 15: A Walk in the Park

I should be better by now.

I am not better.

I am less worse.

I woke up pain free. Back stiffness set in within minutes.

After a morning of hanging out, I drove (that alone is rather telling) to Fort Hunt Park, three miles from home. As I got out of the car, my back and legs felt fine. I walked the park circuit road, 1 1/4 miles, three times. After about 2 miles I felt like I was climbing stairs. My limp was much less pronounced today. I didn’t have pain in my hips or my lower back as long as I kept moving. Still I felt tired. Walking is exhausting when you have to fight for a smooth gait.

I stopped to stretch out my iliotibial band. Resuming, I made it to the car at 2 1/2 miles, stopped to stretch the ITB again, then set out for lap three. A man on a bike flew past me. Envy.

I had to stop one more time to stretch but made it back to the car feeling not half bad.

I rewarded myself with a Gary’s Lunchbox sammich at Sherwood Hall Gourmet, a deli near home.

After lunch and some more lazing about, I did 1 hour and 20 minutes of easy pedaling on Big Nellie in the basement. I felt fine the entire time. Getting off the bike, however, I felt the tightness in my left leg again. And my right foot went into a cramp, my toes curling as I stood.

Still, it was a day of some progress. I am hoping to be back to the bike commute in time for Friday Coffee Club. Unfortunately, I still have some unresolved items on my to-do list. New tires for one car, an inspection and minor repairs to another, and minor surgery on my finger. Hopefully, all of that will be behind me by mid March.

By then I hope to be more better.

Back Out, Day 14

This is getting old.

I wake up in the morning and feel fine. Then within minutes my back starts to stiffen up. My lower back just below my left kidney feels like someone hit it with a baseball bat. I also have what feels like a hip pointer and soreness outside my knee on my left side. This hip and leg problem is probably iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome, a tightness in the tissue that runs from above the hip (and just below the soreness in my back) down the outside of the leg where it re-attaches to bone below the knee. It’s probably caused by my having to compensate for the awkward posture that the stiffness brings. ITB is an old acquaintance. I wish I could de-friend it but it keeps coming back.

I have noticed that a little movement seems to loosen things up so I walked 2 1/2 miles today. I had a pronounced limp but I got where I set out to go. (I bought a couple of Powerball tickets because nothing says “Who cares about back problems?” quite like $400 million.) My ITB wasn’t thrilled but at least my little excursion got me out of the house. When I arrived back home I was just as stiff as when I left.

Then I went into the basement and rode Big Nellie very gently for an hour. Usually, this loosens my back but, if anything, it made it stiffer. Even the recumbent gods are messing with me.

It’s pretty damned frustrating. I watch all these Olympic athletes schussing and skating and such and all I can think is “F%^K YEEEWWWWW”.

I’m not bitter.

Things could be worse, of course. I could have cancer, which reminds me that I find out about my skin biopsy on Wednesday. Or maybe, I could have senile dementia.

Where was I?

Oh yes. I was wallowing in self pity.

The only upside to this last two weeks is the fact that it’s been pretty lousy bike commuting weather. And since last week’s snow storm the Mount Vernon Trail has been impassible, making bike commuting impossible. This will change by Wednesday or Thursday when temperatures will rise into the 50s and, maybe, 60s.

Then this back thing will really be getting old.

Back Out, Day 10: A Wovely Day

It snowed last night. At daybreak we had about 6 inches of snow on the ground. The bottom inch was very wet so this was particularly heavy stuff. As readers of this blog know, I’ve been having back spasms for about ten days now. I was little worried that my back would not be up to clearing all the snow. So I bought a Wovel.

Today, I put my contraption to the test.

Damned if it didn’t work like a charm.

It took a while to get used to, but after about 15 minutes I was shoveling like a maniac. Of course, I looked a bit like a maniac but if I gave a damn about appearances I wouldn’t ride a recumbent bike. The important thing is shoveling with my Wovel didn’t hurt my back at all. My triceps and legs got a bit of a work out though.

Mrs. Rootchopper used a conventional shovel to clear the steps in front of the house and remove snow from around the perimeter of the cars. A neighbor came by and cleared a path on the sidewalk across the street with a small snow plow. I cleared the sidewalk on my side of the street with the Wovel. It probably takes twice as long to clear snow with a Wovel than my neighbor’s snow plow. (My Wovel is quieter and won’t run out of gas.) It’s at least twice as fast as using a conventional snow shovel.

I’ll have to go back out later today and have another go when the second wave of snow comes through, but I am actually kind of looking forward to it.

Wovel on!

Here are some more pix.

Back Out, Day 9: Enter the Wovel

Wovel, a photo by Rootchopper on Flickr.

My back is getting better by the day. Last night I could roll over in my sleep without using my arms or legs or having discomfort. My posture was better, although I still have a S bend to my spine.

We are supposed to get a significant snow fall in two days. I decided to bite the bullet and buy a Wovel. It’s huge snow shovel mounted on a wheel. Hopefully, it will allow me to clear the snow without aggravating my back. We shall see.

Back Out, Day 8

After discovering some helpful stretches yesterday, I actually felt pretty good when I went to be. Pretty good doesn’t come close to normal function though. I can’t roll over in bed without help from my hands and legs so continuous sleep is hard to come by. When I woke up, I rose from the bed without pain. After fetching the paper, I checked myself in the bathroom mirror. My back should be an I but it’s still an S, albeit an S with less severe curvature. I figured if this keeps up, a ride to work this week would not be out of the question.

Gentle movement helps a bit. Being stationary seems to make things worse. I discovered this when I went to get out of the car at work. OWWWW. I made it to my desk. The relief of sitting at my desk was a comfort, until I had to get up and walk around. More owww.

I made it through a full workday, stopping occasionally to stretch my hip flexors and hamstrings every hour or so. Each time I did it, my back felt noticeably better. Each time it would stiffen up again. During the drive home, I noticed that my back didn’t hurt when I hit bumps as it did over the weekend. I walked around the yard and my back

During the day, I signed up for the Vasa ride in late March. I signed up for the 59-mile version but am considering dropping down to the 30 miler. (I can make it a 60-miler by riding to the start and riding home.) Either way, I’m getting some hot blueberry soup at the end from the Swedish embassy soup ladies.

I just learned that we might get 5 inches of snow later this week. I might just go out and buy a wovel. If I use a conventional shovel, I’ll be out of action for a month. I could even miss out on the hot blueberry soup. Not gonna happen.

A Look Back at 2013

It’s already February and I neglected to use the month of January to take stock of 2013. Now that I am laid up with back spasms I thought I’d give this a go. In no particular order here’s my top ten of 2013.

Thanks for the Diploma, Hil. My daughter Lily graduated from Maret ending our family’s seven years at the school. It’s an astoundingly well run place and we will miss the many characters we encountered on a regular basis. The graduation speaker was Hillary Clinton. There is no truth to the rumor that Lily will be her running mate, but Hil and Lil would be a great sounding ticket.
Hey Bulldog. Lily started college at Butler University. She wanted to get away from the east coast and go somewhere warm. She got it half right. Indianapolis is a tad west of the Gulf Stream. Brrr. She’s adapting to college well though
Heaven, Thy Name Is Rosario’s. Lily’s college decision came down to a choice between Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas or Butler. Last spring, we flew down to San Antonio and checked out Trinity. It’s a fine school. Nearly everyone who graduates gets a job…in Texas. That was a bit too much of a commitment for Lily. While there, we found the bestest Tex Mex restaurant in the known universe. It’s called Rosario’s and it’s a mile south of the Riverwalk tourist nest. If you go anywhere near San Antonio, check it out. YUMMY!
I Can Quit Now. After 30 years, I am now eligible to retire from the federal government. It has been an up and down ride but one of these days, I will take Uncle Sam up on his offer of a very long paid vacation. Sadly, it won’t end well.
Knocking Wood. Mrs. Rootchopper went through hell in 2011 (thunderclap headache and getting run over by an SUV) and 2012 (cancer surgery and radiation therapy), ultimately leading to losing her ability to enjoy food or even eat solids and lost 50 pounds. Her sense of taste mostly returned and she returned to a healthy weight in 2013. Lord willing, she will never have to gag down another bottle of Ensure.
Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Lily and I attended a DC high school baseball championship semifinal game at Nationals Park. Maret won the game and, later, the city championship. My son Eamonn and I went to a Nats game and laid waste to “Take on Me”. We went to see another Nats game at which Lily became close personal friends with William Howard Taft. The only reason I don’t go to more Nats games is that they happen to fall on days when the biking weather is great. (So I’ll just have to ride to the games in 2014, right?)
Back to Back Again. In 2012, Lisa and I did most of the 50 States ride as well as the Backroads metric century together on the same weekend. Let’s just say it was a tough couple of days in the saddle. Since she dropped out of the 50 states before finishing, I agreed to a return engagement. We rode the entire 50-States ride together in 2013 except for the last 3 miles when we became separated in a downpour amid a construction zone. We both finished. The next day, I went back to Backroads and did the metric with new bike friends Kristen and Elizabeth. It was a great ride with excellent riding companions, but I am going to be a little less aggressive with event rides in the future.
Blood and Chatter and Pumpkins, Oh My. I did a slew of event rides during the year. . In April I rode the Monument to Monument ride. It was a bit of a miserable experience seeing as how my lungs didn’t want to function, but the other riders tolerated my slow speed. During the ride I met Mike, an affable rider who can talk the paint off a bike frame. John Roche organized another Hoppy 100 ride. He even arranged for us to rescue a cyclist who had crashed on the South Capitol Street bridge. Riding and drinking are fun but add blood to the mix and you’re really talking about a good time. During the 50-States ride Mike reappeared and gave me a rousing welcome when I pulled into the rest stop at his house in Tacoma Park. He later organized a ride to the Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport. The ride and the museum were terrific. Bob (Don’t Call Me Rachel) and Jeremy Cannon and I ride the Great Pumpkin ride in October. We were joined by John Roche. We were thankful that no blood was spilled. I also did the Vasa ride in March and WABA’s new cider ride in December. Twas cold. Both times.
A Lighter Engine. After many attempts, I finally decided to get serious about the SEC diet. SEC stands for stop eating crap. It works remarkably well. I lost 25 pounds in four months. Sadly, my hill climbing still sucks. So if you are riding with me this year, have mercy.
Friday Coffee Club and #BikeDC. Increasingly, cycling is becoming a social activity for me. This started back in 2006 when, after meeting during the 50-States ride, Charmaine got me riding with the Bike Friday Club of DC. I added rides with Shane and Jeff, friends that I met during the 2007 50-States ride. I met Mary at the 2010 50-States ride. And the snowball really started to pick up steam. Then she co-founded Friday Coffee Club. Bike riding around here is an introvert’s nightmare. And a whole lot of fun.