officially out

i officially withdrew from the boyne race today. i thought it was only fair to my teammates to give them a definite answer early in the week so they could find a replacement. as much as that hurt to pull out from the biggest 24 hr race in michigan, it had to be done. there's no way i could risk riding a lap in the middle of the night and have my appendix burst. i would be a deadman out there. as some people have told me, it's only a race. i guess they're right.

i wasn't feeling any better this morning so i made an appointment to see my primary care doc. she wasn't sure but also didn't think it was my appendix based on a physical exam. so wtf? the ct scan showed inflammation and a blockage but i don't have enough pain right now to confirm the diagnosis. so, it's still a waiting game. i meet w/ the surgeon again on thursday to follow up. i'm going to request they do another ct scan to see if the appendix is still blocked. if it is, it's going to eventually rupture, so that means surgery. ugh!

on the brighter side, i picked up my parts and dropped them off at the shop. i finally got to see my frame in person. it's a beaut! i can't wait for it to be built up! they said it'll be done by saturday at the latest. again, i'm not in any kind of hurry so they can take their sweet ol' time! i hope things work out for me and i get the green light to ride this weekend because it's gonna just kill me to stare at that thing and not be able to ride it! keeping my fingers crossed...

*sigh*

my health has once again taken a turn for the worse. i woke up early yesterday morning with severe abdominal pain. it was just a constant pain, and i couldn't get any relief whether i laid down curled up or standing around and pacing back and forth. it hurt so much, i got nauseous and threw up a couple of times. not too much came up since my stomach was empty. after about an hour and a half of this, i decided it was time to go to the ER. it just wasn't getting any better...in fact, it was getting worse. by the time we got to the hospital, i was in so much pain and discomfort, i started going numb. my chest, hands and legs started getting tingly. they took me back, hooked me up on an IV but gave me no drugs. a doc had to see me before they could order anything for me. i was in such agony. puking, moaning just wanting it to stop. and it wouldn't. not even for a second. it was the most intense and relentless pain i've ever experienced.

they finally have me some pain meds but that didn't take care of my nausea. they tried 3 different meds before my nausea finally subsided. from what i remember, they took a couple of xrays and i had to drink a bunch of radioactive contrast dye before getting a series of cat scans done. since they didn't get the shots they wanted, i had to drink yet another 16 oz. cup of radioactive cocktail. yum! actually, at this point it was kind of refreshing since i hadn't had anything to drink.

so the ER docs came back and said my appendix looked like it was inflammed and had a blockage since the dye didn't appear to go through. they said i needed emergency surgery...so off to pre-op i went. my first question was how long is recovery? no lifting more than 10lbs for 6 weeks. 6 weeks? fuck! no boyne, no duathlon, no stoney marathon, not to mention no riding my brand new 29er! double fuck! i talked to the pre-op nurse and then one of the doctors. finally, the surgeon came in and did a physical exam. he said he didn't think it was my appendix based on the physical exam. hmmmm...that's strange. the other docs sure were anxious to get me to the OR for emergency surgery so what gives? he thought that if it was my appendix, i would be in A LOT more pain while he palpitated. so, he thought he'd keep me overnight for observation. as soon as they moved me to the inpatient floor the pain and nausea came back with a vengeance. i started feeling really sick again and finally threw up. after that i felt much better. they ordered some more drugs and i could finally eat and drink. i ordered some chicken broth, jello and popcicles. i was able to keep everything down.

this morning another doc came and checked me out and didn't think it was my appendix either so they released me. i'm supposed to call the surgeon on thursday to update him on my condition. so far, i'm still not back to normal and i'm not fully convinced that it's not my appendix. it's still a little tender in that area but now excrutiating pain. it's just a little crampy down there. they think it might just be viral gastroenteritis. who knows. i mean, we don't know if this is in any way connected to the stomach/abdominal pains i had been having the last month or so. they pretty much went away until this happened sunday morning.

so, i'm up in the air about boyne. i'll have to make a last minute decision. i would hate to be up north and have my appendix burst. that would not be good. also, my new frame and parts came in today. it's pretty hard to get excited about that with all this other shit going on. it's funny because i was feeling pretty good on saturday. i went for a 5+ mile run and ran faster than i ever have. i also lifted saturday night too. who knew what was around the corner. well, it seems like one problem after another for me. i'm just hoping it was viral in nature and i'll recover okay.

4 for four

i've been out drinking and eating every night this week! that never happens. i guess i'm milking this birthday stuff for all it's worth. that also means i'm 4 for four with no workouts. nada. none. zilch. i haven't done shit since addison. all i've been doing is eating like crap and drinking tons. and i'm liking it! i need to get my bike fixed so i can get back on it next week in preparation for boyne. boyne. that damn race kept me up all night last night. the boyne nightmares have already started!

omg, i'm sooooo excited to get my new bike! my parts will be here on monday and the frame is expect early next week as well. if tony can get my wheels built in two days then i'll have her at boyne. and that's a big IF! i won't be too disappointed if i don't have it for boyne. the fango deserves one last hurrah before i let her go. addison was not a worthy send-off.

soooo...can i make it 5 4 5?

after the rain

ah yes, it's the nelson twins! flowing blonde locks, small town good looks, and angelic voices. early nineties power ballads at its finest. gotta love 'em....or not. it sure seems like this rain is endless. the trails won't be ready to ride for quite awhile. my bike won't be ready to ride for quite awhile.

i'm sooooo excited for my new bike! everything is now rolling so it's now just a waiting game. i've waited all spring for this moment and now i'm only a week or two away from rolling my very own 29er!

the fango is sad and in very bad shape. i need to give her some tlc so she'll be ready to go for boyne next weekend. boyne....hopefully, i'll turn in a better performance than at addison. i definitely will because i'm NOT going to let my teammates down.

i'll ride again...after the rain.

it's on!

got a call from ernie this morning and my niner is ordered! should be here by the end of the week or early next week. now if i can get my parts in by then, there's a small chance i'll have it for boyne!!!

happy birthday to me!!!

the carnage

i really haven't inspected my bike too closely but i know it's not in good shape. i hosed it off on sunday night during a thunderstorm and took it into the garage, and it was looking angry. the brakes don't work anymore, the chain is rusted out as well as the cassette. haven't looked to see if the derailleurs are still working. it needs some new cables and housing and probably a new chain for now. as indecisive as i've been w/ buying a new bike, i've once again changed my mind. i should have a shiny new, black niner emd 9 here hopefully by next week! after assessing the damage from addison, there's no way i'm transferring those parts to a new build. so, realistically, the quiring is out of my price range. there's no way i can justify a $2k + purchase right now when we're trying to get the house ready to sell, we have things to buy for the house, and jackie has a medical procedure that we have to pay for. i mean i'm selfish and all, but i'm not that selfish. it's very unlikely that it'll be ready before boyne, so i'd better have the fango up and running by then! this rainy weather is just getting plain stupid...

addison mudfest

whoever said addison was in good shape should be shot! no, not really but what were they thinking??? i was having reservations about doing the race on friday night and with only 2.5 hrs. of sleep on friday night, i really wasn't in the racing spirit. to add to that, when i got to addison, it started raining! so, i got in line to register and was seriously contemplating whether or not to do the 6hr instead of the 12. not wanting to be a big pussy, i reluctantly decided to sign up for the 12. as the 10AM start time rolled around, i started getting excited. little did i know what i was in-store for.

the solo racers started last--two minutes behind everyone else. i stayed at the back of the pack as there was no need to "fight" for position in a 12hr. race. as soon as we hit that first climb and then headed into the singletrack i knew this was not going to be a typical race. i went really slow and had to dismount to get through some of the deeper mud. i think the first lap took me close to an hour. as each lap passed, the course got worse and worse. by my fourth lap i was walking about 1/4 of the trail. it took me just over 4 hrs. to do 4 laps out there! i was thinking the whole time how stupid the whole thing was. i was kicking myself for giving the race promotors 80 dollars that very morning. $20/lap at that point not to mention my bike being trashed. unfortunately for me, i had very little clearance on my front tire/fork/v-brakes and they were constantly getting so plugged up that my front wheel would completely freeze up. on my 5th lap that i was talked into, i was scooping handfuls of mud out every 10 feet. i think that lap took me an hour and 45 minutes although i did stop and walk about a mile and a half w/ mike moss after he blew out his rear derailleur. parts of the course were getting to be completely unrideable...at least for me on my bike. there were obviously people who rode the course all day. maybe they had a better setup. maybe they're better riders. maybe they were mentally tougher. probably a little of all of those. i had nothing more to prove. it just sucked walking 2+ miles per lap. so i hung things up after a measlely five laps.

i was sooooo hungry and the beer was looking soooo tasty. i ate four dogs and had four bells when i went to check the current results. there were 4 guys in front of me w/ only 6 laps. if they weren't on the course then i'd have to do only 2 more laps to put me in third place. so, i put the gear back on and headed back out w/ a nice buzz and a full belly! that 6th lap was definitely my best of the day. i stayed on the bike for probably 90% of the trail and felt great overall! the trail was in the best shape of the day--the mud only plugged up my front tire once. i got back to the pits and jody helped put my light on and i headed back out. towards the end of that lap it just started downpouring and the trail was getting treacherous. i got back, cold and wet and was contemplating on and 8th lap. i went back to the pit to grab my rain jacket but looked at the best brown sitting there and grabbed the beer instead. so, i finished w/ 7 laps which put me 6th out of 8 riders. disappointing. two other guys did 7 laps but faster and then 3rd place had 9 laps. so if i would've went back out for that 8th lap, i would've finished 4th. not a big deal.

lesson learned...don't get pressured into doing a race. i paid $80 to race, my bike is COMPLETELY trashed as are my cycling clothes and shoes. hopefully, boyne will be much better although i'm not done w/ this 12hr solo stuff. i want another chance where conditions are more ideal.

rain! boo!!!

it doesn't look like this damn rain is moving out any time soon. sooo...i'm preparing for a muddy and chilly race. got some toe warmers tonight and put on my "mud" tires. i have a brand new skinny schwalbe nobby nic on the back but my 4 year old geax blade wouldn't mount properly on the front. i guess i'm going to go w/ a conti vertical pro which got surprisingly good reviews as a mud tire! i'm going to suffer on my current saddle since i couldn't get a post in time. oh well! i got some chamois butt'r so hopefully that'll help. i've never used the stuff before but i heard it's a necessity for endurance races. so, 48hrs. from now i'll be done w/ my first solo endurance race and hopefully i'll be partying it up! i'm really looking forward to this and i'm just going to go out and have some fun in the mud!

tapering

i did my last training ride yesterday. not a hard ride. just under 30 miles at island lake at an endurance pace. i felt good. the legs felt pretty good. no more rides until the race. i'll probably do a quick, easy spin on the trainer tomorrow night and nothing on friday. i just want to make sure the gas tank is full for saturday. i'm gonna need it.

the weather isn't looking all that great either. blah. it's raining pretty hard out right now and it's gonna be on and off showers for like the next 5 days. saturday they're calling for light showers and highs only in the mid-50s. i'll have to get some toe warmers because my feet are always cold!

i wasn't too nervous about this race but there's been quite a bit of talk about it the last couple of days so the pre-race jitters are settling in. i even dreamt about the race the past two nights. i don't know what to expect. i don't know how my body is going to react beyond 6 hrs. i'm going to race my own race and have fun doing it. i'm going to do everything i can to squeak out an additonal lap even when my body tells me no.

don't stop believin'...

i'm not a journey fan...honest.

journey

mark your calendars. july twenty fourth. the day after the novi relay race. the more hungover the better. it's journey and def leppard at dte, affectionately known to us old folk as pine knob. why you ask? one word. awesome. you made out in the back seat of your daddy's car to "open arms". admit it. you lusted after steve perry after seeing the "separate ways" video. you air drummed wishing you were steve smith in "don't stop believing". you cried after you broke up with your boyfriend and you heard "faithfully" on the radio.

"do you wanna get rocked" by def leppard? you animal, you were in a state of hysteria when you saw that photograph and wondered have you needed someone so bad that you were afraid of bringing on the heartbreak yet you wanted to be foolin' so go ahead and pour some sugar on me and let your rocket explode but when love & hate collide you realize love bites.

july twenty fourth.

oh for the sake of f#@&!!!

didn't get the bike this weekend. nope. no-siree, bob. i was all ready to go to the shop and buy it when i called to make sure it was still there. luck has it, it was sold a couple days prior. grrrr!!!! someone doesn't want me to have the bike. i knew that trek didn't have anymore in stock so i guess i was s.o.l. they told me trek was doing an early release of '07 29ers and would be receiving them the end of may/early june. so, no 29er for addison. no 29er for boyne. shit.

i did some more thinking this morning. i'll just get the quiring and put some cheaper parts on and upgrade when i can. that way, i can get a bike through the shop and be happy with a custom job. so, that's it. i'm emailing scott tomorrow and getting the ball rolling. i'm assuming it won't be done until close to the end of june. oh well, the best things come to those who wait.

i am sooooo not ready for addison next week. my riding this weekend consisted of 6 non-stop laps at maybury good for 36 miles and today i could only muster 2 laps at pontiac. so, only 57 miles for the weekend. ugh! soupy and paula did a triple poto yesterday! now that is hard core! both on a single speed, no less! sounds like they're both ready for the race next weekend. i was hurtin' pretty good after 6 laps at maybury. that's pretty fucking sad. all i know is that addison is going to be BORING! 6 laps at maybury and my mind was already going numb. i can't imagine doing 10-14 more laps. we'll see how i do. i'm assuming i'll bow out after 6 hrs. can you say DFL? yeah, i'm pretty positive, eh? but, i'm being realistic about this race. i have no endurance. period.

made a decision

okay, i've finally made a decision on what bike to get. all this time, and all this thinking and i've settled on the fisher paragon. yes, a fisher. i really don't want to get a fisher but i liked the geometry. i remember the first time i got on it, i felt instantly comfortable. plus, it has the tallest bb of all the 29er hardtails out there. that's what sold me. so, i'm gonna ride the hell outta it for one, probably two years and then get a custom...likely a quiring. i hope i don't crack the frame but at least it's covered under a lifetime warranty so i feel a little better about that. i do feel bad about buying a fisher because it's a brand my shop doesn't carry which means i have to buy it at a competitor's shop. as long as their not paying me to race for their shop then i guess i can ride what i want. i tried to make something happen but in the end, i thought i'd be most comfortable on the paragon. gonna go get it tomorrow morning unless someone talks me out of it before then!

orange crush!

okay, one more pic i stole from the soupster...

i finally got my team kit last night!(thanks for picking it up, soupy!) met up w/ the guys at pontiac lake, took some pics in the lot and headed out on the trail. it was good to meet some of the guys i haven't met before but have seen on the luv board. the second half of the ride ended up being a hammerfest. it was good to ride fast again!

trying to figure out what i want to do this weekend. i'm thinking poto tomorrow and then a long back road/trail ride on sunday. i'd like to hit addison if possible. the race is a week away! yikes! i don't know how ready i am for 12hrs. but i do know it's going to end up being a painfest. at least i won't be alone!

going to make a decision about the bike probably by this evening. i'm leaning towards building up a niner emd9. i need to work a few more things out before i make a decision. it'll definitely be nicer than the paragon minus the juicy 7's. i think i'd like the bb7's better because of lower maintenance. i like low maintenance. other than the brakes, the overall build will be nicer and it'll come out to be about the same price...plus, it's not a fisher!

5.5 more hours 'til the weekend!

team ride pics

too tired to write, but here are a few photos i took...well, soupy took the one of me :-)

bike decisions...

okay, so i guess i'm not getting a quiring. this sucks. not a knock on scott or anybody but i just can't afford one right now. i was led to believe that i could get a better deal on one. i guess not. i'll just have to wait another year or two before i can dive into the custom frame world. it must be nice to have endless money to spend on expensive custom frames, huh? me--i'm still paying for my surgery two years ago.

so what am i going to get? i don't know. i can either build up a niner emd9 or just get a fisher paragon. i've determined that the bb on the soma juice is too low for my liking. one thing that stuck out in my mind about the paragon was that i could pedal over the rocks and roots at pontiac lake without worrying about smacking my pedals. that was probably one of my favorite things about that bike! there's about a 3/4" difference between the fisher and soma which is significant. so do i go through the hassle of ordering parts for the niner build or just go with a complete bike? with the fisher, i could buy it this weekend which would mean i would have it for addison. big plus. but, for some reason, i can't see myself riding a fisher. i don't know why...maybe i'm just pretentious. i'll have to make my decision by this weekend. ugh! decisions, decisions!

i had my ultrasound yesterday. probably won't get results until early next week. i don't anticipate they'll find anything as my blood work came back completely normal. i think they're looking in the wrong area. it's actually lower than where they're looking, but what do i know, they're the doctors, right? it is still getting worse everyday, especially in the morning or when i'm hungry, so who knows what the hell it is. one day at a time, my friend...

ugh!!! again!

went to the doctor's this morning to get checked out for my abdominal pains. she's not sure what it is but she's taking it very seriously. maybe pancreatitis? maybe gall stones? maybe neither. they took some blood and i'm scheduled for an ultrasound tomorrow afternoon. i hope this doesn't mean i'm going to have to withdraw from the addison race. the pain has been getting progressively worse which is not a good sign. it's pretty much constantly there now. oh well, tests are nothing new to me. just annoying. it seems like i'm doing them every couple of months. again, something i expected to do after being diagnosed with a lifelong disease. i guess i could look on the bright side. there's no saying that this is serious and i'm not sidelined as of yet. i'll keep my fingers crossed.