Long Overdue Update

Okay, so I've been told a few times (the latest one today) that I need to update my blog. That's true, I do. So, here's the update, short and sweet:

The Backstory

As most of you know, I crashed at the La Primavera II race two weeks ago. Although it didn't seem so bad at the time, the crash really ended up being pretty awful all the way around. I ended up in the ER, and eventually, was admitted to Brackenridge Hospital that evening with a bruised kidney. Apparently, the doctors said my kidney had a small laceration, probably caused by being bumped by a rib or a part of the bike when I fell hard on my left side. In any event, blood had pooled around the kidney and they wanted to observe me overnight. I was discharged the following morning (Monday, March 2), but told to take a couple of days off of work and forbidden from doing any swim/bike/run for a minimum of two weeks. Well, that two weeks is up today, but more about that later.

I say the crash was bad "all the way around" because not only did I have internal injuries that required me to cease my training for two weeks, but I also learned last weekend that the carbon fiber part of my Colnago was cracked as well. That's a $2000.00 bike frame . . . just the frame . . . that is now no longer rideable. I'm checking into seeing if getting it fixed is possible, but I'm not optimistic.

The Fallout

So, today, I got back on the bike for the first time in 2 weeks. Yes, I do have a second road bike . . . my aluminum-framed Motobecane Le Champion. Sounds nice, but it's really pretty basic compared to the Colnago. On the race bike front, I did manage to find a replacement frame . . . a Specialized Tarmac Pro. It's a 2007 model all carbon fiber frame, which I bought for less than half of what a brand new one would cost, so I got a good deal. However, it's a good chunk of change I didn't want to have to spend. Thank goodness we're getting a nice tax refund this year compliments of the exhorbitant amount of money we spent last year on unreimbursable medical expenses associated with our fertility treatment.

Anyhoo . . . the Tarmac should be here mid-week, and then I'll transfer everything from the Colnago to the Specialized and contact a guy about possibly repairing the Colnago. Even if it gets repaired, though, the Colnago's racing days are pretty much over. I'll ride it on nice easy rides, but I don't want to risk a catastrophic failure on a fast descent in a peloton. Plus, I'd have to start acquiring components for it since all the components I have will be transferred over to the new Tarmac.

As for my injuries, I think I'm pretty well healed. Kidney functions were normal when they discharged me and I'm gradually getting back to normal. My left side ribs are still pretty sore, but it feels more like a muscle strain than a bruise. Still, the doctors did say it was possible that I cracked a rib or two. Nothing showed up on the X-rays, but the doctors said that's not unusual.

Anyway, as of today, I can start back with easy workouts, so today I did 20 minutes on the my Motobecane on the rollers. It turned out to be a nice day, but not really until about 5:00 PM, so I just set up the rollers and did a brisk 20 minutes. MY GOODNESS!! I have lost a LOT of fitness in 2 weeks of inactivity! I was pretty winded after 20 minutes. Tomorrow, I plan to go out on the road in the late afternoon for about 45 minutes to 1 hour and see how I do. After the rollers today, I'm a little worried.

As for running, I will be restarting my run build program on Tuesday. The program calls for me to run six days a week, but I run for time, not for distance. Since I was off for 2 weeks, I'm starting over on the program. The plan calls for alternating days of short and medium runs with one day off followed by a long run. I start with short runs of 20 minutes, medium runs of 30 minutes, and a long run of 40 minutes. Each week, I add 5 minutes to each short and medium run and 5 or 10 minutes to each long run. Eventually, about a month before 5430, I'll be doing short runs of 60 minutes, medium runs of 90 minutes, and a long run of 120 minutes. I maintain that for two weeks and then begin the taper. It's an ambitious program, but I should peak at 480 minutes of running per week, which at my run pace, generally equates to about 50 miles per week. If I can do that and get three solid rides and one or two solid swim workouts a week, I'll be more than ready for the 5430. I'm wondering how I'm going to have the time to do it all, but I think with morning runs and lunch time bike rides (and the ATC Taco Ride on Saturdays), I should be able to get most of it in.

So . . . there we go. All caught up on the training scoop! More to come later!