Misadventures of Mom

[Arwen's Mom]

i need to get those socks for my wife.

am i reading that right- you hiked like 60 miles last month?

Oh yeah and in addition to that I take a few walks every week, anywhere from 1 to 3 times a week, about .8 to 1 mile, but I dont always strava it 😉

sooooo

Mr AM and I met the real Santa today!

No really!

We are riding down the canal path and we see some dude, kinda "jolly" white beard, wearing a tshirt (it was pretty cold this morning too) and he had on red silky-ish shorts. As we approach, no lie he smiles says "Merry Christmas" I respond likewise and he tells me to have a good weekend. On the way back we pass again and he says "you must be having fun" and I reply "yes I am, God bless you."

We also saw 2 herons. and some green things. Some were on the ground some were hanging in this tree. Size, like a grapefruit! Fidodie, any idea?

 

[stb222]

What murder pace? are you for real?

As for sourlands, I hiked there twice and both times stayed on the trails and did no rock climbing since my arm was in a sling stupid.

Murder pace is that people gonna die at the pace you set. I think it would be funny to post a hike at your church and one of the lines is Pace: Murder. It would attract quite a few.

 

[rick81721]

Oh yeah and in addition to that I take a few walks every week, anywhere from 1 to 3 times a week, about .8 to 1 mile, but I dont always strava it 😉

sooooo

Mr AM and I met the real Santa today!

No really!

We are riding down the canal path and we see some dude, kinda "jolly" white beard, wearing a tshirt (it was pretty cold this morning too) and he had on red silky-ish shorts. As we approach, no lie he smiles says "Merry Christmas" I respond likewise and he tells me to have a good weekend. On the way back we pass again and he says "you must be having fun" and I reply "yes I am, God bless you."

We also saw 2 herons. and some green things. Some were on the ground some were hanging in this tree. Size, like a grapefruit! Fidodie, any idea?

There are some characters on the canal path. Last winter I was doing a night ride and out of the darkness there was some old dude walking by himself- no flashlight or anything and it was pitch black - weird.

Re: the green things - we used to call them monkey brains when we were kids. It's an osage orange tree

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera

 

[Patrick]

we called them horse apples - and thanks for looking it up Rick! never bothered to learn the real name - kinda like horse chestnuts.....

glad you are making progress - keep piling on the small steps forward, not need to take a big one back.

biblical terms for pace might be fun - not sure redrum is one of them....

 

[Arwen's Mom]

Thanks for the info! When I typed in "gnarly green things in a tree" I didnt get any helpful information hahaha

Barry broke one of the "brains" open, no visible seeds inside and was kinda gooey and smelly chemically. Funny wickipedia says they are edible but the wildlife tends to not eat them 😕 although there was a slug crawling on it 😛uke:

As for churchy pace setting...the family that attended this one was a churchy friend 😉 and I let the elderly know that this time the pace was for burning some calories not a leisurely stroll. We will be planning some strolling along type hikes/walks for the elder crowd. I like to get as many out there as possible and am quite willing to set paces according to the abilities of those around me, but sometimes rides/hikes I do will have a purpose/goal in mind.

 

[Arwen's Mom]

I know so many of you are wondering how I am doing 😛 so heres an update:

I know the Dr said 4 months or so before I could ride trails. I decided a month was long enough to wait, but I couldnt even wait that long 😱

So Mr AM and I rode Allaire last week. We slooooow took it easy. All was good until I tried a small bunny hop over a log. That hurt the shoulder just a bit. But the next day a few friends and I rode at 6M. I was very careful. Walked over most of the logs and root sections as I didnt want to risk a fall. Kept my speed down on the descents and bermed turns. I was feeling pretty good until the 1 1/2 hour mark then I started hurting. By 2 hours I was pretty sore.

I have to admit I was not as dedicated to the PT exercises as I should be. But now I am! I am also doing some very small weights to help rebuild the muscle that was damaged, and is causing more of the problems than the actual shoulder.

It was also recommended to do some massaging using olive oil (really!) Not sure if its the massage or the oil, or both, that helps, but it certainly cant hurt.

As for general fitness, even that limited time off the bike has set me back a bit. I was very tired at the end of our 6M ride. Very tired. It was a struggle at the end to even finish. But snow is coming, and I am leaving the DH tires on the pretty bike, so the extra work out pedaling that around for the winter should help strengthen me for spring.

I still havent been on the road bike since I hurt my shoulder. Not willing to feel all that vibration yet. And strangely, I actually miss riding on the road.

I met a few of you out there recently, and thanks for your encouraging words to keep on going, but also to take it easy and heal slowly.

 

[mike_243]

very good to hear that you are on the mend PT will be very important for getting the range of motion back but remember a set back now will be even harder to get a head of so baby steps.... the fact that you are not just sitting around is the best bet for keeping up your fitness level.hope to see you guys out on the trails....

 

[stb222]

I still havent been on the road bike since I hurt my shoulder. Not willing to feel all that vibration yet. And strangely, I actually miss riding on the road.

Ride the drops or the flats and you will get less vibration. Drops have the most flex in the bar and the flats are a more comfortable position. Riding the hoods is where you get the most vibration. Also, you could get some extra padding under you bar tape or get really think bar tape. Also drop you tires down a few PSI and it will help.

 

[Arwen's Mom]

Thanks Kevin, maybe will give that a try.

Mike, may see you on thanksgiving (?)

On another note, took the pretty bike to 6M today for a short spin. The same run on my GT is way faster and easier. Wonder how many more calories I burn pedaling the Specialized as compared to pedaling the GT around :hmmm:

 

[THATmanMANNY]

Re: the green things - we used to call them monkey brains when we were kids.

me too! In the neighborhood where I grew up we had monkey brain and acorn wars... It wasn't the brightest idea but it kept us out of real trouble.

 

[Patrick]

i see you pushed up another PR while taking it easy......smooth is fast?

 

[Arwen's Mom]

i see you pushed up another PR while taking it easy......smooth is fast?

and that was on the pretty bike with those heavy knobby sticky tires 😉
wonder how much faster if I was on the GT :hmmm:

Speaking of the pretty bike, some of you know that Mr AM has one now too. Just like mine, but not quite as pretty 😛
we are riding our matching bikes and on an incline he says "hey this bike climbs fine" as I am struggling pedaling mine up the hill...shuuuuut uuuuuuup!
Anyway, I am thinking, both our bikes are size medium. He's 6 ft (or close) and I am 5'4" and the bike "fit" may contribute to what makes it harder for me to climb but he says "easy" of course after you take out the fact he is just stronger than me, was just thinking the size and fit may be a contributing factor. Think?

Oh and I dont need to hear any remarks about how the bike is too big for me, why do I ride an all mountain bike at 6M blah blah blah 😛😛😛

 

[Arwen's Mom]

Went to Allaire again. Shoulder felt pretty good until I tried a small bunny hop again. Then the arm was like 🙁 but recovered quicker so that's a plus.

I have found that since I got hurt, I am watching my "line" choice better. Picking smoother lines. I am also focusing more on proper body position and form. I hear it all the time when you have better form your chances of crashing are lessened. So I am really focusing on that now and I find my riding feels smoother and more....stable. I am also thinking about my feet position more. I have heard "heals down" from a lot of people and pretty much ignored that, even though I have been taught it helps to "plant" the bike, well I have been doing it, especially around turns and descents and stuff, and it does feel more in control. I find I am also looking farther ahead then ever before. I am not looking to crash even in the slightest and I want to be ready for anything that may pop up. So while I felt I always looked ahead to some degree, now its a priority and I really am keeping my chin up.

just an fyi if anyone is listening




******cue the crickets******

 

[mike_243]

Went to Allaire again. Shoulder felt pretty good until I tried a small bunny hop again. Then the arm was like 🙁 but recovered quicker so that's a plus.

I have found that since I got hurt, I am watching my "line" choice better. Picking smoother lines. I am also focusing more on proper body position and form. I hear it all the time when you have better form your chances of crashing are lessened. So I am really focusing on that now and I find my riding feels smoother and more....stable. I am also thinking about my feet position more. I have heard "heals down" from a lot of people and pretty much ignored that, even though I have been taught it helps to "plant" the bike, well I have been doing it, especially around turns and descents and stuff, and it does feel more in control. I find I am also looking farther ahead then ever before. I am not looking to crash even in the slightest and I want to be ready for anything that may pop up. So while I felt I always looked ahead to some degree, now its a priority and I really am keeping my chin up.

just an fyi if anyone is listening




******cue the crickets******

And that is the biggest thing that I have learned from riding a rigid bike is to pick smoother lines...of course I don't always take them 🙂 but this will make you a better rider I am still learning the whole body position thing. glad to see you are getting back out.

 

[Patrick]

can't claim crickets after your prior post told people not to respond....fact.😉

another pr....might be something to this line choice/smooth thing.

when ya going to tell the dr? please have the video running.

 

[pooriggy]

u have to pick smoove lines on a 5" travel bike at allaire?
maybe u need a proper bike fit?

i find it hard to respond to people who don't let me bust on them. as long as u dont get really mad at my responses i'll keep chiming in.

 

[stb222]

Shoulder felt pretty good until I tried a small bunny hop again.

I am not looking to crash even in the slightest and I want to be ready for anything that may pop up. So while I felt I always looked ahead to some degree, now its a priority and I really am keeping my chin up.

1. Don't try and bunny hop if you know it is a place where you need to heal more.

2. Who looks to crash? Yes, looking ahead is a major thing, but crashing isn't about just know what is coming. If this was the case, there are many of us that would never, ever crash. Crashes do happen for picking the wrong lines and such, but there are 1000 other factors that could make you crash. For instance, I once got my pedal caught on a root that was sticking up from a small log at 6 mile. It took me down so fast I didn't know what hit me, hit my face / head, cracked a helmet. I knew exactly where the log was an went over it many times before. It was the difference of 1" that made me eat shit. This is something you already know, but if you focus on one thing so much, something else is gonna bite you in the ass.

 

[clarkenstein]

worrying about crashing is going to make you crash. you'll ride tight and tense, and probably end up irritating that shoulder. it'll take time, but you gotta stay loose and flow more.

to reiterate what kev said, crashing happens because something unpredictable happened, not because you were looking out for it.

my last crash was at the sourlands. i was riding with lights, knew a rock garden was coming up that i wanted to clear. so i started to move it so i could have some speed getting into it. i was over the bars before i hit the rock garden because i wasn't paying attention to the good sized hole in the rocks in front of me. couldn't have predicted it if i tried.

ride with less brains. it'll be more fun that way.

 

[Patrick]

snip.....

ride with less brains. it'll be more fun that way.

This is screaming for some sort of visualization.

brains X falls X fun

Give Norm something to do on his big day? Fire up the chi-sq calculator and see if there is really dependence here? (adverting the statistical pun...)

----

btw - getting back to being technically correct rather than just going at it, letting the bike make up for sloppiness, seems to have been one of last week's topics (ride rigid, ride flat pedals....)? good habits are practiced when not in the crud (or at speed), so it becomes natural when things go to sh*t???

 

[stb222]

good habits are practiced when not in the crud (or at speed), so it becomes natural when things go to sh*t???

yes and no, if you never ride stuff at the "opposite speed", your skills are going to lack in one or the other. For instance, someone may be able to bomb a rocky downhill with 8" of travel at speed. But slow it down to walking pace and they are dabbing left and right.