Misadventures of Mom

:hmmm:
how to respond to all this input...
Focusing on my body position is helping me to be smoother, looser, and flow more, because that is the right way to ride. In my head the thoughts go like this:
I dont want to crash
then you better stay loose
attack position makes you ready
smile
flow like warm oil
this is fun
I and my bike are one

Yesterday I felt totally in tune with my bike and the ground. Very cool feeling.

And I didnt tell anyone not to respond. The "shuuuuut uuuup" was what I said to the Mr when he was digging at me about climbing, unless you are talking about I didnt want to hear any specific insults about my big bike and the fact it doesnt fit me correctly. But when do you guys listen to me anyway?

Did Kevin say something about biting my ass? And someone else wanted a video of it? Thats cool. I can handle that

I know that I may end up still crashing as stupid unexpected stuff just happens. My point was that this injury has made me give a little more attention to riding smoother, with a little more finesse, and not just going faster.

I like Kevins last comment about 8" and dabbing. This is sorta where I am at right now. I can bomb over stuff pretty well. But have always had some issues with slow speeds. I felt I just didnt finesse (like that word). I have always tried to work on balance and slow speed practice, but not with any real seriousness. So now I am working on that. And visualizing myself being fluid and flowing down the trail.

In trying to find something positive about a situation that I have battling being depressed about, yesterday I finally felt good about it. And I feel quite content about it today. Like there really is a silver lining to this dark stormy cloud.

Bunny hopping...hmmmm wont know if it hurts till you try. Hurt less yesterday than last week. And will try again next week. The pain is more from the muscle damage on the side of my arm when I rotate forward, its not the actual shoulder that hurts.

I think thats it.
this has been fun.

And Iggy, no to me being mad, you can make fun of me. Kevin cannot though. At least until he rides with me, then he can poke fun at me. But not my bike. Thats sacred.
 
Arwen's Mom said:
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.
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Sounds like great progress to me. I think I am finally starting to see lines when I ride - helps to ride with more experienced riders like you and others that can show the way. Looking ahead is another thing I really have to work on.
 
Went to Lewis Morris on Saturday.
Arm felt pretty good. Took it slow and easy.
I can lift my arm 4 inches higher than last week. The Mr AM is helping me out with some physical therapy type exercises by stretching my arm out or up and then I pull back and he resists me. Its fun. I think it helps. And he enjoys it 🙂
The ones I have been doing from the Dr dont seem to be as ..... :hmmm: productive (?) anymore. The actual shoulder joint feels good and has good range of motion, its the muscle in the arm that is basically the problem now. Shoulder does still ache a little bit. But between age and cold weather I am not surprised by that, and its mild enough.

It feels good to be out on the trails.
 
Good to hear shoulder is making progress. It could take a year before you're 100%, at least it felt that long for me when I broke my scapula years ago. Now I forget which one I broke.
I didn't think you're hub could resist you😉
 
pooriggy said:
I didn't think you're hub could resist you😉
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:hysterica he pretends to, and I let him THINK he has won sometimes 😉

I know it can take a long time. Shoulders are hard to heal I hear. The Dr said it could be 6 months before I feel normal. :hmmm: when have I ever felt "normal"?
 
Let me know when you want to ride six mile. Im close to it and love riding it, I often go alone, but Im weary about that, fearing if I fall and get seriously hurt, Ill lay there for days and the deer will have their way with me..I generally have a lot of time off during the week where my usual riding buddies only go on weekends, and I dont like how crowded it gets on weekends.
 
Here is my last injury scar from 3 years ago.
 

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Well I guess its that time to post up monthly stats again. Seems the hiking has really suffered since I started riding. Will need to work on that as I really like hiking and it seems to burn a tremendous amount of calories.

Soooooo

November 2013 stats:
(according to Garmin connect)
HIKING 16.65 miles
8.5 hours

BIKING 109.84 miles
18.5 hours
 
Arwen's Mom said:
Well I guess its that time to post up monthly stats again. Seems the hiking has really suffered since I started riding. Will need to work on that as I really like hiking and it seems to burn a tremendous amount of calories.

Soooooo

November 2013 stats:
(according to Garmin connect)
HIKING 16.65 miles
8.5 hours

BIKING 109.84 miles
18.5 hours
Click to expand...

Hiking burns more calories than biking??
 
gotta work when hiking downhill....esp at SMP.

good job mixing it up. and taking it easy.
 
Looking forward to hopping on the road bike this week (on line race and all 😉 )
Tried riding it last week one day and it was pretty painful. But every week the shoulder gets a little better. I think its helping me once the Mr AM started helping. He makes me accountable if I dont do my physical therapy exercise, plus its more fun when he helps 😀

So sad I missed the good snow conditions at 6M yesterday afternoon :cry::cry::cry:

I had ridden Allaire that morning and didnt have time to go out again. I actually like riding in the snow. Fresh fluffy snow :drooling:

That being said, I dont care too much for riding on the road in the winter. Bad road conditions make drivers...well...more dangerous than usual. And all the salt... ugh and the wind....brrrrr

I finally got a heart monitor HURRAY! A very sweet fella gave me one. So now I aim to optimize my riding for better fitness. Having fun is still my main goal though, but I want to be a healthier as well as happier Arwen's Mom. My Mr AM commented on our drive home yesterday from Allaire "its amazing how much your personality changes when you are on the bike" I thought :hmmm: really? OK I admit I didnt stop smiling my whole ride yesterday. Even smiled on the drive home. On the bike, I dont think much about other life issues. I am living in that moment. Kinda like that scene from Insurrection where that chick tells Picard to "live in the moment" she says: "We've discovered that a single moment in time can be a universe in itself, full of powerful forces. Most people aren't aware enough of the now to even notice." Thats what I experience in the saddle (bikes or horses BTW)

Anyway.... good luck and happy and safe riding to all participants of the online race and to my fellow team mates, GO GET 'EM!
 
Started taking some herbal supplements that are supposed to help with joint pain, due to arthritis or injury. Took them for a while, and then stopped for a bit to see if the pain comes back (it did) and started taking them again to see if it lessened again (it did).

So wanted to share for those of you having some joint pain here and there, maybe it will help you. Keep in mind, using herbs isnt a quick fix, usually takes some time to feel the effects and usually does not remove all pain but it takes the edge off. I have been taking White Willow, Turmeric, and Ginger. Also recently started taking a vegetarian source of glucosamine. Not sure if its helping too, but seems like it is.
 
Arwen's Mom said:
Started taking some herbal supplements that are supposed to help with joint pain, due to arthritis or injury. Took them for a while, and then stopped for a bit to see if the pain comes back (it did) and started taking them again to see if it lessened again (it did).

So wanted to share for those of you having some joint pain here and there, maybe it will help you. Keep in mind, using herbs isnt a quick fix, usually takes some time to feel the effects and usually does not remove all pain but it takes the edge off. I have been taking White Willow, Turmeric, and Ginger. Also recently started taking a vegetarian source of glucosamine. Not sure if its helping too, but seems like it is.
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Thanks for the info. Can I ask the name brands and what stores to purchase these. Glucosamine always seemed to help the knees for skiing. Never knew of a veggy type.Again, thanks for the info
Zach
 
Have you considered trying to isolate which thing has an affect? Not sure what white willow is, but easy to just ingest turmeric or ginger.
 
Kidzach, I order mine online from Mountain Rose herbs, but I am sure you can get them at any reputable health food store. The veggie form of glucosamine I ordered from Amazon, it was "Now" brand:
http://www.amazon.com/Now-Foods-Veg...305144&sr=8-2&keywords=glucosamine+vegetarian

Santa (formerly Satan), I figured it doesnt really matter which of the three does the most good, since the turmeric and ginger are good for you in other ways besides joint health. It may also be the combination of them that works. As for white willow, specifically white willow bark: http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-suppl...edientId=955&activeIngredientName=WILLOW BARK
 
Herb disclaimer, remember that herbs are still medicine, be sure to check with your doctor before taking any 🙂
 
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