Taking back what's mine......

I needed a day. So I took one. 

I got up and headed to Owasippe. Solo. I knew Dave and Jay were riding Upper Mac, Wahfield, Merrill and Luton. I was craving Owasippe. It is such a cool trail....and I was going to destroy my legs. What better way to do it...than on a trail with lots of climbs.

Owasippe

When I arrived there were a few people in the parking lot, so I didn't feel so anxious about riding alone. I geared up and headed out. First two miles are my favorite....fast. Only issue I had was my new shoes. They were killing my feet. Hurting to the point that I actually stopped and took them off. Reset them and moved on. Finally about 10 miles in my feet were used to them and I was feeling better. I think that pain took away from my legs. lol. I rode the outer loop and and then the inner loop. Legs were feeling ok. I was actually faster on some segments than the last time I rode here....and that was before LJ100. Interesting. 

I loaded up, texted MC and headed to Merrill. During transit I got a call from Jay. They were at Merrill and ready for their second lap. They decided to wait since I was only a few minutes away!

I arrived at Merrill and everyone was there. Dave, Jay and MC were ready to go. Unloaded, geared up...and off we went. Merrill is historically not my favorite place to ride. I don't mind the technical, I am just not fast in the tight and twisty trails. Then, add in the pace that Jay and Dave ride....ugh. I was holding on for dear life...literally. We took the Siren loop that I love. ZOOM. The more I ride the Anthem the more I trust it....still not 100% trust...but getting there. Eventually I got dumped....MC was nice enough to stay with me. I wasn't far behind...but the legs were feeling stressed. Jay and Dave headed to Luton while MC and I went out for another lap. We even did Sawtooth, which wasn't as scary as I remember. We got done with that loop and headed to Luton.

I was looking forward to riding here.....unfortunately....my legs were not. As I hit the 40 mile mark for the day I started to cramp. I was forced to slow down. I wanted to do 2 loops but I only managed one. Still such a fun trail. I was just out of gas. 

Thanks to Jay, Dave and MC for hanging out with me. Fun day on the bike.

Now, why the title. I had a purpose for Friday. It was to take back what was taken from me. Since LJ and the deer episode I have not been riding much. Then throw in the speed sucking staph infection and I was really starting to wonder what happened. So, I took some time off and let my body heal. Did a few rides and was feeling a bit better. True test was last weekend on Kal-Haven. I was holding on for dear life in a pace line. I was feeling really good. But I wasn't convinced that I had taken my speed back. So, I decided to stress my legs more on Friday. Either get back what speed and endurance I had....or destroy myself trying. While I didn't feel like I had all my climbing  power back....I felt much better on the bike that I have in a long time. So I took it back. I had to....I earned it in the first place. 

Lack of Power

Staph infection.

Antibiotics.

Kryptonite.

I don't go to the doctor unless something is truly wrong. I cause major panic when i say "I think I need to go to the doctor". I broke down and went a few weeks ago because I didn't want to become a viral video on the internet. 

A bug bite or an ingrown hair turned into a massive lump of infection on my back. After some prodding we decided it was best to have a doctor check it out before it got worse. A local and a scalpel were enough to try to get some of the infection out. The pushing to get the infection out was enough to make me want to pass out. Legit. It was the worst pain I have ever endured....and I blew my finger apart with a nail gun a few years ago. The doctor said "dont sit up...I don't want you to pass out"...it was awful. At any rate...major pain meds and an antibiotic were enough to send me on my way. Within a few days it was better....sorry...no internet sensation zip popping here.

I took a few days off the bike and then rode. Um, that infection had my body shredded. I barely managed 16mph on a short road ride. A tiny hill made me feel like I was going to die. Zero power is an understatement. I didn't feel worn down...but I was. I rode Custer the following Saturday and was slower than normal. New bike aside, I was feeling ok....just couldn't hold any sort of speed.

So I rode during the week and felt pretty good. Slow still, but legs felt like they were coming back. Jumped on the road bike and averaged 17.6 on a loop that I always ride. Good right? Well, I hit custer again on the following Saturday and felt like someone stole my legs again. The first 4 miles were good...and then ZAP...nothing. I rode 18ish miles and was awful the rest of the day. Still suffering the side effects of the infection.

So I have taken a week off now. I will try to ride tonight to see how I feel. I am riding again tomorrow as well. Just a bad feeling after all the riding I have done this year to feel so slow. I mean...I got a new bike and felt faster....and each ride has shown a decrease in speed. Not really the way that is supposed to work. 

At any rate...somethings rest is the better idea. Not forced due to over training.....but forced because my body needed time to rebuild. Listen to your body.