Texas Ultra Spirit - Logistics

These past three or four weeks have been a maelstrom of medical issues.  Most of them `preventative.'  The last week has been consumed with work (part time clinical practice) and my wife's knee replacement surgery.  She's doing remarkably well... up and about with a cane and ascending and descending stairs.  Neither of us expected such a strong recovery.  

This is a link to the surgery performed. Her physician (Bertrand Kaper, MD) working on another patient utilizing identical procedure: Complete Replacement of Right Knee

Needless to say my training has been impacted.  Probably not a bad thing given that I've concluded that the right knee pain was NOT arthritis but it was tendonitis.  The steroid shot in the right knee had no effect on the pain when I pushed the intensity on a 75 mile long, 5,300 ft of climbing event several weeks ago.  

As well, I was able to more specifically locate the source of the pain to the right posterior tendon descending from the knee.  Proper tendon care has subsequently been employed.  More rest than I was patient/willing to allow.  Ice.  Heat.  Less intense work on the trainer.  In this regard the three weeks of medical distractions has been a good thing.

If my wife continues to improve she'll be walking without assistance or support and driving in two weeks.  Far less demand on me for 24/7 caregiving, shopping, household chores, cooking, etc, etc..  

So that means I've got 4 weeks til TUS.  A week more of work on the trainer, then every other day on the road.  And then mostly full time open road work.  The TUS course is not hilly (TEXAS ULTRA SPIRIT COURSE).  Especially compared with the Pace Bend Ultra Race Course (3 Laps of PBUR Course.  Which means that I can train on less challenging (climbing) road out here.  Good for tendon care. 

If I do participate in the Texas Ultra Spirit Ultra Race I will drive, sleep and self-support from my Ford Connect Transit Van.  I've attached a generous roof rack that will carry clothes, tools, supplies, etc in two Series 3 Sportubes, leaving ample room inside for the bikes, a cot, sleeping gear and other traveling needs.  When I get to the TUS I'll pack up the cot and sleeping gear on the rack and position my clothing supplies, etc, in the van for the Race.  

Whining ... and maybe some useful advice

Tendonitis?
Arthritis?
Cataracts?
Dental implants?

What I thought was first tendonitis, and then arthritis, and then, again tendonitis is just that: tendonitis. A simple ‘use’ injury. A ‘use’ injury that took a lot of time, effort and money to identify.

First, I mostly took things calmly and backed off the intensity. A little. 

Then, when the pain persisted I got x-rays to see if it was arthritis. It is. But we all have some arthritis as we age. And my x-rays showed the arthritis was worse on the OTHER knee... which had no pain.

Still, I got a cortisone shot in the knee that hurt. Gentle to mildly demanding training resulted in no pain.

Two weeks later I did an intensive training session of 75 miles and 5,400 feet of climbing. Pain returned. NOT the knee. Localised to (no medical jargon) the back of the knee. The constant extension of the leg irritated (-itis = inflammation) the tendon.

So.  Back to tendonitis. And the KEY treatment for tendonitis is rest (with ice, heat, mild stretching and NSAIDs).

Cataracts.

That is, glasses. Again, almost everybody gets some-or-a-lot of ‘stuff’ in their eyes as they age. I had ‘some’ stuff.  But these days ophthalmologists can also put a corrective lens in the eye after they ‘suck’ the cataract stuff out of the eye.  

So I had that done last week.  Uncomfortable but really, really worth it.  

NO GLASSES. NO GLASSES. NO GLASSES!!!

Dental.

Again.  As we age ‘preventative maintenance' is a strategic factor in remaining active and competitive. Dental implants. Four of them. 

Weird shit.

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So the past 2 weeks have felt like my head has been used for golf practice with a 5 iron.

BUT WAIT!! THERE’S MORE.

As I type this out I’m watching over my wife in a hospital 5 hours after she her second knee replacement.  When we return home I’ll be tending to her every wish and sneaking off to the trainer as much as possible.

Coming up.  

• Texas Ultra Spirit 24 hours.  
• Then 24 Hours In The Canyon.

Easy peasy.