Saturday, June 11, 2011

Christening the Q Roo, tendonitis update

This morning I had a double-brick (ride-run-ride-run) and the first real workout on the new Q Roo. That bike just flies and I am flying high from seeing what we did out there today. Now that it's officially mine (i.e. the check cleared), it needs a name! My old bike was "Ace" (it was a Jamis Ventura..."Ace Ventura"...get it?).

I decided to name the bike "Teddy" in honor of my dad, Ted Vargo, as today is his birthday and I attribute my need for speed to him! He was involved in car racing in the early days, long before everyone and his brother became a NASCAR fan. We have pictures of him as a flagman in the 50's for the Penn Western Racing Association and he's been to Daytona back when they raced on the sandy beach and the A1A Highway.  He dragged me to the local racetrack a few summers ago and I loved it! Appropriately, he drives a Corvette.  My dad has always been a staunch supporter of my hobbies, which growing up meant he spent a lot of long days at horse shows, holding horses, shining boots, and driving the horse trailer. He continues to be supportive but is probably happy that the torch (and related expenses) has been passed to my husband.

Me and my dad in the Corvette last summer
Post double-brick on the Teddy Roo.... it was an EPIC workout, the planets definitely aligned.

I'd also like to give a shout-out to my husband Robert. It's not easy to be the tri-spouse. I follow Lindsay Cotter's blog - she is an athlete and married to a pro triathlete. Her writings reminded me how important it is to have that supportive spouse in your corner. My husband definitely is, and when I pitched the new bike to him, he never flinched. He makes it logistically possible for me to train and race and doesn't question the odd incidental expenses like the acupuncture.

As a follow-up to my tendonitis post, the posterior tibial tendonitis is MUCH improved.  I've had two great runs this week that were relatively pain-free. I can still tell that the tendon area is tight, but the sensation of pain is gone.  I'm continuing with lots of icing, compression socks at night, theraband exercises, stretching, and acupuncture. I never really understood what icing does, but now that I do, I'm a believer. The simple analogy I read was that it causes things to contract and constrict, like wringing out a sponge.  That helps flush out waste products from inflammation and injury and as the area re-warms, fresh new blood comes into the site.

Have a great weekend everyone!