I'm getting too old for this shit...

[MetalQueen]

Basicallly just starting this thread so I can whine...getting it off my chest a little might help...sorry...


So yesterday I get up at the crack of dawn, teach my 8 am Spin class, go home and my friend wants to go Mountain Biking. I'm like what the heck, it's a BEAUTIFUL day and I hadn't been MBing in a while. I am a roadie and a runner and prob. MB 8-12 times a season.

On my second lap around a 10 mile loop I go down HARD. Altho it is not a hilly rooty trail, it is twisty and turny singletrack with areas where there is barely enough room to get btw the trees. Ergo, my old-school bar-ends (yes, I am changing them come Spring) got caught on a tree and down I went. My back and cocsix (sp? and save the Beavis and Butthead cracks....did she say crack?)...OUCH! It hurts to breath and mentally I'm just like....

How do you draw the line btw riding aggressively (riding tentatively is just as dangerous), trying to improve your skills and at the same time, not get hurt??? I'm not 17 anymore and can't keep taking these hits.

To top it off, when I talk to my BF last nite and tell him I crashed, he's like well, OK, have a nice nite, talk to you tomorrow. OUCH...I'm not sure what hurt more, luckily I spent most of the afternoon and evening asleep.

Sorry, just needed to get that off my chest...I have a Meeting with one of my Fitness Coordinators 2nite...It's going to be hard to be my normal smiley self...but I know as Instructors sometimes we do have to put that face on...

Deb

[like2bike]

Deb just a little advice here from a doctor's daughter--you might want to get the tailbone checked out. Not much you can do for a broken (or fractured) tailbone, but it would be good to know if you've broken or fractured anything so you know how to properly take care of it in order to heal it efficiently.

One of my GFs broke hers. She was given pain meds and told to try and avoid sitting for a few days (how the hell you do that is beyond me). She had to go out and buy a donut shaped cushion to sit on at work. She used the cushion for a good while until she was healed.

As far as crashing, I'm so sorry you got hurt. :( But the good news is is that you can still mountain bike--what I mean is, you didn't hurt yourself so bad that you are out of the game. It happens. Me and DH still crash once in awhile when we inline skate. That's why we wear equipment. You just never know. Sh*t happens. Get up, dust yourself off, and do it again tomorrow (or the next day or when your bum heals up). :) And it's OK to whine once in awhile--it goes good with cheese! :)

[MetalQueen]

Thanks for the insight....I was gonna give it a few days b4 I went to the MD or Chiropractor (my Chiropractor rocks!!!). I don't think it is fractured or anything, I don't think I am in enough pain for that, however, you are right, standing and walking are fine but sitting is a little uncomfortable and I think above it my back is in spasm. (I like to call myself DebMD).

Thanks I feel a little better already...I think I am just as upset as I am hurting so the double-whammy makes it worse.

I will dust myself (literally) off and m/b take you up on that idea of whine and cheese!!!! I deserve it!!!!!

Deb

[joyofspin]

Deb - hope you feel better soon.

[Lewis]

Steroids work to heal real fast. I think I can watch my nails grow when I take them.

[sandy]

I've only been MB once, but it seems to me that going down comes with the territory. The one time I did do it I went down and the handle bars nailed me right in the breast bone pretty good. I'll stick to the road.

[yvonne]

MQ
MTB's are the evil :D

the temptation is great ... the dynamic courses, the trees, the alure of the dirt! but then .. just when you're listening to the birdies chirp feeling the breese whistling thru your helmet .... BAM~ the ground slips out from underneath you, AND YOU HEAR AND FEEL THE MUSCLE FIBERS OF YOUR HAMSTRING RIPPING AND POPPING LIKE BREAKING GUITAR STRINGS .... whoa ... sorry i was having a flashback of my experience last February!

feel better my friend!

VIVE LE SKINNY TIRE!

[Pink]

How do you draw the line btw riding aggressively (riding tentatively is just as dangerous), trying to improve your skills and at the same time, not get hurt??? I'm not 17 anymore and can't keep taking these hits.

Deb

Deb, sorry you hit the dirt and hope you'll soon be 100%. I, too, struggle with the questions you posed above. The year after my accident, I struggled to get back, but by fall, I felt 100%. This year, after seeing our friends go down in February, I've never been the same. I have to force myself to ride. I am hoping next season will be easier.

Take the time to heal fully because you're right...bodies that have been around the block a few times need a little coxing to get back.:roll:

[cfoam4me]

Yep, be kind to your body and let it heal or it will hold you hostage when you least have time to slow down! Seriously, I hope you feel better soon, it has to be a real pain in the a$$~ :roll::grin:

[SpinBob]

Deb,
I feel your pain, there are days when the aches and pains make me wonder if the physical stuff is worth it. You're only as old as you feel, but let's face it, the aches and pains can make you feel really old. However, the truth of the matter is, if you're not willing to take the falls it's time to hang it up. The only way to get better is to push yourself and when you do that, sometimes you fall.

[MetalQueen]

Hey guys...thanks for all your input and for keeping the cocsix jokes to a minimum!!! Tried to get a nap in b4 my big ride/meeting with the fitness coordinator 2nite, it wasn't happening...but I still hope I can put on the "I'm invincible" facade.

if you're not willing to take the falls it's time to hang it up. The only way to get better is to push yourself and when you do that, sometimes you fall.

You are so right SB....I crash just about every time I take the MB out and realize I learn from it, get better from it and I know I am riding aggressively (which is good)...ergo why I crash. Usually it's just some black and blues and some scrapes (I can take it like a man, my BF just nods his head) but yesterday hurt and still does and it does make me re-evaluate and make me thankful I'm a roadie. I only have to dodge speeding cars, lol. I'm sure my friend will ask me to go again this weekend and I'll probably pass, but the weekend after that......

Peace

[Pink]

However, the truth of the matter is, if you're not willing to take the falls it's time to hang it up. The only way to get better is to push yourself and when you do that, sometimes you fall.

In theory, this sounds right...but I can't say that I totally agree. Yes, the possibility of a fall is always present, and it could happen on my stairs as easily as it could on my bike. However, I think I have reached a point in my life where I don't need to push myself. I'm happy where I am and can enjoy my time outside by riding within my comfort level. I have reached a point where I've nothing to prove to anyone -- least of all myself.

[SpinBob]

However, I think I have reached a point in my life where I don't need to push myself. I'm happy where I am and can enjoy my time outside by riding within my comfort level. Sure if you want to stay in your comfort zone, but that's not what Deb's talking about. If you want to keep getting better riding off-road on trails, you have to move outside your comfort zone. If you're overly cautious, you run a higher risk of getting hurt.