Madison Round 2

The conditions were much better this past weekend compared to the last ride. March came in like winter and out like a summer. The temp was in the mid 70's and the wind was gusting around 20 mph. It's a lot easier to handle the bike in the wind when you can feel your fingers. I intended to ride one 40 mile loop from Fireman's Park with the hope of somehow carrying momentum/adrenaline into a second loop. My first mistake was going for a mountain bike ride two days prior. By the end of 25 miles I felt every bump in the crushed limestone path. So I ended up starting the Madison ride with a sore back. Given my history of issues with my sacrum, that was a really bad way to start the day. VQ had an aid station set up 24 miles into the loop. By the time I got there I could barely get off my bike and straighten up. The spasms and cramps in the lower right sacrum area were pretty severe. I stretched it out for 10 minutes and then got back on track. I made it an additional 10 miles before the pain kicked in again. I was forced to stop and stretch for a few more minutes. That got me back to Fireman's Park. I started debating what to do. I'd already gained some great experience by finally getting to see the course and just how tough the hills are. But I knew I really needed to start getting in longer rides if I was ever going to build to Ironman distance. Coach Dan Shelly rode into the park after finishing a loop with another VQ'er. He asked if I was going for another loop. That was enough to tip the scales and get me back out there. Riding with Dan was far more valuable than any other experience I could get on my own this season. We rode together for the first 10 miles or so. He advised me on the power output I should be at while grinding the hills and how to save my legs for the second loop and the run during Ironman. Then my back started to flare up again and I was forced to stay out of the aero position. It still hurt while I was in the hooks but getting down into the aero position hurt even more. So the wind was slowing me way down and I couldn’t fly down the hills the way Dan was. He pulled ahead and then had to wait for me. I stretched my back a bit and we continued on. This routine went on for the rest of the ride to the aid station. We discussed my riding position and where my weight was resting. There are a few adjustments I'll certainly try before my next long ride. I was very grateful for all the advice and coaching tips I got from Dan. It certainly made all the pain worth it. From the aid station I caught a ride with the SAG vehicle and Dan rode on by himself. I knew he was hoping to catch one of the other coaches and go for a third loop so I didn’t want to slow him down any more. I might have been able to finish the loop but it would have required quite a few stops for more back stretching. And was that really worth it? Probably not. I went for a quick two mile run off once back at Fireman's park. And like always within the first half mile I completely forgot my back was ever bothering me. I guess that's the only positive, that it doesn't bother me at all when I run. The drive home was a different story since the seated driving position is basically the same as my bike position. It's three days later and I'm still sore. Sitting at work isn't very comfortable. I'm loaded up on Advil, stretching when I get home followed by ice packs. I just hope the inflammation subsides in time for the Rockman Half on Sunday.

I'm still debating whether I should be building endurance into my back with long painful rides or keeping the rides shorter while I try to strengthen and stretch the supporting muscles. Last year when I saw a physical therapist he gave me stretches and exercises that were suppose to help. They were pretty similar to the pilates class I was taking. So it's been almost a year and I've been doing pilates twice a week. The SI belt my therapist gave me doesn’t seem to help at all anymore either. It's suppose to stabilize the hip and pelvic region to keep the sacrum muscle from flaring up. I really thought once my bike miles ramped up this year I'd be ok. I've got about 90 days before Ironman Wisconsin and I'm afraid it's too late to fix the problem. More physical therapy will take weeks to show any improvement. If it doesn’t help then I'm even closer to Ironman. I guess this is how easy it can be to start begging your doctor for muscle relaxers. An easy temporary fix to get you to your goal. But I can't imagine what a drug strong enough to subdue this pain for 112miles of biking would do to the rest of my body.

It will be interesting to see how I feel after Rockman. It's suppose to be 95 degrees which may cause hydration to trump my back issues. But I'll be calling my doctor pretty quickly on Monday if things go poorly. It was much easier last year fitting physical therapy into a half Ironman training plan. It won't be as easy this year but probably even more significant.