January

Got back on my bike after major knee surgery and the good ole’ EB in Fall 2008.  So far in January 2010, I have ridden about 700 miles more than my January 2009 training total.  Granted, I rode about 100 (or less) miles in Jan 09…

February

At this point, February 09 was rather unremarkable.  I am totally ok with unremarkable at this point in my life!  I think I did my first race since surgery – the collegiate race at the Sun Devil Crit.  I also rode the MTB once or twice and hammered my way through school.

March

I figured by March, having ridden some 200 odd miles (mind you, I’m talking miles here, because I don’t want to share how slow I was ridding said miles by telling you hours), I was ready to race!  Naaatttt!  I did the Tucson Bicycle Classic.  Got dropped.  Got dropped some more.  But somehow, managed to finish with the pack every day.  Anyways, I hate getting dropped, so I started upping the training ante a bit in March, despite the less-than-stellar knee recovery rates.

April

So by April, things were looking up!  I was getting some form and fitness back, school was coming to an end, and I was excited to be racing.  And then it happened.  Crash #1.  In the midst of a lead out at the UA Crit, I ate it in a corner.  Totally my fault.  Good thing I fell towards the non-knee surgery side of my body, and I managed to slide across rather than smack down on the ground.  I had road rash vs. that feeling of being hit by a truck.  Plus, I raced the next day, so things weren’t too bad.  Also, did the Tour of the Gila and didn’t get dropped so much!

May

May was pretty good.  Collegiate Nationals went really well, and I managed to secure 4th in the road race, 5th in the individual omnium, while the UA got 4th overall in the D1 team omnium!  The Gila fitness boost is good stuff.  Then, Crash #2.  This time it was that feeling of getting hit by a truck instead of lots of road rash.  It was bad, but not so much my fault this time.  I found myself, once again, off the bike, but fortunately my knee was ok.  Although, it was not great prep for big summer racing.  But hey, that’s life.  Oh, and school got out in early May, at which time I was “supposed” to be done with my MA, but wasn’t.  Also, I caught the bouquet at Kyle’s cousin’s wedding…this is somewhat important later in the year. 

June

Recovered from the bad crash and went to Hawaii with Kyle!  Bike riding?  Not so much…  Working on my MA?  A little bit…  In fact, I don’t really remember what I did in June.  Must have hit my head in May.

July

Turned in some oh-so-important paperwork to allow me to do my MA research, which I had obviously been procrastinating on.  Mind you, this was active-procrastination (a new term coined by our current housemate), as I am rarely lazy, but not always productive.  I also found myself with a strange breathing problem.  Oh joy, something else to send me to the doctor!  I really did not like the doctor’s office at this point in 09.  Nonetheless, I did Cascade and then Elite Road Nats in Bend, and boy oh boy did I suffer.  But I finished!  And I must say, by this point in 2009, that felt pretty darn good.

August

I rode my bike a bit in August.  In fact, our team won the AZ State TTT Championships.  But I must admit, it was definitely time to crack down and finish that pesky MA thesis.  So I worked on it…a little bit.  At the end of August, I also started working for the Bike Shop Hub up in Flagstaff.

September

September did not involve bicycle riding, although I did think about it a lot.  I was working close to full-time for Bike Shop Hub and nearly as much on my MA thesis.  This time, I was serious.  I had a deadline.  Deadlines are my friends.  But this deadline was rather scary…October 23 – my defense.  Eek!  So work, work, work.  No bike.

October

Defended my Master’s successfully!  Albeit a few months tardy.  But like I said, better late than never.  I think I rode my bike once.  Kyle also bought a VW bus.  Twice.  Yes, we have two VW buses…

November

I started riding again in November and man, did it feel good.  I had been focused on de-twisting my body from a year of crooked riding post surgery, as well as continuing to strengthen my left leg, which was still a lot weaker than the right one.  I also still had a few loose ends to tie up before graduation in December, so it was a busy month.  We also had a team ride up in Phoenix, and I am pretty psyched to be riding with a great group of women in 2010.

December

I started riding quite a bit in December.  Unfortunately, I was a tad bit out of shape.  But it’s ok to be out of shape in December in my mind.  So let’s keep it at that, alright?  I “officially” graduated, although I didn’t do the whole walk thing.  I also received an offer to return to school for my PhD, and for some crazy reason, I accepted it.  So yea, that whole graduation thing didn’t last for long.  I am still working for Bike Shop Hub on a part-time basis, but I am back to being a full-time student/cyclist.  And of course, I am saving the best for last.  I GOT ENGAGED!!!  To whom?  Well, you might know him as Hightower or Prolavito or perhaps simply Kyle.  He totally surprised me, and on a mountain bike ride no less!  Can you say brownie points?  He told me he had a “rock in his shoe”, and well, you get the idea!  I don’t have any good, juicy wedding details yet, except to say that it will be sometime in 2010.  You can read about it in the 2010 year in review. 

Go to the Source – melaniemeyers.missingsaddle.com

Go to the Source – melaniemeyers.missingsaddle.com

I have a confession to make.  I am a junkie.  An orthotic junkie, that is.  I have recently added significantly to my collection of orthotics made right here in Tucson by the famous Bill Peterson of Foot Fitness.

Foot Fitness is a sports performance and pedorthotic center where Bill and his team mold custom orthotics, analyze your movement on the bike or run, and generally work their magic.  I first saw Bill a little over a year ago when I got my first pair of cycling orthotics.  At the time, he took measurements of my feet, hips, leg length, and more.  When I went back to Bill approximately a year later, my  arches had improved significantly in shape and were no longer dropping and flat.  Unfortunately, due to my knee surgery and diving back into racing too quickly with a gimp leg, I had twisted myself quite a bit on the bike.  Bill tweaked things a bit on my bike and told me to start doing my PT exercises again.    Bill will set you straight.  No pun intended!

So needless to say, I took some time off this fall to de-twist my hips and do my PT.  Meanwhile, since the surgery was supposed to fix my knee for running and walking, I decided to do those things again.  You know, those things you aren’t “supposed” to do when you are a bike racer.  So I went back to Bill and got some running orthotics.  The running orthotics have full support and work great for what they are intended for…running and hiking.  However, they are not so good for being on your feet for three days at Interbike, which is exactly what I did with them this September.  My feet retaliated.  They were not happy feet.  And since Bill and Foot Fitness are all about happy feet, I knew they would have a solution.

So back to Bill!  I asked him to set me up with some casual orthotics, which are good for standing around and casual walking.  Now, with most orthotics, there is a little adjustment period, but the casual orthotics felt great from the start.  I wore them for 3-days straight working at the El Tour Expo for Cliff Bar a few weeks back, and coupled with some awesome Recovery Socks, I felt great after 3 days standing on a concrete floor.

Needless to say, I am running out of new orthotics to add to my collection.  I have most of my bases covered…that is until Bill comes out with a flip-flop sandal orthotic.  For anyone who is having trouble on the bike or running, orthotics are definitely the way to go.  They have made a huge difference for me on and off the bike and have helped me to correct years of being out-of-whack.  I am hooked!

Go to the Source – melaniemeyers.missingsaddle.com

Why?  Oh, well, I went ahead and set a date for my Master’s defense sometime in September (back when bicycles and riding of bicycles was still a feasible activity).  The date set for the defense happened to be five weeks away at the time.  My reaction:  %$$^%#$%#@ ME!!!!!!

So the bicycles went up on a hook and stayed there, collecting dust, in my office, where I had to look at them, hanging there, dejected.  Or maybe it was me who was dejected… I went into emergency response mode, glued my toosh to the office chair, and wrote, and wrote, and did not ride bikes.

Fast forward to today.  No, I have still not ridden bikes (ok, that is not entirely true, but mostly), but the important thing is that now I can!  I passed my defense!  I am a Master!  My reaction: #$&*^ YEA!  I realize that is not a very articulate reaction, but I am tired and can no longer be (or try to be) articulate.

I am currently wasting time on the Interwebs instead of riding bikes, because now, some small part of me feels like I should always be at the computer doing something.  I doubt that will last long.

And tomorrow, guess what?

Tailgating and a football game!  Oh, and you thought I was going to ride bikes.  Well, maybe that, too.

And yes, it is time to start prepping for 2010.  The 2009 season was mostly a wash for me, between surgery and eating pavement one too many times and oh, that school thing.  In fact, one year ago today, I could not even lift my left leg.  It’s pretty amazing how the body can recover.

Anyhow, I am pretty pumped for 2010 and ready to ride bikes.  A lot.  That, and Specialized D4W is shaping up to have quite the roster of accomplished ladies, who also happen to ride bicycles, fast.

Oh, and I’m going back to the dirt next year (part-time, anyhow).  And maybe I’ll finally ride that cyclocross bike…  The possibilities are endless!

In the meantime, here is a picture for you all to laugh at: me racing Expert MTB back in the day at the fresh, young age of 19.  That is a lot of orange and yellow.  Good times.

Go to the Source – melaniemeyers.missingsaddle.com

This guy cooks better in a hotel room than I do at home.

In other news, I won the MTB race I mentioned a week or so ago up in Flag.  I got a super sweet trophy to boot!

Well, Hayduke likes it anyhow.

I was soooo much fun to race my mountain bike, and you can be sure that I will devote more time to mountain bike racing next year.  I’m even thinking of giving it a go to try to get into Leadville.

But at the moment, I’m pretty much all talk.  Like talking about writing my thesis and such.  I was writing it, up until a minute ago, when I stopped to write this post and watch videos about cooking in hotel rooms…50 pages down.  Ugh.

Up next, well the AZ State Team Time Trial is this weekend, and then, I’m done.  Yes, I am stopping…riding my bike that is.  Just for a month, so I can work on correcting my screwed up back, which is a product of the knee surgery I had last fall.  Apparently major muscle atrophy and subsequent road racing for 8-odd months isn’t so good for the pelvis and lower back on the previously non-injured side of the body.  But Hightower hooked me up with a new massage therapist who is supposedly working wonders for his SI issues, so with some time off and some hard work, I’ll be good as new.

So that’s all for now.  Enjoy your hotel-cooked meals.

Go to the Source – melaniemeyers.missingsaddle.com