I Don't Believe It!

I just cannot believe this happened to me. The first day in regular shoes, no crutches, no cast, got the ok yesterday from my doctor that I may walk and ride again . . . I go and sprain my ankle! It puffed up like an adder! It looks like a golf ball! No one to blame but myself. Yesterday, at work, I was still in the boot cast and I was in a rush and tripped. With my leg so atophied the boot was loose and of course I sprained my ankle! Oh believe me I still wore my shoes today. My foot did not hurt but my darn ankle sure did. After a few hours I had to use my dang crutches again because my ankle was really throwing out the pain messages. I could scream . . . I think I will . . . pardon me . . . .

aahhhhh that felt good. Hopefully the sprain will heal quickly.

Great News!

I had an appointment this afternoon with my foot doctor. He took x-rays to see how my bones were mending and mending they are! He gave me the go ahead to shed my cast and crutches and starting tomorrow . . . I may wear shoes again! Real shoes! But the best news; he said that I may begin cycling again! He did say to start off easy, naturally, and listen to my body. But YES I may ride again! Just in time too . . . spring has just begun and summer is just around the corner. I can't wait to walk into work tomorrow morning with shoes on my feet! No crutches, which means I can stop by Starbucks for a mocha and carry it to my office! No crutches means free hands again. Of course you should see my poor whithered calf! It's a sad little thing. My work is definitely cut out for me! But I am one happy person tonight!

Seattle Times Article

I found this article while surfing tonight and I found it to be very true. (For some reason sleep seems to elude me this evening . . . could it be all the coffee and mochas I had today?) I know what I'm talking about because Joe and I have been to Oregon on biking vacations. Yea, you can say that Joe and I are "Boomer Bikers." Yea, we stay in motels with comfy beds, showers, and a nice restaurant. Tent? You're kidding, right? My back would not find a sleeping bag on cold hard ground appealing. I wouldn't be able to get out of the bag let alone ride my bike after a night in a tent! And you know what, we earned the comfy bed and hot shower. We raised our two kids, put them through college, it's our turn. We love to bike and we love Oregon. Put the two together and you have heaven on earth. So when I found this article that was published by the Seattle Times on March 20, 2006 titled "Oregon Seeks Bigger Share of Boomer Biking Crowd" I decided to post it here to share with visitors to my site. And because I found it very interesting too!

Hey don't get me wrong. We have biked in other states too. But Oregon has been the best so far. Next summer (or the summer after) we plan on going international. I think our first stop will be Tuscany. But that's down the road. Right now on to the article . . .

EUGENE, Ore. — They're middle-aged but not grown up. They like to play outdoors but take their creature comforts come nightfall.

They're baby-boomer bicyclists. They're people who can drop $1,000, $2,000 or even $8,000 on their two-wheelers.

Recreation and tourism officials see gold in promoting Oregon as the premier place for them to ride. They have organized an Oregon Bicycling Summit on April 1 in Eugene.

"Bicycling is one of the most affluent sporting activities out there right now," said Jerry Norquist, executive director of Cycle Oregon, a nonprofit cycling organization.

He said many boomer cyclists "no longer like to just go out and camp in a tent and cook on a stove. They like to stay in a bed-and-breakfast or a hotel and they like to eat at a good restaurant. ... We call it credit-card touring."

He said officials are pushing to improve Oregon roads for cyclists, get cycling routes marked and mapped, grease the tourism communications, "brand" Oregon cycling and market it nationally and internationally.

The state draws people from around the globe for bicycle-touring events and wins recognition for its cycling environment.

Eugene landed on Bicycling magazine's list of best medium-size cycling cities this year. And Portland won the title as the best cycling city of any size in the nation.

"It can't hurt to have that reputation developed even more," said Jan VanderTuin, executive director of the Center for Appropriate Transport in Eugene.

Shoe shopping!

Today I am going shopping for some stiffed soled shoes! Last week my doctor said I may begin wearing shoes but they had to be stiffed soled like hiking boots. So long crutches and cast . . . hello freedom!

Finally, on my feet or rather foot again!

Well, after 3 1/2 months off my bike because of foot surgery, I got the go ahead from my doctor to begin walking and spinning again. Let me just say this, "It's amazing how much muscle and muscle strength you can lose in such a short time." My husband setup my bike on my trainer in the family room. I plugged my ipod into our entertainment system, jacked up the volume to my favorite tunes and began spinning. Thirty minutes later I was dying and had to stop. Normally I could spin for hours! I've done double centuries! But being optimistic, it's only March. Hopefully by June I will be back in form. Stay tuned . . .