new info

Back is still hurting. Having a hard time sitting in my desk at work without pain or even cramping. I don't think the pain is because of my fall 10 days ago. The 58cm Kona just isn't working. I knew it was too large when I bought it and the intension was for it to be a very short term fix. At the time I thought my custom frame was only a few weeks away. I knew this bike would better fit me if set up with flat bars for commuting/winter use and really liked the idea of it as such. Jump forward 5 or 6 months and it's still here and attempting to fill quite a niche. I remember having problems with the fit to some degree early in the year (back cramp issues late in the Almanzo and on a couple other rides), but I wonder how I did manage to ride it as much as I did. In a way I think I more or less "got used to it". The vast majority of the rides I made on it were in the 2-3 hr range as well, which I think masked the problem. I hadn't ridden it much at all since June, my other bikes fit properly and it shocked my system to get back on it and try to race.

I started looking into other cx frames early this week. I had tried the comfort oriented gravel grinder thing with the Vaya in the past and had gotten a decent feel for the ride characteristics fo the aluminum Kona (even if it didnt' fit). I knew I wanted an aluminum CX race bike- the other options were likely to be out of my price range (someday I'll get a Ti bike, but I really better be sure I'm going to like the frame/fit/geo etc. before hand). I found a few options right away and settled on this-

http://www.viner.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=104&Itemid=85&lang=en

well, not exactly... that's as close as I can find in a link though. It's a 2009 version of their Vigor Cross. It's brand new and comes with their carbon fork and headset for a very reasonable price. The effective top tube is 545mm which should be an awful lot closer to proper fit for me with a 110 or 120mm stem and a non-offset seatpost (from the geometry chart is looks like the layback post won't be an option in order to get my knees in the right range of motion). I didn't set out to find something so "odd", would have been happy with another Kona in the right size, but this bike seemed to be the best value and likely to fit my needs well. The only real drawback I see with it is that it's WHITE, like really WHITE... not ideal for a gravel/cx bike in the hands of someone who doesn't like to clean things.




We shall see where that takes me.











Have struggled this year with my health. Spent some time looking over my training log and there has been quite a pattern. Early this year I was sick a ton- didnt' feel well for a total of 4 or 5 weeks between February and April. Since the Wausau 24 hr race I've never gone an entire week without noting on at least one day that I was trying to get "extra" rest due to not feeling well or cold symptoms. I've certainly had some good rides in there as well, but also really haven't been myself. It has seemed like every time I ride hard my nose runs (I even remember noticing that during some of my better rides).

I went in to the doctor yesterday- I will be going on a few medications in order to try to alleviate the issues. Apparently I've likely developed a sinus infection which we will treat with nasonex and antibiotics. Once that is cleared up (actually starting immediately) I will also go on a couple of allergy medications. I am supposed to try that for 6 weeks and to monitor any reaction or any return of my symptoms. The theory is that the combination of mild allergies and the stress of training has made me very susceptable to infection over the last year.

I went in out of frustration more than any particularly bad symptoms this week. However, now that I've been in and talked over my symptoms with them I wish I would have done so much sooner. I have been struggling with what to blame for how I've felt for quite a while... And have blamed the intensity of the summer, race, type workouts and my own shortcomings etc.. I guess I didn't want to make excuses, but it seems that something was really wrong and I was stupid for not taking some action sooner.

Hopefully they are correct in their initial diagnosis and it is as easy as taking some pills, feeling better and being less likely to really get sick. If not, this is a good time of year to deal with trying a few different things until something works. For what it's worth, they are also doing a blood test to rule out something more extreme. I will be going back in 6 weeks from now regardless to assess any progress.




So there are two huge excuses, but I guess I hope they aren't just excuses.... hopefully, they were actionable items that needed to come up and the actions I'm taking will prove beneficial. I know that if I could go through the entire year without feeling sick I'd be a lot happier.