A Change is Gonna Come

"There been times that I thought I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able to carry on
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will"


Hello my friends! It's been far too long, so I should probably catch everyone up.

How am I doing? 

Chilling at 9k feet!

Answer your question?

OK, overall, I'm better. Much better. But it all depends on the activity. I can bang out a few hours in the saddle in the mountains while enduring moderate but manageable pain. But 30 minutes of sitting still on a barstool and I'm ready to jump off a bridge. Why, you ask? Wish I could tell you. The easiest things are the hardest things. People have a hard time believing me when I tell them I can't sit down for dinner for more than an hour, but I can jump on my bike and hammer the 15 miles home with far less physical drama.

I spent the weekend in Tahoe recently with friends riding, drinking, eating, riding some more. Yet the drive up was more painful (far more painful) than the long afternoon climbing and descending over rocks and roots. Seems my body prefers to be in motion.

Swimmer's back!

I'm still getting in some quality miles in the pool each week, but since I can now pedal I'm down to 3 days a week as a fish. Swimming under the warm summer Santa Cruz sun is nice, but nothing beats the trails in the surrounding mountains. So the bike generally wins out when it's time to elevate the heart rate.

At the office

Work has been keeping me busier than I'd like. And by busy I mean more than 4 hours a day. But I can't complain too much as I get to work on a couch at my local coffee place. Freelancing has it's perks and I get to make my own hours. Friends say I'm spoiled, and I'd have to agree. A recently had to spend two hours in a client meeting and it was 1 hour and 59 minutes too long in an office! Don't think I can ever go back to a 9 to 5. I'd rather starve than sit in a cube.

My new girlfriend

Cuzzins

I'm so tempted to say I'm officially turning the corner. But if you recall, when I've said I thought I was starting to take a turn for the better I got smacked down a day or two later. So rather than say I'm FINALLY on solid ground, I'll just say I'm looking forward to some big rides on the mountain bike in the coming weeks and months with friends.

Gio on his new ride!

I'm creeping up on my 18 month anniversary, and while it's been a much longer recovery than I had anticipated, I constantly remind myself that 18 months ago I could barely manage four blocks on foot without severe pain stopping me in my tracks. And today I'm putting down 60-80 hard miles a week on the mountain bike. Far from pain free, but so far from where I've been.

Peace out from the mountains, my friends! I hope you're well.

- I