August 16, 2006

Intimately Familiar

Could you readily point to your quadratus lumborum?

I didn't think so.

I can. It's a source of pretty regular discomfort. It took the hit in my car accident back in April. (April! Nearly five months ago. Why am I not back to 100% yet? It makes me crazy to seem "fine" but to have still such an impact on my cycling abilities.)

Today I was at my chiropractor (whom I love, love, love!) and she waas telling me I needed to work and stretch my QL (quadratus lumborum, shorthand). Yoga, duh. She said "surfing would be really good for it". I have to say, I have always wanted to learn to surf. It was one of two things I wanted to learn when I moved to California 10 years ago. I grew up on the ocean, on Cape Cod. I have salt water in my blood, even though I'm not a stellar swimmer. So I will file this in my brain, and perhaps look for one of those Chick Surf Clinics. Like I don't already have a million different activities that I partake in, that require gear.

Anyway, my quadratus lumborum is sore today. Now that I'm not working, I'm cycling/spinning more. Today will see 2.5 hours of spinning, dork that I am.

I better enjoy the time off while I have it. I just got booked for September. Another agency than the last (in fact, I spent 5 years on staff at the agency I'll be spending my September with!). Gotta deal with the dental BS before then; root canal is done. (thanks to valium and nitrous, it wasn't so bad!)

I am pondering the idea of recovering psychologically from my injuries. It makes me mad and sad and frustrated that I feel slow, sluggy and heavy on the bike. When I simply ride, without regard to speed, it's pure and enjoyable. When I do the mental comparison to where I was pre-accident, I get down. I really, really want to be better. I'd like to do one century this year, just to prove to myself I'm not some lameass.

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