Are You Living It?

Since my little abrasive episode last week, I have been healing up pretty well. I am now free of those pesky bandages that bind every movement and can finally stretch out my sore muscles. A few days into the healing process, I developed a low grade fever and and the inguinal lymph nodes were swollen and sore on my injured side. I had to decide whether to take antibiotics, or let my immune system chip away at the infection.  If the infection gets worse, I take a 10 day course of broad spectrum antibiotics and kill the infection along with my normal intestinal flora. If I continue to fight it off, I don’t have the energy to ride until the infection is gone.

This is the balancing act. This close to a stage race, the loss of intestinal flora could significantly decrease my ability to digest and absorb my nutritional requirements for the race and lead to a DNF. It’s already hard enough to get 5000 to 6000 calories in each day, so to try 8000 or more would be a chore! Though I do like to eat, I would like to sleep at some point! As I am letting my immune system do its job, my ability to ride has taken a blow. Yesterday, 36 miles was the max. I had power in my legs, but at anything over easy pedaling, my heart rate would go into the red zone. The swollen lymph nodes decreased the flow of the lymphatic sytem in the right leg and it felt heavy and fatigued after only 30 minutes into a 2 hour ride. It looks like rest and time are my best friends right now. 5 days to the beginning of Elkhorn. We will see!