Half way to Hy-Vee

Well its been a month since my crash at Lifetime and we are about the half way point between there and the big race of the year, Hy-Vee, so thought it might be time for an update.

The ribs are healing. Once I had x-rays done they confirmed there were no breaks in the bones.They think the pain and trouble breathing and exercising is due to cracks in the cartilage along with some bruising of the muscles and bones. So it's not worse case, just painful, and the worst part is rest is the only real treatment. I have been going to Ti-Massage here in Boulder to use the cold laser and the e-stem machines on it as well as some soft tissue work to help speed up the process.

I took that initial week completely off and enjoyed a wonderful pre-baby road trip around the mountains in CO. Got to see some beautiful scenery which helped take my mind of the ribs. Once I got back it was two weeks of pretty much biking only, with some very short swims and some water running. Finally, this past week I was able to get in a couple decent runs, and some more substantive swim work which has boosted the fitness and the confidence a bit. The whole time I have been riding a lot, including winning yesterday's Lookout Mtn Hill Climb in the Cat 4's followed by a 5.5 hr ride in the hills.

Now I have three weeks to put in some good hard work before blowing out the legs at Chicago and then a final week of prep for the throw down in Des Moines. Now that I have gotten more back into the swing of training I am feeling better mentally about getting ready and the body doesn't seem to far behind. I know injuries are bound to happen and I know you are supposed to only worry about the things you can control, but that is always easier said than done. Especially when you are expecting a lil man in about 3 months!

On other fronts, Natalie and I have been busy starting to get ready for the baby. Spent a solid 4hrs at the newly opened Ikea in Denver and now have a lot of boxes in the house that need assembly. Lucky for me the swim team is on their break so I have a few more afternoons now to get things done, and just rest up around my workouts. Natalie is at 30 weeks this week and although tired a lot now, the baby seems to be doing awesome.

I am starting to get the itch to race again and really look forward to the next few weeks of prep work and then the racing. Not a lot of races left on the calendar but they all matter now for one series or another so its time to up the game. Its been great to watch the swimming word championships and the ITU races in London for motivation and inspiration these last few weeks.

Game time 27 days and counting...