Ramping it Up. Sort of.

As Gina observed on Facebook, I have definitely been hitting the road on my bike this summer. However, no good deed goes unpunished, and as I've pushed the miles my old nemesis, the muscle spasm, has returned with a vengeance. This is the same thing that kept me from participating in the New Orleans 70.3. I did some bike refits with John, but that only brought a modicum of relief. Still, I rarely rode more than 2 hours all spring so I lived with it.

Monday I geared up for my longest ride to date--long being defined by how much fluid I can carry with me: when the water/drinks run out, the ride is over. I packed two 24-oz water bottles and one 16 oz bottle of Infinit which I stuffed into a back jersey pocket and headed out to Highway 80. I did two loops, then three, and finally four. My back bothered me starting around 1 hour in, as usual, but I kept adjusting my position, and even stopped a few times to stetch, thus making it almost 3 hours and 44 miles. Success!

Well, maybe. After my shower my back ache/burn/stabbing pain continued to intensify. I took Alleve. No relief. Around 2 I took a Tylenol and that helped some. On Kami's advice I finally bit the bullet and called Dr. Fiesler and made an appointment for Wednesday afternoon. Dr. F. put me through some positions, checking strength, etc., and diagnosed muscle spasms in the scapular support muscles and the rhomboid. (No clue as to why or what was causing the muscle spasms, but that's not entirely her area.) She said she could shoot the trigger point with 2-3 units of lidocaine and it would break the spasm. The relief might last a few weeks, a few months, or forever. So after taking a few x-rays just to certify there wasn't something worse going on, she brought in the 25 gauge needle and began feeling carefully the muscles in my back. Eventually she shot two trigger points. I couldn't wait to get on my bike next day and try it out.

Thursday I mounted my trusty steed and headed out on the usual route. In my head I could already imagine sending the joyful posting of the miracle cure to tri pals and thereby put myself "back in the long game." I should have known better.... Before even an hour passed I could feel the familiar burning and tightening--higher up this time, in the area of the trapezius. (At least the two places she shot the day before didn't spasm.) Before long I could reach up with my right hand and feel the muscles in my upper left back jumping around like snakes under a blanket. This wouldn't do. After only 28 miles I stopped. As soon as I got cleaned up I called Dr. F's office again and they said she could see me that afternoon. Took longer to see her this time--apparently Thursday is their busiest day--but see her I did. After being treated to an unusual physician's...um, view? vent?...about the perils of socialized medicine, we got to work. She found three more trigger points and shot them up. This time she said the needle "crunched" going in, indicating scar tissue--not surprising given I've been riding a road bike since 2002 and I've experienced this type of pain and discomfort from Day 1.

Unlike before, I found myself in no hurry to remount the bike and head off for a test ride. Indeed, after Jim put me to work doing hard labor in the yard, I wonder if I'll ever have a normal back ever again! But I expect tomorrow I'll try again. If it still spasms, well, I don't know what I'll do. I may have to go see a chiropracter or something. It's a long road.....