Back in the Saddle

I'm almost back to normal (or at least I think I am - how would I know?). After a little scare when spinal fluid started draining out of my ears on Monday (Oct. 23) the recovery rapidly advanced. The headaches are gone. As are the nausea, drowsiness, bed spins and blind spots. As of today the only lingering effect is an occasional dizzy spell, and they're minor and very short lived. The scrambling of my internal thesaurus seems to have straightened out as well - for a while I was having a hard time finding the needed words when speaking.

I got back on the bike on the 21st by doing an easy 30 minutes on the trainer. Then 30-45 minutes on each of the next couple of days. Made 30 miles on Thursday which included 10 miles outside. Friday was a great day when I rode 34 miles outside on a relatively nice day in beautiful Door County, Wisconsin. It felt good to be back on the bike. The easy riding along with long, slow walks through and around Egg Harbor really worked to clear the brain of the cobwebs.


Mile 8938, sand dunes at Moonlight Bay

The crash has put me behind on the goal of 10,000 miles for this year. The good news is that I was fortunate to be able to pile on some serious mileage before the crash. As of today the mileage so far in 2006 is 8981. I had hoped to exceed 1,000 miles in October but with two days left in the month and 119 miles remaining it seems doubtful. I should be over 9,000 by November 1st and even though the weather is getting worse and the days shorter I'm feeling good about being able to ride the remaining 1,000 miles before New Year's Eve.

A big and heartfelt thanks to everyone who sent get well notes and messages. It really helped during the dark days.