I did it, single speeded myself into the ground. Or maybe it was xc skiing, or pugging, or running, or_fill in the blank_. As some of you know, my right knee has been messed up for a few months now. It isn't all that painful, more like a dull, background pain that is always there, and flares up with activity. I do a lot of driving commuting to school, and strangely, just sitting in the car is when my knee bothers me the most. It might have something to do with the many fine movements one has to do correct speed. Cruise control would be nice.
I haven't seen a doctor or specialist, but have talked with a number of cyclists who have had similar problems. Rest they tell me. Listen to your body. They tell me to do these stretchy-band exercises. And I do. I do the stupid stretchy-band exercises. But my knee doesn't get much better.
Having a high deductible insurance plan, I have been ambivalent about seeing a doctor. I think I am ready though, ready to shell out the big bucks. But you know what they are going to tell me? I just know what they're going to say: "Well, Cody, your symptoms point to a number of possible problems. Without an MRI I can't be sure just what it is. Go home and rest for a few months. Strengthen your quads. You know where the quads are, right? Here--take this stretchy-band. It's free."
If you don't see me at the races this summer, I'll be at home, in front of the TV, drinking beer, maybe a tear running down my unshaven cheek, maybe not, but certainly there will be a giant rubberband fastened to a chair leg, the other end shackled around my ankle.
I am young and stupid. I did not listen to my body. It's a lot like having a girlfriend or a wife--you have to listen to them (not just once in a while; all the time). Ignore her too long and she will slam your head in a door, throw spike-healed shoes at you, make you watch American Idol. Listen to her or she will make you hurt.
