Training Log Archive: Guisborough1

Well.......Week One down and nothing should surprise me following the lead up to the Op, but it does. Today I had my 1st follow up. The surgeon put me on thinners. Otherwise the procedure has been successful.
The thinners cost me $270/week for three months. WTF......After another four plus hours driving with DVT through The Orange Tumour's heartland I feel like I've just had a prostate exam and the doctor left both his hands on my shoulders.

C • Best wishes 5

Bit of drama today. PT was cut short as Ali persuaded me to go to ER for DVT. Would have been straightforward if Telluride took my insurance. But as with everything it's never that easy. Durango is the closest that takes my insurance (Montrose and Cortez are an hour closer. In fact I drove past Cortez). So I made the two and a half hour trip in under two hours. Great people once again. Because it's below the knee, it's going to be monitored, no meds yet. Another plus four and a half hour drive back tomorrow to see the surgeon.
It's been very helpful having an Ortho surgeon as a friend and an anesthetist wife. There's no way I'd have gone without the latter's moaning (both wanted me to go closer). But they persuaded me and the ER doc said it was extremely important I had.

Some early post-op observations:
My family have no idea what can be recycled.
My family cannot see the floor, as when something is dropped it stays there.
My family has no idea where the dishwasher is, as stuff is left strewn about the gaff.
I can easily see someone rupturing an achilles tendon from this, as my calf is as sore as my knee.
I took great pleasure watching my thirteen year old shovel snow at 6am this morning.
Surgery has left me a grumpy old bastard.

C • I'd comment but.. 2

My dad asked why I sounded so irate and surprised about the situation. He reminded me that in 2014 we paid $62,000 for 3 litres of chemo. I wonder how people manage without equity in their home? Anyways.....rant over. On to the election!!!!

Had an incredible health insurance experience today. Cannot see me living in the US more than another seven years. I was informed that the $500/month I've been paying will allow me to pay $28,000 out of pocket towards my surgery on Thursday. The insurance will thoughtfully pay $1000. What an absolute joke of a country. The Hospital struck a deal with me and said I could pay $5,500 without using my insurance. To say I'm fuming is holding back. I immediately called First Health and cancelled my "policy" with some eloquent English thrown in. How a "first" world country operates like this is beyond me. And to think some muppets want to take away their own ability to be covered from pre-existing conditions because it's "Commie" to have healthcare for all or the coal industry needs to be propped up or it's my right to carry a gun at a kid's birthday party. "Keep America in the 19th century" should be the motto.
Oh and that's in Network!!! At least I contributed to the Cheeto's $1,000,000 covid bill. That makes me feel better....

C • $28K 5

C • Surgery 10

Early morning on The Via Ferrata with Lewy. Cracker of a day. Lots of walking the past few days. Trying to make a map of the east end of the valley floor too.

Everywhere really hurts this morning. But strangely I can function normally.

With my kite getting larger by the day I'm starting to think I'm coming to the end of my life. I cannot do what I want to do, so today with no work, I thought....."lets bike for five hours". What a bellend. I finished in absolute pieces. I think time wise, this is close to the longest ride I've done. It felt like the Coast to Coast, but with zero aid. I took no water or snacks. I couldn't even pedal the bike up to the cellar. It was like Fat Don had "de-bagged and Raddished" me (That's a rich English Private School Phenomenon that I believe means "Knackered" in working class circles. Let's hope so. No seriously...let's hope so.)
Anyway, I digress. Lush ride. Home to Ames. Up Alta. Down Magic Meadows to Sunshine/Illium. Home. This involved a solid two hour climb and a solid 68 minute descent. Longest descent of my life. I felt like I'd swallowed a plantation of Maxwell House by the bottom.
The funny thing about cycling is it's exhausting and I'm still feeling battered. But it's not like a long run where you know in two days you're still going to feel like you've spent three months fighting with your kids over a Halloween costume.

C • That looks like a fun ride! Good work. 2

Event: POSTPONED - New England Championships
 

Listened to the Portugal podcasts on the way to New Castle. Really enjoyed them. Lost 3-2. Cracker of a match. Hit the bar with the last kick of the game. Long days of travel, but worth it when everyone puts 100% in.

Plod up Bilk.

Classic TalkSPORT this morning.
Host: Put the film to the quote....."we're going to need a bigger boat!"
Caller: Titanic!

This reminded me of another classic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvreCDC61Zw

C • HA! 1

Yesterday I listened to last week's The Run In podcast. Very interesting.
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-run-in-2/e/78...

C • podcast 4

8x hills @ Bilk Creek with Kendal.

So there's another problem in the knee that the radiologist needs to figure out. Looking at full on training 24th March.....my 49th.

Back to Mancos on the way to the Surgeon. So the forest is mint. Very few features (except for an infinite amount of veg boundaries). Perfect for a terrain run. Fast and undulating. Really enjoyed plodding around.

Shuffle down the river with the girls.

Took the bairns to a XC meet in Mancos today. What a great place to Orienteer. NF land too. Open undulating pine with scattered stunted oak. Seemed like an abundance of features (mostly man made knolls in our area). Apparently the Nordic is great here.
First time in years I've had an evening to myself. ANnnnd breath.

C • Mancos 2

Penelope from the house.
NB. Slept horrendously. Felt like Houston, when I come home late from work my brain can't switch off. Got to prepare better for midweek matches.