Gardening blog? Cat blog?

I don't agree with starting a gardening blog or a cat blog and leaving the cycling blog to cycling related things. Finding ways to keep my sanity while forced off the bike is just as much part of cycling as the training and racing. Lance Armstrong might agree with me on that right now.

I might as well start a blog on Glandular Fever since I'm becoming quite the expert. Just kidding!

After my research on the internet last weekend I decided to visit my naturopath Richard Best from The House of Natural Health to get some advise on detox diets. Apparently, when the body fights the virus it produces lots of toxins and that's what's making me tired all the time. When I started loosing heaps of hair (I hope Alberto will still love me bold) about a week ago, I got really worried. Richard explained that the hair loss is also caused by the toxins in my body but didn't think my idea of a detox diet was a good one right now. Other toxins, locked up in the body, could be broken down and released back into the blood stream, which would cause more harm than good in my situation.

He confirmed that my liver wasn't coping very well and he gave me an acupuncture treatment and herbal tea to strengthen the liver and my immune system.

Richard smiled when he saw my sulking face after being told that I shouldn't drink any alcohol, not even a glass of red wine with dinner, until the Glandular Fever is gone. "Any other time I recommend red wine because it is blood building and good for you but right now it's just an additional thing the liver would have to deal with", he explained. Not the advice I wanted to hear but I will comply since I want to get better.

He wanted to see me again last Thursday. More needles and this time he had advice I liked. He strongly recommended for me to get on my bike as often as energy levels allow. The abrupt break after high training loads isn't doing my heart any good. So I got the all clear to ride. Better even: I am asked to ride.

Last Sunday: Thirty easy kilometres with John

Tuesday night: gym

Thursday night: I had planned to get on the rollers but ended up being too tired after the acupuncture treatment.

Today: Another thirty easy kilometres with John

Tomorrow: I don’t know, yet, but I will get on my bike. That is certain!

John leading the way

Nudgee Beach is not much of a beach, especially not at high tide

The Cat and the Flap Fable

One day the cat found things had changed and a flap, made from light blue rubber and just big enough to let him through, had appeared in the big white wooden door. All his life he had patiently waited for humans to open doors for him. He had grown old thinking that if he just sat there long enough, faithfully staring at the handle unreachable above him, the door would miraculously open and allow him to enjoy what had before lain unreachable on the other side.

The cat didn’t like the little sky blue flap in the big white door because he couldn’t see what was waiting behind it on the other side. Stepping into the unknown was scaring him.

So he continued waiting patiently for humans to open the big white door to the cool and shady veranda, even though he knew that his favourite ceramic bowl was placed on the other side, filled with juicy biscuits, and his little belly was rumbling with hunger.

Sometimes one has to overcome one’s fears to enjoy independence and freedom.

... or how do I train a silly old cat to use a cat flap?

Glandular fever and cycling training

One step forward and two steps back - that's the best way to describe the process. There is never a good way to tell bad news. People, who are familiar with Glandular Fever, Mononucleosis, Pfeiffer’s Disease, Eppstein-Barr-Virus or under whatever other name you know this disease, might not be too surprised, however.

After waking up symptom free last Saturday I continued feeling healthy all through Sunday and Monday. Three and a half days of normality and then Tuesday after lunch the all too familiar fatigue, sore throat and swollen glands returned. I had already sent a text message to John earlier that we would go to the gym after work and I had been looking forward to lifting some weights and catching up with Bec, our personal trainer. Worst, John is my faithful gym and training partner and I did not want to cancel on him last minute. With so many good reasons I stuck to my plan and jumped into gym gear Tuesday evening and John picked me up. The program was rather easy with light weights and Bec made sure that I didn't exhaust myself too much.

Wednesday, I woke up feeling bad; Thursday, I felt, if at all possible, even worse and both nights I had slept ten or more hours. I felt guilty, thinking that it had been my own fault because I had ridden on the weekend.

Friday, still no improvement, but I had organised a little “celebrate the new house” get-together and there was no way I was going to allow Glandular Fever to spoil this as well. Despite feeling extremely exhausted when I got home from the office, I enjoyed entertaining and having friends over.

This morning I was rostered for marshalling duties at the Bike Week races at Nundah. Reason finally won over. Alberto had told me already during the week to call and let them know that I wouldn’t be able to do my club chores this time but I really wanted to go. It’s that wish to dance at every party; I’ve always been like this. I can’t sit still and do nothing. But now I feel guilty that I let the club down.

People keep telling me that I have to rest. Simply staying off my bike for a few weeks would be resting, I thought, but it begins to dawn on me that the rest they are talking about is “to nap”, “have siestas”, “sleep”, “do absolutely nothing” … this kind of thing. I can’t just put life on hold and wait for this virus to be done with me. It’s driving me nuts.

My new herb garden to be

The new low maintenance back yard

Today I gave in and had a stupid “Sanatorium day” in my new home. Exposure to lots of fresh air though low effort gardening, lots of salad and water for good nutrition and … aargh … rest. It wasn’t all that bad. While resting I researched "Glandular Fever and cycling training" on the web and it appears that a number of professional cyclists had it. I found this from Philip Deignan, an Irish pro, now on the Cervelo Test Team, who had kept riding with Glandular Fever:

“The last blood test I got done showed that there was a lot of toxins and acid
in my blood, which is what you get after glandular fever. I think that is
basically what is making me really tired at the moment. … There is not
really much I can do right now…it is just a case of trying to rest and recover.
You can't really force it. If you are not able to train there is nothing you can
do, really. It is quite frustrating."

This sums up my experience and feelings perfectly. During last night’s party I spoke with Debs, who also had Glandular Fever a couple of years ago while she was preparing for the National Championship. She assured me that it was not my fault that the symptoms came back after a couple of days. Apparently this is normal and will continue for a few more months. She also told me that she continued riding and gym work through her whole Glandular Fever episode. She didn't, however, have a full time job at the time.

My research also showed that most people are able to return to some sort of training after about three months and that healthy eating with special emphasise on strengthening the immune system has some positive results. I found this list of foods that provide the highest source of the anti-infection nutrients:

B6 - Most meats, fish, egg yolk, wholegrain cereals, bananas, avocados and nuts.
B5 - Eggs, wholegrain cereals and meat.
C - Pure orange juice, most fruit, green vegetables, liver, kidney and potatoes.
E - Vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, soya and lettuce. Eggs and dairy produce provide small amounts.
A - Animal and fish livers, kidney, eggs, milk and butter, green, yellow or orange-pigmented produce.
Folic acid - Liver, green vegetables, kidney, eggs and wholegrain cereals.
Iron - Liver, kidney, heart, egg yolk, legumes, cocoa, cane molasses, shellfish and parsley.
Zinc - Oysters, ginger-root, muscle meats, and all types of nuts. Small amounts are found in carrots, peas and potatoes.
Fatty acids - Evening primrose oil and fish oil.

I have been taking a Vitamin C/Zinc supplement but will further look into improving my diet. An article also confirmed what Philip Deignan mentioned in the quote above, that Glandular Fever creates a lot of toxins in the body. I guess it can't hurt to look into some kind of detox diet and I will see my naturopath next week. Any further advice or suggestions on the whole "Glandular fever recovery and cycling" topic are most welcome.

And it feels so good

All of a sudden our friends feel comfortable enough to speak up and comment on our old house as if we finally admitted by moving that the old location was unbearable. I cannot count the number of times I heard in the past few days “We can’t believe how long you put up with the noise on Webster Road” or “We couldn’t believe how long you actually stayed there” or a variation of this theme. Even though I don’t know the exact answer – maybe it was laziness or a too busy lifestyle or the fear of stress that usually comes with moving house – I have to agree with my friend’s sentiments.

Something came unstuck late last year (or was it already for a long time?) and since the move, life, which felt stagnant and boring and too familiar, is all of the sudden flowing again.

The new place feels so good.

A common conversation in our house is now “Can you hear anything? It’s so quiet.” “No, can you?” “I can hear the birds.” I wonder what the absence of four lane main arterial traffic noise and pollution will do to our training recovery once we are back in full swing. My sleeps haven’t been this restful in a very long time.

And then I woke up Saturday morning and my throat felt fine and my glands were their normal size. After six weeks of constant soreness, exhaustion and tiredness I had forgotten how it felt to wake up feeling rested. The bed next to me was empty so I roamed the house for Alberto. When I noticed his bike missing, I knew that he had gone racing. And I felt happy and content. I knew that I would be riding my bike, too. One easy 30 km ride Saturday afternoon with my friend David and Sunday morning I rolled out to Sandgate to meet with Alberto and John, who had done a few more kilometres. We stopped for coffee and I couldn’t help but sport the biggest smile on my face.

The plan is now to start with easy rides but don’t invite me to early morning outings, yet, as I still need a lot of sleep. With recovery going well I will be able to start training again in May.

For now it feels so good to just be back on the bike.

I just want to ride my bike.

I just wanted to go home and I felt caged in my window seat of flight QF650 from Perth to Brisbane and far below me lay Lake Eyre and I read the little red writing book and Mark Tredinnick explained segregated and freight train sentences (compound sentences) and his sentence composition and style fascinated me and I wondered if I was a nerd and I even pulled out my black Moleskin notebook and I started the exercise from page 92 of writing a long compound sentence starting with the clause 'I just want to go home' and the sore throat annoyed me and my tired body craved rest and the office and unanswered emails awaited me on arrival and I felt like skipping the office and I was surprised to find myself struggling with this seemingly simple task of writing a compound sentence of 200 words.

So I created this monster of a run-on sentence. Maybe the task would have been easier had I started with the clause 'I just want to ride my bike'? The insistent style of compound sentences lends itself beautifully to this ad nauseam recurring topic of my last, I don't know how many, posts.

What is it?

Sore muscles but I haven't been to the gym?
Lost weight but I haven't been dieting?
Tired but I haven't been out partying?

We moved.

It's all worth it, though, and I'm just glad I managed to pull my weight, packing and carrying boxes and putting everything back in place. The new house is beautiful. I felt at home straight away. Only the cat is struggling with the cat flap. He'll get the hang of it and will enjoy his new independence soon, I'm sure.

It will still be a few days before internet and phones will be connected again.

Right now I'm in Perth for a couple of days for work. I feel slightly better but don't trust the peace. I might be able to go for a little spin back in Brisbane next weekend.

Trouble and I enjoying the first sunrise in the new house.

Stolen five minutes

When I got home yesterday afternoon, I just plain had it. Last week I thought I couldn't feel any worse. The last three days I dragged myself to a workplace rehabilitation coordinator course with hardly any energy at all, struggling to make it home in the afternoons. Fortunately the course was interesting and I got a lot out of it. I found it very fitting. Workplace rehabilitation is not so different from returning to your sport after injury or illness and a lot of principles apply to my situation as the aim is to minimise the de-conditioning of the muscles.

After a little rest and after I had felt enough sorry for myself I couldn’t help it. I had to do it. I was fully aware of the possible consequences. Only for five minutes, I told myself, and only really easy in the small chain ring.

I didn’t bother changing into bib shorts and jersey and left in T-Shirt and shorts, just grabbed my helmet and shoes, as to not loose any time. Three weeks of idleness had left my tires with only 50 PSI. Pumping tires got my heart rate up and I almost abandoned my naughty plan and went back to bed to feel a little bit more sorry for myself.

Alberto was due to be home any moment and I needed to get away before he got home or else he would have ordered me back to rest. I felt like a child that was enjoying the stolen cookie fresh from the oven, not without a feeling of guilt, but sweeter for that.

Five minutes on my bike, maybe ten, just over to our new house, where we will move in next Saturday, and along a few back roads to check out our new neighbours, and I loved every second. I was delighted to find a short and sharp climb only two streets from the house and was drenched in sweat and exhausted as if I had ridden 50 hard kilometres when I got home.

Was it worth it? Bloody oath!