Sigh. On hold while I nurse my knee

A few weeks ago I slipped and twisted my knee a little bit. A normal knee would have shrugged it off after a few days, but no, not my knee.



In the early fall of 1987 I was in a car accident that left both my knees quite temperamental. They don't tolerate much of anything and have the tendency to swell and stiffen just because they want to. Actually abuse them in any way (such as slipping on a damp floor and twisting them) and they get downright cranky.

Since the day I slipped, it's been an ongoing battle with me looking like I'm smuggling a softball where my knee should be on most days. Needless to say, bike riding is not so much of an option on those days. Walking is enough of a strain on my poor abused knee. So, the Virtual Tour is on hold until I can coax my knee into tolerating me being on the bike again.

And let me just say for the record, this sucks and I'm not happy about it at all.

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Checkpoint - 26 miles

I was a total slacker today. I only did four miles tonight after dinner. I'm still in Jamestown, VA and only three miles away from Chickahominy River, VA. This is where I'm at now:





I have a lot of thoughts twirling about inside my head but I'm not grasping anything too firmly just yet, so I'm heading to bed. Maybe I'll get things worked out in a day or three.

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Checkpoint - 22 miles

I didn't ride yesterday. Life was just wonky that way. However, after several hours of tossing and turning and not sleeping, I got up a little before midnight and rode 2 miles. I went back to bed, read for half an hour or so then slept. I didn't sleep well, but I slept.



This evening I rode 3 miles before cooking dinner, and then rode an additional 2 miles. I'm not sore, but I am tired. I think it's the not sleeping well lately. And not going to bed on time. Though I've been sleeping enough hours most nights, I've been going to bed at midnight or later each night, then sleeping later than I like in the mornings. I need to fix that.

Anyway...

I'm 7 miles from Chickahominy River, Virginia. This is what it looks like at 22 miles.

I think it might be time for bed now.

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Checkpoint - 15 miles

I rode 2 miles earlier in the afternoon then 3 more miles tonight after dinner. This afternoon's miles were... less easy... than they should have been, but I got almost no sleep last night. Factor in the not riding Saturday or Sunday, and yeah, I was surprised I made it two miles.



Tonight's miles were fairly easy. I planned on riding two miles, but felt strong enough to go to 2.5 when I hit 2. I ended up going three miles, and even then I think I could have gone another half mile without any real damage being done. I didn't want to push myself too hard, though, since I'm adding the morning ride to my routine.

So in all, I rode 5 more miles today. I'm in Williamsburg now and have 6.13 more miles to go before I hit Jamestown.

The picture is at the 14.8 mile mark.

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Weekend update

Normally this post would be on Saturday, but I was busy. And since it's so late tonight, I'll keep it short.



I didn't ride on Saturday or Sunday. While it was nowhere a lazy weekend for me, I decided it was better to take a day or two off. I plan to incorporate a morning ride into my days starting this week, so that I'm riding a few miles in the morning and a few miles in the evening. It may only happen a few days at first, but the whole idea is to build everything up slowly so that I don't hurt myself.

My weight as of Saturday morning was 275.6 pounds. Not a bad start at all.

And this is the map that shows the trail I'm taking all the way across the United States. The entire trip is 4063 miles. I've ridden 10 (that black dot is me). I have a loooong way to go.

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Checkpoint - 10 miles

Another 3.5 miles down the road brings me here:




I'm only 3 miles away from Williamsburg.

I can tell my stamina is building quickly. My period has me drained, but I rode easily tonight. By the time I hit three miles, I was still doing ok so instead of stopping I went on. The last quarter of a mile was a bit of a struggle, but still! Three and a half miles!

That's it for tonight. I'm distracted by Pan's Labyrinth.

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Checkpoint - 6.5 miles

Tonight's adventures took me another 2.5 miles down the road to here:




I believe I'm still in Yorktown, but I'm 6.5 miles away from Williamsburg, VA now. Yay me!

I rode at the usual resistance setting of 10 and kept the speed between 10 and 11 miles per hour. My thigh didn't cramp up at all, and I got only a little winded. My thighs did get a bit tight during the last half mile, but nothing too terribly painful.

I'm on my way to bed, and between the computer and bed I plan on doing some stretching.

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