Prolonged Recovery

 Topanga Canyon

Dodged the devil once again

Though not forever.

 Friday, May 21, 2021

 This being my first injury requiring medical intervention since being uninsured, I am now discovering how truly painful it is to receive medical treatment in the U.S.

 After a similar crash in Panama requiring very similar initial treatment (ambulance service, examination, x-rays, MRI…) I was handed a bill and out the door after paying $340 dollars at the hospital cashier.

 In the U.S. for obvious (profit) and complicated (struggling between free market and tax-based solutions) reasons, the payment aspect of treatment is both prolonged and painful.

 So far, nearly a month and half after my accident, I still have no idea of what the costs will be or who is going to bill me or help me out.

 To this date I’ve received three separate bills from the radiologist, ambulance service and Emergency Room Physician. The radiologist bill is the only one I’ve paid so far. The others I’ve sent back and referred them to my Health Share provider; Trinity. That’s not, as they emphasize, a medical insurance product, but a group share medical emergency plan.

 My orthopedist who performed the surgery on my clavicle is directly billing Trinity. And, I believe, according to my policy, eventually I’ll owe $5,000 for whatever they cover as that’s my deductible.

 The hospital where I was initially treated has also referred me to a company that assist people who may qualify for financial aid through various government programs. I’ll give them a call today. Though I doubt I qualify, who the hell knows?

 My shoulder has is just about completely recovered and I’m very appreciative of all the fine services I’ve received to date. My poor wallet though is suffering through a period of prolonged and anguishing debilitation and I am unsure of the final prognosis or trajectory of recovery.

Full Face

Two distinct species 

In such close proximity 

Must be meals or mates. 

 Full Face: Monday, May 10, 2021 

Today I will be commuting to work wearing a full-face helmet on a three wheeled vehicle. Until last Friday, when I picked up Julius (the moniker I’ve given my orange Can Am Spyder f3) I’d never driven a motorized three-wheeled vehicle. And it’s been 5 years since I had a motorcycle.  

 I figured there really wasn’t any point in going for a test drive. All that was going to tell me was the experience would be different than either a car or motorcycle. And regardless of first impressions, I know that it takes time to get comfortable on any new type of vehicle.  

 

Since I’d driven motorcycles for over 30 years, I figured whatever the experience was going to like on the Spyder, given that it has three contact points as opposed to two, it was going to feel more relaxed and safer than a motorcycle. And that was the big appeal for me.  

 

The vlogs about the handling of the Spyder are a bit deceptive though. Although everyone says it handles more like a ski-mobile than a motorcycle, the vantage points behind those cameras looking over motorcycle bars makes it look very similar to the steering of a bike.  

 

And since I’ve never ridden a snowmobile, I had no idea what those vloggers are talking about. But just on the way home from the dealer, I got a good feel for what they mean. 

 

And that’s a wild ride engaging experience, at least at the moment. The steering, because it has power assist, seems to float. Which is a bit disconcerting coming from a motorcycle background. In some ways I feel that’s a good thing. Right now while I’m learning, it’s keeping me very engaged in every move I make. I’d say much more so than when I was riding motorcycles once I got past the initial learning curve.  

 

Not that motorcycle riding ever, or at least should never, have been a casual take for granted activity. That’s part of the appeal. You’d better be on your toes at all times. Heck, I never had any audio/visual components on any of my bikes and I can’t see getting so relaxed on the Spyder that I’ll be comfortable strapping speakers or a screen on Julius. 

 

But I’m sure at some point I’ll have a better feel for how the Spyder handles. But right now it’s a hoot feeling out how this thing gets from point A to curvy point B.  

Hey Bull Dog

 My insomnia

Blesses me with delusions

Of omnipresence.

Saturday, April 17, 2021

 With all the confusion of last year between race cancellations and postponements, the only race I know for sure I’m signed up for is the Bull Dog 25k in August.

 With that in mind and given that I have four months to build up from almost zero after a three week lay-off due to a broken collar bone, this year I’m going to aim for the age group record of 2:19 and next year go for the 50k record before saying good-bye to Bull Dog for a while and seek out other challenges.

 It’s been a few years since I’ve even run the Bull Dog course let alone run the race, and I’m definitely hoping a few races will open up before then so I can get my nerves under control after not racing in over a year.

 Before this lockdown, outside of running under the duress of injuries, I thought I was doing a pretty good job of using my nerves to my advantage as far as racing goes. My performances were pretty much at a consistently high level.

 
But if or when that apparent flow of training and race prep will still be there or not, I suppose many of us will have answered in the very near future. And that’s both very interesting and pretty exciting.

The Run Block

 

The visitation

From my very young mother

Scolds me like a child.

 Thursday, April 15, 2021

 While I recover from a broken clavicle, I’ve decided to dedicate the next four months to a solid run/upper body block.

 Without any race on the horizon and the only race I’m committed to is the Bull Dog 25k in August, it seems wise to go pretty much plain vanilla and do a basic runner’s template workout for the foreseeable future.

That’ll consist of a speed, tempo and long run per week; mostly on trail but a bit of road work thrown in because I’d like to aim for some decent 5k, 10k and half marathon times if races open up.

 Just because they’re plain won’t mean they’ll be easy or boring. Actually, I’m looking forward to the format. I was already doing short uphill sprints once a week before my injury and really enjoyed those, so I’ll toss those back in soon enough.

 But I’ve never done structured long hill repeats and it’s been years since I consistently did road work. I read in a Trail Runner Mag. Email about a few hill options and I’m committing to do the 5X3 minute hill repeats followed by a 3 mile tempo run. I was already doing the tempo run, so throwing in the repeats should add a formidable wrinkle.

 Haven’t quite figured out the road tempo run yet but will alternate that weekly with the hill work to keep things fresh and interesting.

 I was doing beginning ring work and a kettlebell workout weekly and just about getting ready to mix those up, but now not knowing what my shoulder can tolerate, I build up to those and stick with them throughout this training block.

 
I’ve never just ran for long so it’s going to be a fun and challenging four months discovering whether a pure run format will make any difference in my running performances and body composition.

The Straw that Broke the Camel’s Clavicle

 

She breathes and I breathe;

Her weight a soothing cloth

For a fevered life.

Thursday, April 1, 2021

 Breaking a clavicle is a fairly common bike injury but up until last Sunday, despite numerous accidents, I had avoided it.

 I’ve had my share of both common and freak bicycle accidents that have caused minor annoyances from a rib break to numerous lacerations and stitches, but two out of the last three falls, all within the short period of 5 years, has me seriously considering stepping away from cycling for a while and throwing my athletic energies into less risky endeavors like shark wrestling.

 Sunday was the latest and ranks right up there with a tree branch being cut and falling right in front of me in Panama as one of the more unusual; a dude losing control of his skateboard and launching it into my bike. I have no recollection of the fall outside of glimpsing the board out of the corner of my eye than standing and listening to two dudes, one of whom caused the accident, then doing what the good Samaritan told me to do – get in his car.

 He also had my bike in tow and was smart enough to take numbers and pictures of the skateboard dude’s license and car plate. He put this in the notes section of my phone.

 After being treated very kindly by all the hospital staff and cleaned up as best they could, I went home at 11 p.m. that night with the knowledge that I have a broken right clavicle that may need surgical repair. Today I consult with an orthopedic surgeon to discuss that possibility.

 When my last motorcycle was done trying to kill me by randomly shutting down with mysterious electrical problems, after 38 years of riding I decided that was that with motorcycles.

 This has that same very intuitive feeling with bicycles. I’ve bounced back from crashes before always with the determination to get back out there and ride. But not this time. This is my second hospitalization in 4 years and  my first surgery. I believe that’s enough to start placing my energy into other outdoor adventures that I’ve put off, like surfing.

 There just isn’t enough time to do everything and though I’m a strong rider, and would like to compete in duathlons and possibly triathlons, for the next couple of years I’m going to stay off of bikes and center my physical and competitive juices into running and improving my upper body strength.

 
Bicycling is a blast. I don’t feel there’s much that replicates the experience of it. But like many high-speed activities, as the speed goes up so do the risk factors and damages. How any of us balance those to make a determination as to what’s acceptable to us is highly individual. Right now my intuition is telling me to step away, at least for a while.

The Not so Itsy Bitsy

 The open air ride

Is a thrill of a lifetime;

Maybe a short one.

Saturday, March 20, 2021

In doing my daydreaming of what vehicle I’d purchase if I could, I came across the Can Am Spyder f3 Special. It’s a beaut and from the youtube world it seems to be considered the three-wheeler to lust for.

 I’ll have to admit the combination of gray (they call it gravity gray – because that’s the way the world works now; nothing can just be a simple tone.) with orange highlights (didn’t notice what the orange moniker was…ornery, OMG, old, oddly… but sure it wasn’t original) and sporty look orientation just does it for me.

 However, coloring a lemon orange isn’t going to make it worth $20k. Heck, even coloring an orange orange isn’t worth that price.

 So it was back to thinking about what other options I’d have. I can daydream, but I try to keep my mind wandering in the direction of what’ll stop me from being homeless.

 Then lightning struck.

 Months ago, I received a notice from an annuity company stating that they had tried to deliver documents to me, but they were sent back as undeliverable. These documents were sent to my sister’s, whose address I used when returning to the states from Panama, so it made sense they weren’t deliverable. But I’d never heard of the company so figured there was no rush. But on Thursday I gave them a call.

 Initially the recording asked me repeatedly to state my social security # which I wasn’t inclined to do. I figured this wasn’t going anywhere so was about to hang up when they said the usual stay on the line and a service rep will assist me shortly. I did.

 She informed me that her company had a TSA contract from me initially under another company’s name. I had started the TSA in 1994. The year and the name of the company made sense.

 She also informed of the amount I had and that there was no penalty for withdrawal although the Feds would take 20% off the top. It’s a hefty sum and if true, would allow me to up my allowance for a vehicle (the Spyder if I like it!).

 Yes, of course I wanted to believe it and start fitting my new Spyder with a few necessary upgrades, but figured I’d better contact my current financial advisor just to be on the safe side. I also wanted to make sure to limit my tax liability and not withdraw too much all at once.

 He said it looked good and I could take out a decent amount and roll over the rest into my IRA.

Sounds like a plan.

 So with a tax reduction due to the unemployment exemption in the Federal Relief Plan, the accompanying stimulus from the same plan, a decent amount of savings from continually working since July, and this recent gift from my 30 year old self. I appear to be in decent fiscal shape at the moment.

 Admittedly, times are precarious, and we’re all more aware of that now. But even more reason to loosen the purse strings a bit and say the hell with a rainy day, it doesn’t rain enough here not to get out on a Batmobile and have a little fun while I’ve still got some pep in my step and some verve in my spine.

Three, Two or None

 Our old lady dog

Grumbles and twitches throughout

The early morning.

Friday, March 12, 2021

 Now that vaccinations are moving along there is a possibility that we may need a second car as the wellness program we work for is likely to re-open its second location.

 Even without that posing a problem I’m kind of getting a hankering for a second vehicle anyway. It’s just that they’re so damned expensive it’s been a financial blessing to get by with just one car.

 If we do go down that road I’m tinkering with the idea of getting something other than your traditional car.

 Why? Both for practical reasons and just because I like to be different.

 On the practical side, we are not allotted the space for parking another car.And, as mentioned previously, cars are damned expensive.

 I rode a motorcycle for 30 years until giving that up at 58 almost 5 years ago. I feel extraordinarily fortunate to have ended up in one piece and doubt I have the skills, reflexes or luck to hop on one of those beasts again.

 I’ve had scooters before, and I toyed with the idea of looking at a Suzuki Burgman 400 but it’s still just two wheels and even less visible than a traditional M.C. so that’s not a likely alternative. At about $8k they’re far less than a car, but not worth the stress factor in my opinion.

 I was hoping the Meccanica Solo, a three wheeled electric car, would provide the practicality and buzz I was looking for, but at nearly $20k and with only a 100 mile range, I can’t see it happening unless they drop the price dramatically. It does provide protection from the elements and drives like a traditional car, which are plusses, but it’s size and low stance leaves you pretty vulnerable, and even the car like feel may be a hindrance as it’ll like provide a false sense of security.

 That leaves me gazing in the direction of the Can Am Ryker 900. Kind of the open air M.C. experience without the worries of just two wheels. The mileage isn’t great – only about 35 mpg, but the fun factor looks awesome. And at roughly $10k that’s not much more than a scooter with the extra stability of another wheel and more power and fun factor to boot. You are exposed to the elements, unlike the Solo, but again that could work as a plus as on a motorcycle, you’re vulnerable and might as well be aware of that.

 I’ll give the Ryker a test ride through Can Am’s ride – learn – and try program in May and go from there.

 
If we end up not needing another vehicle that may work out just fine. Driving isn’t as fun as it once was and it’s much more expensive than it’s ever been.