Day 42 – July 24, 2015 – Bismarck ND to Napoleon ND – 74 miles
Bumble Bee – Audrey:
Ok things are getting harder for me. It was probably a combination of too light of a breakfast and my right knee giving me pain. For those of you that don’t know, I tore my right ACL a few days before graduating from college way way back when. Since then I have a several surgeries including ACL reconstruction in 1993. Well, that injury stopped my soccer playing (I did it by playing soccer) but I have tried hard to keep physically active and not let this knee get me too down. Sometimes it has been a real challenge like a few years back, maybe 3-4 when I had to give us playing tennis, the pivoting and quick stopping, were just too much for my poor knee. Most importantly, I refused, at all costs to give up my favorite sport skiing. Most people think I am crazy but I still ski, maybe not as hard as I used to, but I think that’s mostly age.
The last time a had surgery to clean up some cartilage in knee, my surgeon said that the best thing you could do for that knee is cycle. I had already knew that and had been a hobby cyclists and a bike commuter for a number of years. Yet not until I met Gregg and put 30-50 lbs of gear on a bike and road up and down the California coast, did it really get serious. Often I would complete a day with a throbbing right knee, and left knee for that matter. I would ice it, put some anti inflammatory creams on topically, and I pop some ibuprofen. I would manage.
But about 1 1/2 ago things weren’t progressing, hip pain, sciatica, and more knee pain. So I went to some PT and they worked on stretching and glutes. So every morning I do leg lifts, and stretches. That really paid off. I began to ride almost pain free.
I have to admit that one of my main reasons to embark on this challenge of crossing the country by bike was see if I have become strong enough, in my old age, to put my knee through something as hard as this. Would it hold up? Would I have to quit because of a weak knee?
The first few weeks put my knee to the test. The hills are tough. Climbing puts a lot of strain on the knee. The knee did well. I really did not feel any pain at all. I iced when I could, that helped.
But beginning in Glendive I started feeling a strain. It was achy and the sharp. Everyday it got a little better than bad again. I was discouraged. Gregg kept saying, when we are in top shape we can do a 100 miles etc…and he said, once our muscles are in top form we will have no problems with the hills. Well, for me it seems like the reverse is happening. I am breaking down. The wear and tear on the joints is becoming a real challenge.
We are both pretty beat after each day of riding. It takes a lot of energy just to go out to eat dinner before collapsing on the bed. Gregg is having a harder time with that then I am. But I seem to be suffering differently.
We are talking magnesium citrate pills, and now potassium supplements. That seems to help with the muscle soreness. I went to a health food story in Bismarck and bought some other supplements for joints. I am also taking ibuprofen, which I really don’t like but it helps.
We are getting behind in our schedule, because of the storm stop in Bismarck, and the earlier heat wave shorter days. I was hoping to make up for it by doing longer days and no more 0 days. Yet, Gregg is really concerned about my condition. He keeps suggesting that we do shorter days so I can heal. He also says that we could “cheat” and take a train part of the way. I am staunchly against that. We will see how it goes.
Today we did 75 miles. It was hard. Rolling hills but no wind! The towns in ND are not close together and one you get there there is not much open. Someone said that it is too hard to find help since most of the workers move to western ND to where the oil boom is paying them two to three times as much.
We made it to Napoleon late, about 6:30pm. We found a little downtown pub for a cold beer and found a cute little cabin to rent at the “Broken Bell Inn”. We even had a picnic table where we cooked a nice curry! After dinner I iced the knee and fell soundly asleep. Tomorrow will be another long day.
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