This week has been a flurry of freaking out.

 

Last Sunday (after the race) I could barely walk, especially down stairs. The outside of my knee -- my IT band -- was wrecked. I had no clue this was going to happen. My IT band hasn’t bothered me in months and then WHAM.

 

Needless to say, I lost my shit. What if I can’t run? What if I’m training for my half ironman and just suddenly can’t finish running? What if I manage to train and get all the way to race day and can’t finish the half-marathon?

 

It turns out this may not be entirely my fault.

 

I have been riding my bike very, very crooked, so crooked that random people comment on it, so crooked that I started riding stationary bikes on a slant. I was biking home one day and a guy stopped and asked if I was ok, was I hurt. Uh, no, I’m just going home. He said, well, your right leg is all crazy and sticking out and you’re totally twisted sideways.

 

Awesome.

 

I thought my seat had just gotten broken, it was slanted. I put on a new seat. It was still slanted. I took out the seat post, it was slanted. I figured I had somehow managed to bend the top of the seat post. I went to the bike fit guru (or whatever) and found out not only was all that true, but my actual seat tube on the bike had been manufactured wrong and was welded onto my bike at a slant. That slant then forced me to ride sideways to compensate and the force of me riding sideways over the last year had bent the seat and seat tube.

 

What I have realized from this problem is that money really would make all problems go away.

 

Sure, it still would have been broken. But I could afford a new bike. I could afford an expensive fancy bike fit. i could afford to go to THE sports med doctor that’s $175 for a visit and not covered by my insurance. I could afford to see the fantastic sports massage therapist every week. I could pay my problems to go away.

 

For similar reasons Steve’s season ended rather early and abruptly. He has consumed more beer and brownies in the last 48 hours than I think in the last month. He also may be a little bored, and have a little too much free time.....If anyone wants him to come visit until my I’m done with my half-ironman in 5 weeks that could be arranged.