Pollyanna

I have been accused, more than a few times in my life, of being overly optimistic. You wouldn’t think that such a thing could be a negative, but it works against me from time to time, as I persist (usually in the face of terrible odds) in thinking that most things will work out just fine if I apply myself to the problem.  If something is properly doomed, this can occasionally spell heartbreak, and that’s what I’m thinking about as I sit here writing to you with an icepack on my left arse, chock full of pain meds, and pondering my week.  The Rally begins on Sunday morning,  and while I’m sure I’ll be able to ride, I’m not sure I won’t be able to do it without some suffering, and I’m reaching for my optimism a bit.

I’ve done everything I can think of for the last few weeks to try and clear this up. Apparently it’s my SI joint (didn’t even know I had one, but there you go) and I’ve had a bike fit, seen a sports medicine doctor (I know! I laughed all the way there. Me! At a sports clinic. I kept thinking they’d look at me like a sloth that had wandered into the gazelle pen at the zoo, but it turns out that when I told them how much I was riding, they wrote down that I was a “serious cyclist.” I almost had to bite myself to keep from laughing out loud.)  The doctor prescribed physiotherapy, and I’ve been doing that, and all my exercises, and I felt like maybe things were getting better, but Sundays’ ride has left me whinging and limping around – and it’s hard for even me to be optimistic under these circumstances. Today after the gym I thought about having a bit of a weep.

I can’t tell you how disappointing it is to prepare for this for months and months, and then get a small but miserable injury right at the end. The whole reason I train is to prevent suffering. This week I’ve been prescribed rest, ice, baths, sleep, massage, anti-inflammatory stuff and… no bike. We’re going for maximum healing before Sunday, when everyone agrees that the worst thing that can happen is pain. I won’t do any permanent harm, and the great thing about going to a sports medicine clinic is that nobody has suggested I don’t do my sport, which is pretty reassuring.  (I believe them too, the dude who has the appointment before mine is an Olympian. They must know what they’re doing if he’s there.) I’m going to pack, eat well, do as I’m told, reach for that optimism, and hope for the very best. I’m also going to keep my eyes on the prize, and that’s fundraising. Me on my bike doesn’t help PWA- it’s the donations that give it power, and they’re behind in the money department this year. I’ll heal, but a lot of the people that look to the agency for important help won’t have a the same chance, so – I’m going to focus on why I do this, and not let the circumstances get me down.  I want to thank you all for your support and donations over the last while. It makes a huge difference, and I’m so grateful.

Enough of that, want to see some spinning? Sure you do. It’s way more interesting than my arse.  Remember this?

braid 2017-07-25

It’s that gorgeous braid of Fiber Optic Yarns merino/silk.  I sat down at the wheel with it when I had that devastatingly tiny cut on my finger, and worked at it a few hours a day.  I wanted to preserve the gradient, and I tossed around the idea of spinning it all into one long single, and then chain plying it, but I was really hoping to get decent yardage, and a laceweight.  I decided I’d split the whole braid down the middle, lengthwise, and then spin each half as it was, and ply them together afterwards.  This sometimes works, and sometimes not so much, but I was (see above) optimistic. I launched.

onespun 2017-07-25

When I was done, I had two bobbins full that I hoped were more of less equal, and then started to ply.

singlesspun 2017-07-25

This is where the whole thing can go sideways.  If I hadn’t split the roving equally, I’d have more of one of the other, and it wouldn’t match up as I went along. That happened a little bit, but as I plied, if it started to not match up, I’d break the single from the offending bobbin, pull out a metre or two until they matched again, and then rejoin and keep plying.  (I had to do that three times, which is pretty good, considering that I’m human. One bobbin was about 10 metres longer than the other.) When I was done, voila.

skeindone 2017-07-25

It’s about 450 metres (492 yards) of a really lovely laceweight. Well, it’s a little heavy for laceweight, but it’s quite light for fingering, so I’m going with the former.  It’s the tiniest bit wonky, like all handspun, but I’m totally in love with it. It is soft, and strong and pretty, and it’s going to make a beautiful… something.

skeindonebushes 2017-07-25

I don’t know what it will be though – because I’m not going to knit it.  You can, if you want. If it calls to your heart, let me know, and let me know what it would be worth to you. The knitter who makes the best offer of a donation gets it. Email me at stephanie@yarnharlot.ca (subject line “that yarn” please) and tell me what you’d be willing to donate to my fundraising, and the highest bid gets it mailed to their house.  (I’ll choose tomorrow afternoon. I’ve got to babysit in the morning.)

ballonfence 2017-07-25

Happy Tuesday everyone. See you tomorrow, and I’m sure everything is going to be just fine.

81 thoughts on “Pollyanna

    • Mother Nature is giving you pain for no reason? That doesn’t make sense. She’s giving you pain to stop you from doing what is causing the pain. So please listen to her!!! We will support your cause whether you ride or not. Can you recruit a substitute to report from the front lines? Surely one of your friends or family is in this ride, report on his or her progress daily. Just please don’t do ride yourself under these conditions. I’m surprised at your sports doctors, are you sure you heard them right? In professional sports today here in the US athletes are sidelined for pain because it affects their performance, not just when to play with pain might cause further injury. Sounds to me like you’re either not hearing your doctors or you’re making up your own rationalization so it will be OK for you go to on. Instead, please invest in a healthy tomorrow by taking care of yourself today.

      • I know Stephanie appreciates everybody’s concern and advice, but please give her the credit she deserves for being smart enough to manage her own health decisions.

        I’m pretty sure (actually incredibly sure) that she’s not ‘making up her own rationalizations.’

  1. You’re going through what every athlete (yes you are an athlete – stop laughing) goes through when they have an injury. You will do this. And if you don’t, we will not think less of you.

  2. I feel your pain – I have been cursed with two of those wonky SI joints that frequently seize up on me – I then visit a very talented chiropractor who unlocks them for me, after which we follow up with a regimen of ice to numb the pain & heat to ease the inflammation, and rest (no bending over the garden or hefting laundry baskets, etc). Best to keep moving though (“motion is lotion”, they say).

    Best of luck with your fundraising. I donated last year when we could afford it, but this year has been a tough one (husband lost his job of 12 years, and it took 6 months to find another one!). Maybe next year… maybe I could donate something towards the Karmic Balancing Acts (how do I do that?).

    That yarn is lovely – the winner will be very lucky to receive such a beautiful item.

    • I very much agree with chiro for this – I had bad SI joints with my first pregnancy and avoided it. Physical therapy helped but was slow. I later tried chiro and I’m a convert – shoving those joints back where they should be (in the case of SI, mere millimeters out of whack can cause quite a bit of pain), and then using the therapy exercises to keep them there, gives you both fast and lasting relief! I’m still a skeptic for holistic chiropractic treatment, but studies have shown benefit for specific joint and skeletomuscular issues. Good luck!

      • I third this… I managed to damage one of my SI as a teenager and the only thing that’s made it manageable over the years is chiropractic adjustment

  3. Dearest, do what the docs tell you. Take the pain meds, get on your bike, feel high, and pain-free. This is not a race. Repeat after me, this is not a race.

  4. Physical therapy, meh.
    Yoga therapy, fantastic, healing, relatively fast!
    Find someone who lists Thai yoga therapeutics, or teaches Anusara yoga which is very alignment based.
    Good luck, and speedy healing!

  5. Oh my, ouch. Having injured one of my own last fall by being careless about a deadlift, I understand the pain. That is an impressive ride ahead of you, and rest will help. Good luck!

  6. Much sympathy, I’m a middle aged spinner (the bicycle kind) and have experienced the pain of an SI joint issue. My best resolution was to get regular PT (physio as you say) and do some stretching and realigning exercises they gave me. The realigning part is like witchcraft in terms of how much it helps get me right again. If you have a PT person on the ride, let them know your issue and it may be that they can reset you at the end of each day so you can get back in the saddle (if you choose). Wishing you wellness and a successful ride, however that might be determined at this point in the game.

  7. I am sending all of the healing thoughts that I can – you ride, because some of us cannot, and that is a wonderful thing.

    What a beautiful skein! Instead of Karmic Balancing, that is definitely a Control Your Karma sort of thing.

  8. I have arthritis more or less everywhere and it’s incredibly difficult to manage the pain: it’s tiring, depressing and makes you feel old – so the fact that if won’t kill you (or make things worse) is only mildly reassuring. If you can face the ride – great, go for it. If not, remember that you have put in much more work than your average Josephine already: you’ve publicised the cause and enabled change and some people will be most likely be alive because of your hard work. If you have to bow out, that won’t change. Good luck and remember that the first 2 letters of PRICE are protection and rest.

  9. Sorry you’re having difficulties this year, but it sounds like you’ve got a good plan and good doctors/advisors. Fingers, toes, and eyes crossed that you’re better by Sunday and have a little pain as possible during (and after!) the ride.

    And that’s BEAUTIFUL yarn.

  10. Have you considered having a donation war? Each donation counts for one vote: on or off the bike? Those who are keen to see you tough it out can vote On; those who wish to spare your agonies can vote Off. Whichever way it turns out, the donations are in 🙂

  11. Huh. SI joint dysfunction, hey? When your hips are out of alignment, your stabilizing muscles can’t do their job, your big muscles start trying to compensate, and the whole gang starts misbehaving. Hurts like heck. Maybe you came across that in your prenatal care life with mums and their loose joints? If yours are loose and not staying put, consider enquiring about the Serola belt that is often prescribed to pregnant ladies to keep things from slipping. It will support your hips as they find their way back to NOT dysfunctional. Certainly got me walking again! But I also had a chiropractor put my hips back in the right place first. Didn’t have much luck with physio. Good luck!

  12. Sending all the healing thoughts your way! I know that you are committed to doing the rally even if you’re in pain, so rest as much as possible for the rest of the week.

  13. I had hand surgery done by a sports medicine surgeon-felt like such a fraud every time I walked into the clinic. (I fell on a friend’s porch, but apparently skiers suffer a similar injury.)
    Sending healing thoughts your way!

  14. Visit with a grandchild. That will heal your spirit. I have no idea what to tell you physically speaking that others haven’t already said. Also, that yarn is gorgeous!

  15. Just made a donation towards your goal. Hope it helps the pain during the ride. Hope the chimes of donations deafen all the riders during the ride.

    No karma balancing gift chance for me. You give me great pleasure during the entire year as you blog and as you publish books that I can check out at the library. A small donation to a cause dear to your heart is karma enough for me.

  16. So sorry to hear aboit your pain. I really hope it clears up before you bike so far.

    I would absolutely love to vote on your handapun, but I sincerely doubt it would be enough to win it, but I just reread and even amounts that don’t win still go toward your donations, right? (It going towned the donation no matter what is the important part. 🙂 )

  17. Been there, done that, most pain I’ve ever endured! Six weeks of chiropractics and an angel came in one day and did positional release – he put my leg in awkward positions and had me press against his hand with my foot. Third position, something shifted and I was instantly healed. It’s been five years and no recurrence. It’s a technique taught in some massage schools. Good luck, in the meantime, ice, ice baby – the only thing that helped my pain was ice.

    • I’m a very (overly) flexible person with an SI joint that moves out of position. So, years of pain and falls because the muscles were already so busy holding things together that they couldn’t pay enough attention to what was happening. My latest PT helped, but she’s married to a chiro and I thinks uses some of his techniques. She says the position on the bike exacerbates the problem.
      Biking caused it. Biking makes it worse. Take care of yourself.
      Ride in the sag wagon. Help the cooks. Knit. We’ll send money anyway.

  18. Oh Stephanie! How awful to be injured, let alone so close to the race. I hope you’ve got some decent painkillers in among all those other therapies, and the consolation of spinning and knitting to get you through until race day.

    On Monday I sprained my ankle – I rolled it while walking my bike (I think there’s a lesson there). And it’s my treadling foot!

    In solidarity, I have made a donation to your fundraising page. I hope it makes a ‘ding’ at a cheering time. x

    • Have you tried draping the affected area with some luxury fibre – qiviut, or yak, say? It’s not exactly evidence-based medicine, but surely it’s got to be therapeutic.

  19. Sorry you’re hurting. Follow the doctor’s orders — yes, we all know you’re stubborn! Enjoy babysitting, especially if you’ll be watching the grandson or the new nephew.

    And, ask Joe which HE thinks is more interesting: your spinning or your arse!

  20. I used to have SI joint problems and it does heal, don’t worry. A chiropractor and doing the proper stretches at home helped loads. One of the best: lay on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor, arms out to the side. Gently lower your knees to one side and straighten the top leg. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side, for a total of three reps on each side.

    same on the other side, for a total of three reps on each sid when

    • I started using this stretch as you describe it. I’ve been doing it every day. It has been helping. Last night the problematic SI joint actually shifted and the pain left! Yeah! And it held through the night as well and I woke up with a join that is moving smoothly. I shall continue with this stretch. Thank you for sharing this with the interwebs…

  21. I severely injured myself bicycling (6000 miles) last Sept. Sacroiliac and Piriformis dysfunction. A result of a stupid pedaling motion and pushing too big of a gear. I was on crutches for two months or so, physical therapy with a wonderful therapist, pain meds and the SI belt. Please be careful. I am back to bicycling but changes have been made. I did the fit, modified my bicyes, still wear the belt and spin like a madwoman going up hills, no more big gears and stretch at all stops and ice at the end of each ride, plus do my exercises daily. Consider not riding the full mileage every day. Is it possible to have a personal sag? I hope to be fully back next year. What I’m trying to say in a long winded way, take care of yourself. ☺️

  22. Ouch. I have dodgy SIJ’s and the only thing that has put me right is lots and lots of pilates. All I can offer right now is lots and lots and lots of virtual hugs. They’re Australian hugs, so hopefully that fact makes them a little bit exotic and therefore more helpful. 🙂

  23. Hi! I have one SI joint that gives me grief now and again – VERY uncomfortable. For me the best help is a visit to the chiro, then ice afterward. If you are so inclined, a well-trained and skilled chiro can do wonders for an SI j joint that is yelling, likely because it is out of alignment. Talking miracle category here for me…

    May the wind be at your back on The Ride!

  24. Hi Steph. I’ll donate if you promise not to ride. I’m serious. There’s an 85 year old woman living inside you right now. You want to think ahead and not do anything now that will cause you pain later. I’ll be watching.

  25. Hope your left arse feels better soon. 🙂 Sorry it’s being a pain in the, well, arse. Be sure you won’t have more damage and pain by riding before you decide to go. We at The Blog want you healthy and happy. I like the idea of donating some more if you can’t ride this year! I would do that! 🙂

  26. So sorry to hear this news. I am in awe of your commitment and your resolve to keep your perspective. Both are so clearly right. It is also right to remember that no permanent injury can come of this. I had shoulder surgery at one point and was told that by taking up swimming to manage back pain I had “chosen the wrong sport”. Sport!!! That’s a thought that never once crossed my mind about swimming, and having taken up running in my late forties, I too have stifled my laughter the way you did when the doctor wrote me down as a sportswoman! May your pain be minimal and your friends close by your handlebars.

  27. Well, SI (Sacro-Iliac) joints are not indestructible. I wrecked mine and now have to have a hip replacement… so please err on the side of caution unless you’re okay with being in serious pain for a few years. Yeah, years, not weeks or months.

  28. I would recommend seeing a Trager practitioner ASAP. Trager is a wonderful modality that uses rocking motion to release tension and realign soft tissue. I had the same thing and was pain-free after a session and have stayed that way. I just checked the website Trager.ca and it looks like there are a number of practitioners in Toronto, so hopefully someone can get you in within your time frame. As an added bonus, when you are done, you’ll feel relaxed and rested and about 2 inches taller! Trager is wonderful!

  29. Please get it seen to before you ride or you could experience all sorts of other problems. I lose strength in my left leg and have trouble walking upstairs. And it messes with my back, neck and shoulders too. I’m sore for a couple of days after the osteopath has straightened me out, but after that I’m fine and ready for action again. All the best! xxx

  30. Gorgeous yarn!!
    I’m sorry about your injury and hope that all the measures will help you to ride relatively pain-free. I agree with Robby H. who said you should check out if there’s a physio on the ride.. massage at the beginning or end of the day (or even in the middle) could go a long way to keeping you mobile and keeping the pain down. Take it easy with the riding and I hope it’ll all go well for you!

  31. As much as I think riding the race or no is Stephanie’s business, I do love the idea above of a donation war. 🙂
    (And I am being asked to touch the envelope …)

  32. Another SI person here. I’ve tried all kinds of medical options over the years and PT by far worked the best. I find spinning, driving, and using the sewing machine aggravate it the most. Anything that extends my leg while in a seated position makes it worse. Your therapist can give you some self correcting stretches that will put the SI joint back into place and relieve the pain. Good Luck!

  33. If you really are going to ride, I would definitely try the chiropractor option. Manipulation can relieve the pain faster than the more conservative options you’ve been given.

  34. Good luck!! I know how you feel exactly. Doing Ironman Canada on Sunday and last Sunday, I may have torn a calf muscle. Still doing it…vbut I may not finish before the cutoff. 🙁 I’ll be cheering for you!!

  35. Seems my secret plan stayed secret — Steph’s offering a skein of handspun to the highest donor (!), so I’ll send my skein of Steph’s hand-dyed STR to the *second* highest donor. Sound okay?

    Since our beloved Harlot is both strong AND smart, I’m confident she’ll make the right decision about participating in the rally.

  36. Ouch, I hope it feels much better soon. I’d be prepared to bet that most people who donated would still be happy for their donation to stand if you are unable to ride. After all, the rally is the final product of a very long process, and I feel that you’ve put enough enough effort to justify the donations. I’m also guessing that you would have to be carried off your bike to quit now (just a hunch, based on your personality as it comes across!). So if you are unable to ride, I will donate again.

    Listen to your sports docs. The interknit is lovely, and has many talents but comparatively few medical qualifications and no firsthand experience of your problems. I hope you are able to ride, but will think no less of you if you can’t. Best of British luck.

    • Wait…I have medical qualifications and first hand experience. Don’t ride. Your 80 year old self will thank you.

  37. See a chiropractor I did not believe until I was really hurt with sciatica. Go every day till the ride. Hurry and get well. Every “serious bicyclist” needs to ride! ♥

  38. Accupuncture? Never let circumstances get you down enough to stop being so positive! Those of us who aren’t would trade many things just to be able to be so positive all the time. In the mean time, know that there are tons of new spinners who sit and lament that we may never get our yarn to be so beautiful! I know, practice, practice, practice. Maybe by the time I’m 70! Anyway, things will work out for you, I’m sure of it. Karma, after all! Karma IS your friend in this ride.

  39. Gosh, everyone knows what an SI is! Not me, I’m going to go look it up. But I do hope you rest up as much as possible before Sunday. Use your best judgement, of course. I donated to Cameron earlier, but I’ll head over to your (or Jen’s) page now. Probably too late to bid on the yarn, eh? Hope the weather is good for all the riders! This rain has to, just has to, let up at some point. I live over in NNY kind of across the river from Prescott, downstream a little. I’ll wave.

  40. You’re doing all the right things, trust yourself! Stuff like this happens to athletes (you are an athlete), it’s ok, it’s a chance to take a deep breath, assess what you’re doing (is there something I can change or do?), give the body part the attention it wants, heal up, and keep moving forward in whatever way you can. That little bit of rest and attention can work wonders. I hope it does for you! As much as you can, relax about it. It’s about the journey, and sometimes there are unplanned side trips, it’s ok.

  41. Get thyself to a chiropractor!

    SIs move out of place all the time, and a good chiropractor can get them back in place properly. It’s a good start for proper physiotherapy, which will then help it stay in place.

    My SI moves pretty dramatically about once a month due to a joint disorder. My excellent chiro pops it right back in, 24 hours later I’m pain free.

  42. Here is the email for the Canadian branch of the Society for Ortho-Bionomy. I am almost qualified at the Associate level (one more class) here in the US. This is a totally pain-free modality that uses positioning and compression to allow the muscle spindles and golgi tendons to release. Muscles are what hold a joint in a painful position so this may be an option for you if there is a practitioner anywhere in Toronto.

    office@ortho-bionomy.ca

    There is also an excellent self-treatment book available with simple instructions and lots of photos to help you, Luann Overmyer’s “Ortho-Bionomy – A Path to Self-Care.” It has easy exercises and positioning (Chapter 3 is on Hips & Pelvis.) And there are youtube videos that show a lot of the self-care positions as well – just google!

    This work has resolved long-time issues for me that resulted from accidents as well as repetitive stress motions. I can’t recommend it too highly, both for its methodology and its results.

    I’m sure you will do what is best for your own body, and will make your decision about riding in the way that feels most balanced and healthful for you. Sending you love and Reiki if you want it.

  43. Steph!! I had a hot SI joint/surrounding soft tissue issue for *years* but in the last year plus a bit have solved it utterly!! I started going to a place in Fort Worth called Active Spine & Sport (which I only mention in case you wanted to have your doc look into what they do more specifically) but their unusual combination of a few forms of treatment flat solved my issues like in a week. What worked for me were two things: ART (Active Release Therapy) and Fascial Distortion Modeling. Not gonna lie – it’s fairly painful for brief but intense moments while they’re working on a spot – but then it’s like freaking magic – all the sudden it’s not painful anymore and things are better! Lots of the local athletes go there (and remember this is Texas, lol – we’ve got lots of sports). I only throw this out there as someone who found relief after years of SI pain, and because it was non-invasive and fast. Wishing you well whatever path you take!

    • I did ART for a trigger thumb in my right hand which (horror) made knitting painful. You’re right, the pain was excruciating while going through the procedure, but I haven’t had a recurrence in years and avoided surgery!! Steph – whatever you decide, we will support you and I agree, that yarn is gorgeous.

  44. it is a good thing you are a knitter, so the whole resting part won’t drive you too nuts. Best of luck my dear, and your hand spun is lovely! My singles never match up, not even close!

  45. My back pain (from a herniated disc the year before) decided to act up one week before I did the Montreal to Portland Maine AIDS Ride in 2001 so I understand being close to tears. I was inconsolable. I rested, did my exercises and ended up being fine for the beautiful 400 mile ride. I hope it will be the same for you. And even if pain prevents you from doing some or all of the ride, you’ve done the most important work – raising the money. All the people who will get services will still get them whether you are on your bike or not. Thank you Stephanie for all that you do.

  46. Sorry to hear about your suffering! I also have SI issues due to a rather over-enthusiastic 10 years or so as a martial artist in TaeKwonDo. I have found that a really good chiropractor can work wonders (those bones, as do all of them, get moved out of alignment; a good chiro puts them back where they belong.) Another thing to consider, in tandem with the chiropractor, is some deep tissue massage. The massage gets the muscles loose, breaks up any “holding patterns” that keep the SI in a funky position & so makes it easier for that area to be adjusted. And, finally, consider getting one of these: http://www.utopiagear.com. There are many on the market and this is the one I have. It is worth every damn penny. The beauty of it is you can wear it WHILE RIDING to keep your discomfort at bay. I have been known to wear mine, somewhere on my body, all day long! (16 hour battery life). I hope this helps & you can get through the ride more easily. Good Luck!!

  47. Donating now, but I do desperately wish I could pay you not to ride! I’m sure not a single knitter would want the money back if you had to drop out.

  48. Dear Stephanie

    firstly thanks! I didn’t know what a SI joint injury was but googled it (as you do) and realised that is my problem to! I thought I had back problems plus aging ! But will be going back to my physio so thanks you have given me hope for improvement not a slow decline lol!

    But when I googled it it said when you have this injury one of the things you should avoid is cycling! So sorry I have to add my voice to others. You would be very unwise to attempt this. I know you have worked so hard on it but none of us would think I’ll of you if you did the wise thing and looked after yourself. Just a thought is there enough people , knitters in your area who could tag team do say a day or half a day each and do your ride for you with you acting as support? Just a thought you have done and given so much there are many who would love the chance to help you.

    Whatever you decide I will be cheering you on from here! Good luck best wishes for healing.

    Beverley ( New Zealand)

  49. I had to go look up the joint. My downfall was a synovial cyst in the the facet joint of L4. Empathize with your pain (though I did laugh when they said that “sitting certain way” could aggravate the pain).

    Congratulations on being “serious cyclist”. Trust me, anyone who rides 600 miles deserves that title.

    In an earlier life, I lived in Richmond, VA (which styles itself the “City of Seven Hills” (like Rome).) They have a fall marathon that ends running up a good hill to the finish line. Of the five people I knew who trained for the marathon, only one made it to race day…and he finished after the “official time” (and his doctor advised him not to run due to his bad knees!).

    If you play hard, injuries happen. Talk to your daughter, who had to scrub her plans to ride one year. You will know what to do when decision time comes (and it is not just the riding…it is transporting gear around campground, sleeping on ground, etc., etc.) Good luck and prayers.

  50. Stephanie I donated because of the cause and because of the SI joint. My left arse is sprained apparently so I know how you feel and I know that not much right now makes it better or worse…it just is. I couldn’t get you quite to your goal, but I got you close.. Good Luck to you and your team. Ice is your friend.

  51. It is hard to look so forward to something, to work as hard as you have and now be in this position. I am sending you all the positive thoughts I can muster and will probably make another little drop in your donation box. Best of luck!

    Btw, the yarn is just lovely!

  52. SI pain is a total pain! Mine flares up occasionally and I hate, hate, hate it. I’m not even close to an athlete and I still find it difficult to not do the things that irritate my SI. Who would think that a little bitty joint that hardly even moves could cause such trouble.

  53. I had the WORST SI pain during my last pregnancy. I was constantly trying not to burst into tears. Only thing that helped was trying certain yoga poses. I just Googled which ones were helpful : ) .

    Good luck with the rally!

  54. I’m going to abstain from offering advice about riding/not riding and what path you should follow for the best and fastest healing of your pain. Instead I’m going to ask that you not sell yourself short on your athletic abilities. I am amazed – awe-inspired even – that you participate in this event every year where you ride your bicycle hundreds of miles for charity. And that doesn’t even include all of the miles you ride during training. That makes you a serious cyclist in my book. Please don’t be so quick to pooh-pooh that notion.

    And as side note to your website’s humanity test, the item I clicked was not a music note – it was a treble clef! 🙂

  55. Oh dear, I’m dreadfully sorry you’re in pain. Do be careful with that SI joint though. If it gets damaged you’re in a while whack of trouble. My husband has SI joint dysfunction from a work injury in 2012 and there have been times when he could not walk. I hope you feel much better soon, and make sure you take care of yourself!

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