Almost 4 weeks...

This is really pissing me off. My knee still hurts and nothing has been done about it. Got an MRI and it showed nothing. I am going to try to get into PT. That will probably take another week or so. I have a new bike, and I can't ride it. At least if I new what my problem was, I could do something about it and get it better. Right now it is all about waiting and waiting. Ice, ibuprofen, and rest has done nothing. It still hurts, similar to day 1. Walking, climbing stairs, riding, it all hurts. Maybe if I ever get back on a bike, I might have fitness by mid-December for cross nationals. I've been looking for positive thoughts, but they are hard to come by.

Since May 2nd, I have ridden three times. Once for a little spin in Fort Collins to see how it felt. Once before I left GJ just to get in one last MTB ride there, and then an hour last weekend on the 29er to see how it was feeling. I am now hoping it is just an alignment problem with the kneecap and I can do some exercises and maybe tape the shit out of it with some kinesio tape.

Hours for the month: 2.5

We're going on 5 days

...Off the bike. It is a huge mental challenge to be sitting here and not out riding in the 85 degree weather.

Here is what has been going down lately.

-Got back from Sea Otter and got some good MTB rides in with friends from Michigan.
-Went to Salt Lake City for Conference Championships. It rained. TTT was pouring, crit was okay, and road race turned into a circuit race at the race track.
-Came back to GJ for a day and did laundry, oil change, and got packed up.
-Drove to Silver City, NM for the Tour of the Gila on Tuesday.
-Stayed with some awesome hosts. Some guy named Lance riding for a Texas bike shop stayed at the house next to us.
-Stage 1 was okay. Made it with the group to the bottom of the final 3 mile 11% climb. Came in 21 of 73.
-Stage 2 split up like crazy with a good climb early on into the 80 mile race. Was in the chase group and bridged back up to the front with 20mi to go. Finished in the front group of 30. Knee started to hurt.
-Knee was painful that night. Hurt to walk.
-Decided to ride the TT with a sore knee. It really hurt, especially on the way out which was almost all uphill. Rode on my drops most of the way on a TT bike course. Somehow I was 29th. Didn't go that hard out there.
-Legs were feeling better as the week went on, but knee hurt.
-Tried to ride around the parking lot before the crit and I thought I was going to cry. OUCH. My knee was killing me. I pulled out.
-Fed guys on the last Gila Monster stage. Drove behind the pro men at the end of the caravan the first 20 miles and saw 2 guys put on stretchers.
-Drove back to GJ in 9.5hrs, home about 12:30am Monday.
-Class, studying, and sitting on my ass. Icing my knee, ibuprofen, and trying not to look at my bikes.
-Going to Ft. Collins this weekend for collegiate road nationals. I hope my knee will heal up, but I am not to hopeful at this point. One more week here and I am back to the homeland. I might just take this as a mid-season break and hope to have a killer year after this problem. My fitness was really coming around and I was feeling really strong. Makes me mad.
-Going to try the whole 29er thing this year.
-I think I just have some tendinitis in my knee and not much I can do about it. It better not last too long.
-I'm outta here.