Recovering from Knee Surgery
Recovering from knee surgery sucks.
I can’t remember if I shared this or not, but my knee has been nothing but trouble this summer. Like most other injuries in my life, I ignored it until I couldn’t ride my bike anymore. No matter how much I rested, stretched, iced and strengthened through physical therapy, there came a point where I needed help.
I’ve been living with this Cold/Hot therapy knee compression. Click the photo for a link to it.
After a bit of haggling with the insurance company, they approved an MRI and low and behold, I had a torn meniscus. Technically I had a Complex tear posterior horn and meniscal root attachment right medial. The right lateral meniscus is intact.
With a good prognosis for recovery, my care team and I decided to perform a surgical partial medial meniscectomy - which basically means taking out the torn/ragging section of the meniscus.
Everything I read prior to my surgery had me prepared for a relatively simple procedure. I was honestly expecting to be in and out and back on the bike in a few days.
Spoiler alert - It’s not like that at all.
I’m currently five days post-op and still in a lot of pain. Small victories so far have included stopping taking the opiod painkillers (more on that later) , showering, sleeping through the night, and I’m currently on my first solo trip out of the house since surgery!
Not going to lie - this sucks. All I want to do is be out on my bike, hanging with friends, enjoying the finally perfect weather we are having here in Northwest Arkansas. Instead, I’m shuffling from recliner to front porch to bed, counting hours between ibprofuen doses, and dutifully doing my physical therapy.
I wish I was more optimistic about this, but right now, my patience is wearing thin. Really the only thing getting me through this right now is some really fun things planned for the next few months, kind friends bringing me food and goodies, and the slight improvements in mobility I’m having every day.
One of the most challenging elements might be trying to stay engaged on social media. As a creator/influencer/athlete, I have to play the algorithm game - stop posting for a day and I’ve found that my engagement rates drop, followers drop, and eventually I have to play catch up on a hamster wheel.
In an effort to stay engaged, share knowledge, and have some fun, I’m going to try something new. Every day for the next 30 days, my goal is to post about one of my favorite rides. I realized the other day that most of my biking career happened before social media. So let’s share them.
My plan is to do a short blog post about each ride, including a RideWithGPS route and some fun photos. Keep up with the series on my Instagram, Twitter, and of course here!
5 Things I'm Loving About Living in Northwest Arkansas
Why in the world did I leave Seattle for Arkansas? Well, a million and a half reasons…
Read on for my Top 5 Favorite Things about Northwest Arkansas
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I don’t know if you heard…but I moved to Arkansas! I left Seattle in early April, leaving behind nearly 18 years of history and landed in Bentonville, Arkansas.
I moved to Seattle in 2004 to attend the University of Washington. After a couple of short summers in Wisconsin and Brooklyn during college, Seattle was home from 2004 to 2022!
Enjoying a sunset on a rooftop parking garage in Bentonville, Arkansas
So why in the world did I uproot everything and move to Bentonville, Arkansas? Well, a few reasons…the biggest is that I simply wanted a change. It honestly wasn’t until I quit my corporate job in August 2021 that I realized I wasn’t tied down to Seattle anymore. (And sure, I technically could’ve transferred locations, but I had a pretty sweet gig going there at Corporate Headquarters.)
I also wanted to save money. Because I was no longer working corporate America, I also no longer had the sweet corporate salary. Even my relatively cheap (for Seattle prices) $1500/month rent was a stretch on my new freelancer/entrepreneur/influencer/professional cyclist budget.
To be 100% transparent, I really hadn’t intended to move to Arkansas. Once I made the decision that I was moving, I made a list of “must haves” in my new home:
Affordability
Access to the outdoors, especially camping, hiking, and water
Sunshine (i.e. better weather than Seattle. I was over near constant seasonal depression.)
A strong bicycle community
Once I clarified my values in a community, I made a short list of places I thought would tick those boxes: Portland, Kansas City, and Minneapolis. With family in Kansas City, I pretty quickly landed on that option and began to make plans to move.
And then…everything changed. I found MakeMyMove.com and applied on a whim to relocate to Northwest Arkansas. If I got the grant, I’d get $10,000 cash to help with moving expenses, plus a bike (or in my case, a membership to one of the local cultural institutions. The last thing I need is another bike…)
Long story short, I got the grant and the decision was made. I figured if I absolutely hated it, I only had to stay for 1 year. While I’m not making any promises because who knows where life will lead, so far, I’m absolutely loving living here and don’t anticipate moving anytime soon. So why do I like it so much here?
My Five Favorite Things about Living in Northwest Arkansas
Cost of Living
Bentonville has a 41.2% lower cost of living than Seattle. Everything from pet licenses ($72 in Seattle, $6 in Bentonville) to food is cheaper. I currently pay $500 less in rent per month in Arkansas…and have a bunch more space, including a yard, garage, shed, and three bedrooms! With inflation, prices are definitely rising down here too, but it’s definitely much more affordable than Seattle.
Bikes Bikes Bikes
The bike scene in Northwest Arkansas is absolutely amazing and growing more every single day. Within Bentonville itself, there are more than 300 miles of trails and single-track, accessible from my front door!
Most of this is thanks to the Walton family (founders of Walmart) who have used the Walton Family Foundation to build a ton of recreational trails. Tons of big players in the bike industry have set up shop here, including People for Bikes, Strider, Specialized, and Rapha - with more joining all the time.
For example, this October over the course of one week, all of the following bike events are happening in Bentonville: The UCI Cyclocross World Cup, People For Bike’s SHIFT Conference, Outerbike, All Bodies on Bikes Chapter Retreat, and Big Sugar Gravel race. Seriously, Northwest Arkansas is the place to be if you’re into bikes.
Surprising Cultural Amenities
For a small town, Bentonville punches way above its weight in terms of museums and cultural things to do. Nearly all of the museums are free, including Crystal Bridges, The Momentary, The Native American History Museum, and The Walmart Museum. There’s also a really rad kids museum, a public archery range, loads of playgrounds, and frequent festivals.
I was lucky enough to get to attend the Bentonville Film Festival, where I participated in a number of panels, including Fat in Film! It was so cool to have this happening literally just down the street from me!
Access to the Outdoors
Development is happening quickly around here, but there is still amazing access to the outdoors. Out my front door, I can ride 2 blocks and be in the middle of the woods. Three miles the other way and there’s a perfect swimming hole. Within a half hour drive, there are two state parks, the Buffalo National Scenic River, and the Ozark Mountains!
Sure, you have to check yourself for ticks, and mosquito repellent is an absolute must, but I’m really enjoying being this close to the outdoors. There is so much to explore that I haven’t even begun to tap into!
People are Friendly
Arkansas is definitely the south. Whether its at the grocery store or walking down the street, everyone has a friendly word to say to you. It’s been pretty easy to find community, especially as there are a ton of fellow transplants here also looking for their people. I will admit that I have been invited to church more than once, but so far everyone has been polite when I decline.
So did I convince you to come visit me? I’ve got lots of extra bikes, a guest bedroom, and currently, a really amazing garden with tons of fresh veggies up for the taking.
Bike Riding Should Not Be Painful!
One of the most common things I hear when people hear I’m a cyclist is “Oh I love bikes, but it hurts my butt too much.” And let me tell you, your pain is real. And valid! And there’s ways to make it better!
Honestly, no matter how much you love your bike saddle or how perfectly your bike fits, it’s never going to feel like a couch. In fact, it shouldn’t. But it also shouldn’t be painful, or cause pain after you get off your bike. Read on for tips and advice to make your bike ride less painful!
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One of the most common things I hear when people hear I’m a cyclist is “Oh I love bikes, but it hurts my butt too much.” And let me tell you, your pain is real. And valid! And there’s ways to make it better!
Honestly, no matter how much you love your bike saddle or how perfectly your bike fits, it’s never going to feel like a couch. In fact, it shouldn’t. But it also shouldn’t be painful, or cause pain after you get off your bike. On a scale of 1-10, your bike should never cause you more pain than a 3 or 4, in my opinion.
So, how in the world do you make that happen? Read on for my advice for avoiding pain on the bike, the best saddles for bigger and heavier riders, and some troubleshooting tips.
How To Avoid Pain on Your Bike
Whether you’re riding around the block or twenty miles, you should not be in pain while riding your bike (unless maybe you’re going up a giant hill and it’s supposed to be hard.) No, I’m talking about pins and needle pain in your hands, numb feet, tingly bottoms - all of that is a sure sign that something is wrong. Below are a few suggestions to try - but before you go changing anything, ONLY MAKE ONE MODIFICATION AT A TIME.
Seriously, don’t change everything at once, because it’s likely that you’ll need to keep making adjustments to get the fit exactly right. If you change everything at once, you might not be able to get things back to where they were at. Patience is your friend when dialing in your bike.
Check your saddle height.
One of the most common mistakes I see are saddles that are too high or too low. Too high and you’re going to hurt your knees, back or achilles tendon. Too low, and you’ll also hurt your knees and potentially your hips, back, and who knows what else!
When your legs are at the bottom of the petal stroke, your leg should be extended about 90% of the way. Further than that and you risk over-extending your knee, much shorter, and you’ll have both an inefficient pedal stroke and put unnecessary pressure on your knees.
Modify your points of contact
Our bodies have 3 points of contact on the bike - hands, feet and saddle. All of these components can be changed out - some easy swaps can be done at home, some you’ll need a professional mechanic.
Handlebar grips are an easy swap to make at home and there are a lot of different choices - foam grips, ergonomic grips, leather, everything in between. You can also swap out your entire handlebar, but I recommend working with a mechanic on this project to ensure everything will work together correctly.
Pedals are also a relatively easy swap you can make at home. If you’re having foot pain, you could consider a wider, flat pedal or one with adjustable pins that can be dialed in or out. Often times, foot pain doesn’t originate at your feet (usually an issue somewhere else on your bike) so pedal choice is often more related to aesthetics or function that pain relief, but it’s still worth considering.
Saddles are an entire ecosystem into themselves, as you can modify the height, angle, and position. I’d highly recommend working with a trusted bike fitter or mechanic when making adjustments on your saddle.
Read this post for my favorite saddles, and things to consider when choosing a saddle. Overall, I try and avoid gel covers/seat covers in general and instead swap out the entire seat, as the extra cushioning can actually cause more chafing/movement.
Stand up or Shift Your Body Weight Occassionally
Anytime you sit in one position for too long, your body is going to hurt. I don’t care if you’re in the world’s most comfortable chair, every once in a while, you gotta move your body!
The same is true on a bike. Practice standing up, stretching while riding, and shifting your body weight. I try and do this every 10 minutes or so, always returning to a neutral riding position before pedaling again.
I also recommend standing up over super bumpy or rough areas, and taking a couple minutes to stretch while waiting at red lights or during a water break. My friend Kelli wrote an amazing book called “Pedal, Stretch, Breathe - The Yoga of Bicycling”, which has some excellent recommendations for on the bike stretching!
The Best Bike Saddles for Heavier Riders
Everybody has an opinion on bike saddles. Some people like super hard, stiff saddles while others like soft, leather saddles. There are squishy saddles, vegan saddles, saddles with holes, and saddles with supposed antibacterial qualities. Honestly, the choices are both endless and overwhelming.
So many types of saddles.
I’ve ridden a lot of bike saddles in my day and am not shy about sharing my opinion. One of my most popular blog posts to this day is a review of a saddle (that I was not very favorable to…) so when I tell you I like these saddles below, you can trust me.
Before we get into saddles, you need to know that even though you have a big butt (or wide hips), or are a larger bodied person, THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU NEED A HUGE SADDLE! When you’re on the bike, the majority of your weight should be resting on your sit bones (technically the ischial tuberosity bones.) These are the protruding little bones at the bottom of your pelvis and they’re designed to support your weight!
When you’re on your bike saddle, you should be sitting on the bony part of your butt! I like to wiggle my butt into position, which helps get all the extra fleshy bits out of the way too!
Ok, now onto saddles!
I’ve also got this ENTIRE post about saddles if you want more recommendations, especially for indoor riding!
When You’ve Tried Everything Else
Sometimes even after you go through all of the modifications i’ve listed above, you still might be in pain. At this point, you need a professional bike fit. I recommend asking at your local bike shop who they recommend for this service. Note that it will not be cheap (likely a few hundred dollars) but it will customize your bike exactly to your needs, and if you plan to spend a lot of time riding, it’s definitely worth the investment.
Unbound Gravel 2022 Recap Part 2
104 miles. All gravel. My first century. I really didn’t know if I could do it.
This post covers my Unbound Gravel 2022 ride experience and thoughts on completing it! This blog does contain affiliate links - when you make a purchase using my link, I receive a very small commission, allowing me to continue to do this work. Thank you for your support.
104 miles. That is a really long way. Heck, I don’t even like to drive that far, let alone think about riding it. So I’m not lying when I say I thought about changing my registration multiple times from the 100 mile to the 50 mile distance.
I really didn’t think I could do it.
Seriously, the 50 mile distance in 2021 was probably the hardest ride I’ve ever done. The heat, chunky gravel, heavy bike - it was an incredibly challenging ride and I left saying I’d never do the 100.
So why did I choose Unbound Gravel to be my first century? And why did I add the pressure of a film crew documenting my experience? Who knows…but now that it’s over, holy cow was that fun. It’s all a bit of a blur honestly - those miles ticked by pretty quickly once I was on the course. Here’s how it all went down…
I got to the start line at 6:30 to meet up with the camera crew. They mounted a GoPro on my handlebars, launched a drone into the air to document the start, and followed me to the start line. I said hi to some of my friends at the pointy end of the race and found my place near the back of the corral. Following the advice of a few folks, I lined up with the 10 hour pace group, knowing my time would likely be a little bit slower than that, but that I needed to push myself a bit, and starting with faster folks might help.
Fresh and clean at the start line
The start was great - a neutral, slightly downhill paved start meant I was rolling comfortably at 17-18 mph. I remember looking down at my bike computer at mile .5 and jokingly calling out “Hey! Only 99 1/2 miles left to go!!” It did not go over well - these folks were serious and did not find it funny. I thought it was hilarious.
Around mile 3, the pavement ended and the gravel adventure began. The first few miles of any gravel event for me is all about finding my groove and getting comfortable. I settled into an 11mph pace and pretty quickly found myself all alone on the course.
I remember looking around and thinking “What the heck? I’m going at a decent speed… am I really that slow?”
Turns out, yes, I really am that slow.
The miles ticked by pretty quickly throughout the morning, with sprinkles of rain keeping me cool and feeling fresh. Was this really going to be this easy?
At mile 17 my right cleat started feeling funny. It was super loose - I could literally rotate my entire shoe around the cleat. Not good. (Prior to Unbound, I ordered a new pair of the Shimano RX8 Gravel shoes from CompetitiveCyclist.com (somehow I lost one in the move.) While I would never recommend new shoes for a long ride, these RX8 fit nearly perfectly and I wasn’t worried about breaking them in.)
Getting super annoyed with my cleat situation, I decided to pull over and see what was up. I quickly realized that I had lost a bolt on my cleats and the remaining bolt was hardly holding the cleat onto the shoe, and definitely not keeping my foot on the pedal!
My first attempt at fixing it was to just re-tighten the one remaining bolt. This worked for about a mile. Feeling frustrated but hopefully, I stopped again decided to MacGyver a solution. I grabbed a spare bolt from my fork, screwed it into my cleat and hopped back on the bike.
Normally, I would take the time to fix an issue like this fully, but I was running up agains the clock. To make the cutoff time, I had to make it to mile 64 by 1:30pm, which meant averaging 10 mph. Every time I stopped I was eating precious minutes.
Mounting my bike again with my newly improvised shoe situation, I immediately realized that my solution would not work at all. Not only had I not fixed the issue, but I ‘d made it worse. Now, my foot was literally resting on top of my pedals with no ability to clip in.
I settled back into a rhythm, determined to make up some time. The first half of the course was a pretty gradual climb into the Flint Hills. One thing I love about Kansas is that none of the climbs are sustained. It’s not like Washington where you start climbing and twenty minutes later you’re still climbing the same damn hill.
Kansas Hills
Not out here. All of the climbs were short, sometimes punchy climbs, but overall very very doable. There were two or three very short sections of 14 to 15% incline that I walked up, but I’m going to call that strategy. With a 1x11 drivetrain, I don’t have the lowest climbing gears, so walking is simply more efficient for me.
With my right foot not attached to the pedals, the ride got a little bit trickier, especially on some water crossings and rough downhills. I hit the high point of the course at mile 43 right as a giant thunderstorm let loose - the temperature dropped, massive wind and rain, thunder and lightning. I legitimately thought it was going to be a reenactment of the scene from Twister where the cow goes flying. It was intense.
The sky just before it opened up.
Flying down the hills into the midway check point, I had my first opportunity of the day to share someone’s wheel. Two pro women caught me (they had hit some ridiculous mechanical issues) and invited me to ride with them on the descent.
We were flying. We hit 29 miles per hour, an absolute god send for me as I was still rushing to beat the 1:30pm time cutoff. As the minutes ticked down to 1:30 the miles went by slower than ever. It was looking increasingly likely that I wouldn’t make the time cutoff.
I vacillated between excitement that I was doing the thing, anxiety that I had worked this hard and still missed the cutoff, and pride that I was doing the dang thing! I used every last bit of juice I had in the tank to pedal my heart out into the check point in Madison, buoyed by the crowds cheering for me.
Hanging with Ellen Noble, one of my cycling heroes during my Shakedown ride on Friday
By some stroke of magic, I rolled across the timing chip at 1:30, literally with no time to spare. As I rolled into my support crew who had clean socks and shoes, food, more water, and a big camera in my face, the men’s leaders on the 200 mile course rolled in right behind me.
After I made the time cut-off, all stress I had melted away. All I had to do now was ride another 40 miles to the finish - but I could take as much time as I wanted. My focus shifted from beating the clock to having fun, and I am so grateful I made this mental switch, because after the mid-way point, things got absolutely ridiculous on course.
You’ve probably seen the photos of riders and their bikes caked in mud. The massive thunderstorm I had ridden through earlier did an excellent job of turning the dirt roads into pure peanut butter mud. I did my best to use my cyclocross skills and ride as much of the mud section as possible, but eventually it became too thick and I had to walk.
The MUD
This one mile section took nearly an hour to get through. I carried my bike. I shuffled along with my bike. At one point, I tried to walk in the grass above the mud, only to slip and literally slide five feet down the muddy embankment. Thankfully, none of these falls caused any injuries - but every time I hit the ground, I got more and more covered in mud. All I could do was laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
At this point, I was so grateful to not actually be racing and just trying to make it to the end. Having to get through this section quickly would have been hell. I watched the women’s leader, Sofia Gomez Villafane fly by me and dang, she is a talented rider.
Everything is fine. Zero problems on this ride. :)
Towards the end of the muddy section there was thankfully a creek crossing perfect to wash our bikes in. I wish I had a photo of this section - it was mayhem. With the thunderstorm, the creek was flowing super fast and if you weren’t careful, you’d get swept downstream.
While I was washing my bike, fellow Pearl Izumi athlete Hannah Shell and my old friend turned Pro Heidi Franz came through, so I was able to help both of them was their bikes. They were in a huge hurry, so it was fun to be able to offer some encouragement and make their day a little smoother. That’s one of the things I love about gravel - we’re all out on the same course and sometimes you get lucky enough to ride next to the pros.
Hey, that’s not supposed to look like that!
With my bike relatively clean (or at least ridable), I settled in for the last 30 miles. Still feeling pretty dang good, my average pace actually increased on the 2nd half of the day to about 12 mph. This part of the day was super fun, as pacelines of fast folks finishing the 200 mile distance were continually passing me. Normally, I would never call getting passed fun, but they were all so supportive. So many cheers of “Good Job” and “YEAH!!! MARLEY!!!!” as they flew past me. I really felt like I belonged and that this was my community.
And then my shoe troubles came back to haunt me.
I swapped socks and shoes at the midway point which felt absolutely amazing - until the muddy section. Not surprisingly, my cleats became super jammed up with mud, making clipping in and out of my pedals incredibly hard. It got so bad I actually couldn’t unclip either shoe, forcing a few slow motion falls when I needed to stop. Eventually, I figured out that I could loosen my shoes, letting me pull my foot out of my shoe when I needed to stop. Ridiculous.
The last 15 miles were a blur. I was riding high on the success of my day so far and still feeling great. I was doing an excellent job continually fueling myself and staying hydrated - besides my shoe woes, everything was going better than expected!
As we got closer to town there were a few groups of spectators on the side of the road, offering water, beer and snacks. I gratefully grabbed a Miller Lite and slow rolled a mile, savoring the crisp coolness of the brew. At mile 100, I let out a huge cheer…and realized I still had 4 more miles to go but at this point, barring something absolutely catastrophic, I was actually going to finish!
So gross.
The last push uphill on the Emporia State University campus nearly killed me, but with throngs of cheering crowds on either side, there was no way I wasn’t going to give it my all. Slowly climbing this hill, I put everything I had into each pedal stroke. I was rewarded at the top with a shot of fireball, yet again putting to use my cyclocross skills with a clean handup. I took the shot, gagging and regretting my decision and was off for the last half mile to the finish.
The finish line chute was like nothing I had experienced before - crowds of people lining the street for 5 blocks before the finish line, cheering and chanting. I pulled my foot out of my shoe again (I’d have to stop soon) and rode the last 300 yards with my foot resting on top of my shoe. At this point, all I wanted to do was finish.
Pure joy at the finish
As I crossed the finish line, a volunteer handed me an ice cold towel from Chamois Butt’r and I collapsed into a puddle of mud, tears, and elation that I had actually done it. I finished Unbound Gravel 100, making it my very first century ride!
I am so grateful to the team in Emporia who puts on this event, to all my sponsors for their support, and everyone who helped me get here. I’m also super grateful to Justin Balog and Freddy Winters who were a super fun film crew to work with and were an excellent support team. I can’t wait to see what they produce - hopefully a gem!
In the end , I finished in 12 hours, 44 minutes. My heart rate averaged 145 bpm, which is Zone 3 for me. Overall, it was a hard ride, but not harder than so many other things I’ve done in my life. I’m so excited to do it again - maybe next time with less mud.
Well, I didn’t win, but I’m pretty dang proud of this.