the city was just like we left it, and full of people we miss, if only there was more time.
seeing pictures of new england cyclocross is killing me, really love that time of year. maybe i will make a visit next fall and race a little!
in other news, i have been laying pretty low lately, not doing much jiu-jitsu or bike racing, and the main reason is that for some time now i have had an inguinal hernia. at first the condition didn't cause much discomfort and the doctor i was seeing at the time gave me the green light to keep doing the running, riding, grappling, ect. well things have worsened, the pain and discomfort has gotten more frequent, and i have gotten to the point of shying away from racing and other activities for fear of complicating the situation.
thanks to the steeping room (where i work), texhealth, and the new health care legislation i am now insured, and pretty decently. when i recently went for my yearly physical the doctor (a real texan) told me i was, "healthy as a horse" with the exception of the hernia. he told me it was time to get the condition surgically repaired.
a few weeks later i had a consultation with a surgeon who explained to me the two main types of surgical options for this condition. laparoscopic vs. open.
the option i am choosing is the laparoscopic method, it involves smaller incisions, cameras and inflating part of my abdomen with air, which sounds nuts. it supposedly works well and patients have quicker recovery times this way. they staple some mesh over the weak area and most of the time thats it, more more problems, bye bye pain. thats the plan.
the down side is that they use general anesthesia as opposed to local. i never really thought about it before, but i am actually pretty freaked out by idea of being knocked out, and there is always a freak chance of something going wrong.
can't make decisions based on fear though, that never ends well.
i haven't scheduled the date yet, but i think this will go down in late october, leaving me fully up and running for busy winter months at the restaurant, and able to take spring classes at ACC without worrying about missing weeks of class.
two weeks is the estimate of how long i will be on "restricted" activity, thats not so bad. some people are able to get back to work in just a few days, but thats uncertain, so scheduling this is going to be tricky, but i start working on that today.
it will feel great to be able to run the half marathon i planned for this fall in the winter, the 3m in january maybe! to get some solid training in on my bike so i can return to racing for real in 2011. I still hope to be able to run the 2011 austin marathon. to stage race again. to get a blue belt in jiu-jitsu. to fell 100%.
so thats my update for now. wanted you all to be able to know what i am dealing with right now, if you are curious.
next update will be about the volunteer work i am starting this month with austin pets alive!
i hope you are all doing great, wearing sweaters, enjoying the fall.