Setbacks are not sexy, but they happen and must be dealt with. This blog has been a little quiet over the last couple weeks because that is exactly what I’ve been dealing with. I had hoped they would pass quickly, and my training path would continue towards a triumphant descent into Nice, France next year.

The first setback was the nagging hip injury that bothered me throughout the latter part of the cycling season, specifically on Six Gap Century. It had gone away for awhile until I experienced soreness after riding up in Asheville. No problem. I could rest a couple of days. Unfortunately it became worse, and continued in that direction for a few days. I knew that this was going to slow me down significantly, as the hip heals very slowly.

Since I cannot afford to spend the next few months on the couch, I made another appointment with my doctor. He talked to me, looked me over, and told me that since I’m an athlete, I need special treatment. I almost laughed when he told me that. Me? An Athlete? I’m just a dude that rides a bike, but I agree that the normal measures are not going to work.

As it turned out, I started getting a sore throat the day before my appointment. Uh oh. Yes, I was getting sick. When I’m training, I hardly ever get sick. Sometimes I’ll get a little something that will slow me down for a day or two, but my body usually fights it off. This time I had not been training, and it ran over me like a mack truck.

The doctor diagnosed it as a common cold. Good. That would pass in a day or two, and I could resume some light training. Coach Bobby told me that as long as the cold symptoms remain in my head and not my chest, that I would be able to continue.

That wasn’t happening. As the cold progressed, it knocked me down hard. I was on the couch, drinking sodas, chewing cough drops, and eating as much soup as I could stomach. When I wasn’t sleeping, I was watching episodes of Breaking Bad.

This private hell continued over the next couple days. Training of any sort was out of the question. I started to clear up yesterday. The dry cough became productive and phlegmy. My sinuses loosened up, the voice cleared up, and I could feel it flowing out of me. For the first time all week, I felt like I could function, and I wanted to get outside.

I’m still not there yet. The cold is passing through slowly, and might not be completely gone until the middle of next week. Hopefully the rest and the new doctor will be just what I need, and I can continue going hard in a week or two.

By the way, Breaking Bad is a fantastic show.