Can I get there from here?

Today was not exactly what I would call a banner day on the road less traveled.  That would be the road to being a superhero (or at least the one toward being forever out of load-pile-land).  In fact from where I sat at two I would have said "you can't get there from here."  It was a Doctor's office day.  An orthopedic Doctor.  I have been having problems with my left hip.  Six weeks back I got a diagnosis that it was Bursitis from the LPN who works for our GP.  She is a nice lady.  Very smart lady too.  I am very fond of her. She told me bursitis.  Rest.  Ibuprofin.  Ice.  Mtn biking to be eased back into.  You will be fine.  That will be $90 (no medical insurance - makes all of this take on an even ghastlier cast).  A second visit, an x-ray.  No visible problem.  Should be better.  Go see an Ortho-doc if you want.  I'd give it a few more weeks though.  Bursitis takes a while to heal.  You will be fine.  Sure, race in the Whiskey Off-road if want (see blog entry My first whiskey).  It might hurt.  Might slow the healing some.  You will be fine.  Rest on the couch.  Less impact.  More ice.  As I said, I like her.  She was wrong about my hip though.

Indeed today's visit to the Orthopedic Doctor was to request a cortisone shot to treat the bursitis and get me back on the pavement.  I have an olympic distance triathlon on 13 May.  I want to place top 5 in my age group!  I have another in New York on 3 June.  Same goals there.  I spoke about it in a previous entry - Hips don't lie.  Perhaps my little plageristic nod to Shakira drew some karmic retribution.  Within a few minutes the Doctor told me that I had a stress fracture.  I had dodged a bullet at the Whiskey.  One hard fast "declip" from the pedals and hard foot plant (like at 20mph on a rock) and I would have been leaving the course in the basket hanging from a helicopter.  Then I would have been facing a total hip replacement without medical insurance.  Grim.  My beloved would have been facing years of me being disabled and devastated.  It would not have done good things to any aspect of my life.

So now what?  I can swim.  I can train to kick ass at Masters Nationals  I can ride my road bike - with a level of caution that borders on abject wussiness.  I can survive intact to heal and jump back into the fight another day.  I can love and nuture my four kids.  I can build fantastic bikes (for other people - anyone want one?)  I can get better.  I can get there from here.