Anatomical Reference of the Day

             Went for a road ride yesterday.  I know, that is what is expected from a blogger that calls himself idaho rider, but it's been a tough season, and I've not done much riding outside of my work commute since June.  My season started out good.  I usually start commuting to work about mid February.  Then, when the roads get good, usually late march, I get on the road bike and ride myself back into riding form.  By mid May, it is time to start mountain biking for real.  However, this year I decided it would be a good idea to train for the "Tour of Pain", a double century put on by a local brewery.  I started increasing my mileage in early April, and by May I was averaging 200+ miles per week, with a century thrown in every Saturday.  By the end of May, I was feeling stronger on the bike than ever before.  On the Saturday before Memorial Day (yankee memorial day, as they call it down south), I went for a 125 mile road ride.  On Memorial Day, I met up with Rick and Mars to do a mountain bike ride at Farragut State Park.  Like I said, I was strong.  So, for my first mountain bike ride of the year, we rode 3 hours of single track through the park.   It was great!

             At this point, if you are squeamish, or you somehow have no interest in my urinary tract health, then I suggest that you turn away.  That night I got very little sleep.  I was up 2 to 3 time an hour peeing.  The next day, I, of course, rode to work.  I was miserable all day, and the ride home was terrible.  I went to my doctor, and he diagnosed that I had a prostate infection.  He then put me on antibiotics,  did all the usual test to make sure nothing else was going on, and told me to come back in a few weeks.  I tried to keep riding, but it was just too uncomfortable, so I took 2 weeks off.  

             After the medicine and the time off the bike, I started to commute again, but things just didn't seem right.  I could not get comfortable on saddles that I had been riding for years.  So I started experimenting with different saddles, kept commuting, and had no symptoms, except for the fact that I just wasn't comfortable.  I went back to see the doc, and my prostate was still infected.  So this time, he put me on 30 days worth of antibiotics, and told me no riding.  I took a month off, then went on vacation for 2 weeks and didn't take a bike.  When we got back from vacation, I started commuting again.  After another 2 weeks, I went back to my doc, and I still had an infection!  This time, he sent me to see a urologist.

             I dreaded the trip to the urologist.  For one thing, I was getting sick of having my prostate fondled.  It is not a pleasant thing when it is healthy, and it is downright painful when infected.  But, more than anything, I was afraid that he was going to tell me that my days riding a "normal" bike were through.  I did not want to become a recumbent rider.  I have worked hard to lose weight, and the thought of having to put on fifty pounds, wear outlandish jerseys three time too small, and grow a full mountain man beard, did not appeal to me!

             The urologist examined me, told me that I had chronic prostatitis, and that as long as I was not having any symptoms, I could ride as much as I want (I'm not really sure that he actually said, as much as I want, but I'm sure that's what he meant).  On a side note, he was interrupted by his nurse during my exam, and had to go to another exam room.  Upon his return, he apologized and explained that he had had to go dilate another patient.  So, I guess it could have been worse.

             So anyway, I went for a rode ride yesterday.  About 25 miles, in the cold, with some climbing thrown in.  I rode pretty hard, my toes went numb, and I was pretty tired at the end.  AND IT FELT GREAT!