My midnight commute home was through a gathering storm. There were those Dracula-movie lightning bolts in the sky ahead of me, and it was weird to see the moon shining through the clouds at the same time. I was kinda scared, but at the same time grateful that I wasn't in a car. I was right in the middle of it--the fresh ozone smell of the storm, the stink of the first raindrops hitting the dusty earth, the sound of thunder, rain and wind, and the feel of the temperature dropping 10 degrees in a few moments.

I ran a red light then saw a cop sitting there. OOPS! I hoped he wouldn't stop me as I really wanted to get home before the brunt of the storm hit. He let me go. Whew!

LilSprocket, the meniscus tear isn't that bad an injury--assuming you have the more common type! I had one a few years back and wish I hadn't had the surgery.

My $0.02....if you have the tear and decide to get it repaired, make sure your quadriceps are as strong as you can make them before having it done. Many folks I know have had it done (we all play Ultimate Frisbee, which is hell on your knees) and many of us developed patellar tendinitis either because of the tear or the recovery from the surgery. Having really strong quads will help prevent that (and help the tear itself).

Here's hoping you don't have it!

I rode in today, over and out!

ARGH!!! Crazy ride home! I had to yell at some young chick driving an old POS 90's Saturn. She comes up from behind with two of her scags in tow blowing her horn for no good reason. Long story short, she tells me I should be riding on the sidewalk .

I told her if she doesn't know how to drive around bikes, then she shouldn't be driving. I didn't want to ride angry so I took this as a Omen and scrapped my afterwork ride. Some people think they own the forkin road and don't want to share it for shyte!

Followed a couple messengers up 3rd Ave. on the way home which made for a fun ride, zig-zagging through and around traffic w/ nary a stop. Also made my commute home one my fastest w/o really trying.

The commute today was awesome. My bike has been out of commission for 3 months. I ordered a new one and they were through making my size for the year. I fixed up my old one and today was the first commute since it crapped out on me. I went out for a lunchtime ride too. It felt so good to be riding again. I vow to not be without a bike for that length of time again until I'm ready to hang up my fenders.

Got caught in a pop-up thunderstorm. Lasted just long enough to thoroughly soak me. Fenders still work.

Great ride in today, using the big chain ring more and really generated some speed mid 30mph. Coming home sucked I was slow and tired and some ******** yelled at me for sport just as I crested a little hill. Good news I drastically increased my rpms trying to catch him at the light. All training is good.

I haven't posted in this section in ages. The ride was lovely, through the park as usual, la-di-dah, everything's great, until....I took my work clothes out of my basket when I arrived, and I realized I had everything except one thing: my bra! Oh no! Had to decide which was more professional, my cylcling tank top (liner has a bra), or my blouse for work, but bra-less. I picked the blouse; fortunately, almost everyone is out of the office today, on vacation or out sick....

fairly fast commute to school from my parents house this morning. temps were cooler but muggy. part of a street on my route was recently repaved and that section is really fun to hammer and go as fast as possible on. my front reflector came loose early in the commute and I had to pull over to re-tighten it. other than that nothing out of the ordinary on the ride in, good ride overall.

warmer in the afternoon. I was tired and had been doing some reading in the afternoon so I left later than usual and went straight home. had to pull over to adjust my seat halfway through the ride. great ride back too.

The deer was gone by the time I was going home, but the scent remains.

Hey! Thanks b! I hope not too. So, unless it's horrible (which I don't think it is, I'm inclined to go check stuff out asap, before anything gets worse), you figure to let it heal on it's own??? I'd be into that... It's tough to work the quads more when the knee is sore... any suggestions? Shallower squats??

I plan to work commute tomorrow (I really miss my bikey when I don't) then the MRI in the evening.

A fine ride in today, the heat and humidity is back, but nothing like it was last week at this time. Managed to make it in to work without any dripping sweat (it started as soon as I got off the bike though). My seat had been slowly sinking on me, so when I got in to work had to raise it by ~1/2" to get it back where it belongs.

Good ride this morning. I can feel myself getting stronger with each passing commute. I definately have the bug now!

A humid and sticky morning. I'll ride all winter long, but it's July and August that give me doubt. Not really, but I'm going to sit here longer and cool off. Luckily I'm the first person here so I can take my shoes off for a while.

Tank top under work blouse! (Now I'm imagining how uncomfortable that would be.)

Nice commute this morning. Saw some cyclists, mostly on "comfort bikes". A squirrel crossed my path about 12 inches from my from tire. Stupid rodent.

Overcast sky, no rain, but humid. When I stopped riding after my arrival, I wilted.

Worst. Commute. Evar.
Left early this morning, made it a half-mile from home when I realized I didn't have my backpack w/ my clothes and laptop! ARGH! Leaving w/o my bag is a first for me. Turn around, grab my bag and back to work. The first half-mile was fine, but then traffic turned into a total nightmmare and even w/ lane splitting, changing lanes, and running reds, it still took what seemed like forever to get to work and when I got there, I was drenched in sweat. Can't wait to go home.

I guess that's worse than forgetting your underwear and going commando.

+1

Me too. Wait. No shoes. I'm wearing sandals. I also have my small fan sitting on my desk blowing cool air at me.
I'm usually the first one here so I turn the AC to 70F. The powers that be keep it at 78F in the summer.

While unpacking my clothes I realized that I didn't bring a bandana for the ride home. Supposed to be 92F with HIGH humidity.

Saw two new commuters today. The first was riding through my neighborhood going the opposite direction. I came across the second about 3 miles later. Every time she shifted the drivetrain made a lot of noise, the chain would sag, and finally shift. I wanted to say something to her but she kept speeding up whenever I got near her.

What advantage does the bandana give you? Does it keep sweat from pouring down your face, and if so, does that outweigh the heat it will trap on your head?

woke up late!
Lately I've been doing this thing where I wake up early and then fall back into a deep sleep, missing all alarms.

had to rush it in, refused to take subway. glad I did.
legs were sore from racing last night - still made it in under 30 mins.
gotta love a high gearing ratio

squealing, gripping brakes slowed me down a bit. But I'm glad I rode in.

Last night I just putted home... no rush, just cruised along. Was kind of nice really because I never do that. I always seem to ride too hard and fast. I almost did that on the way in this morning, but climbing the hill I had to work it harder.

I think we are finally escaping the monsoon season we have been stuck in for the last couple of weeks. We need the water, so I guess it's been a blessing disguised as daily downpours. Today we are down to 20% chance of scattered showers... It's been 50% chance of heavy rain most every day.

They are sealing the parking lots here so people are scrambling for spots and walking from a lot 1/4 mile away. I parked 36 inches from the door

Yes indeed--shallower squats, biking more (and maybe in higher gears for more resistance), swimming. I'd talk to a physical therapist if you can.

re: letting it heal. From what I read, it won't repair itself--the cartilage, if torn, stays torn. But the symptom I experienced--having my knee lock up occasionally, but no pain--was one I probably could have lived with. The patellar tendinitis, on the other hand, took months to go away, hurt like hell, and prevented me from jumping.

My tear was small though. You may have a more serious tear or different symptoms. Good luck with it!