untimely rain

I know I shouldn't complain, but it seems like the velodrome is a magnet for rain lately. At least we got in a few laps last night. But it worked out to about a dollar per lap for the category 1/2's. ugh That was enough time for Mr. Crosby to make contact with the Donimator, who would win any full contact bike incidents, I believe. We will be keeping an eye on the wily Brian Crosby for the rest of the season; perhaps he doesn't realize the reputation he's building. Anyway, my new deductible coverage kicks in next week, so I won't back away from any confrontations for financial reasons. (Thanks, USCF!) I still believe in safe racing, however. Accidents happen, but they can also be avoided with respect for others on the track.

It looks like a fine Memorial weekend shaping up, so I'll be setting up a tent at a flea market in St Croix Falls to market my massage business. Stop by if you need any kinks worked out :)

Insurance

I feel safer today. I just got an email from USA Cycling, telling about their new insurance program that fills a big gap for cyclists. You see, cycling is an inherently dangerous sport, blah blah blah...well, I've found out the hard way a few times. My lumpy collarbones are my trophies, and I am wiser because of such incidents, but I'd rather not have to worry about hospital bills when healing from a bicycle crash. So it didn't take me more than a few seconds to decide to sign up for the latest insurance deal. It is a product that covers those huge deductibles that many health insurance products come with these days. $25 a month for singles, and just a little more for family coverage. When you realize that it could end up paying for a $5000 deductible on USAC's accident insurance for racers with no primary health insurance, you see the value. I'll be a lot more confident sticking my handlebars in between others during Keirin battles knowing that if the worst case scenario puts me in a hospital, I will at least be able to ask for care without worrying how much it costs first!

Muscles Don't Have Ears

What?!? Most people wouldn't argue with me on this point; but there are those that think you can talk with a massage therapist in passing and get your therapy 'on the cheap.' I usually oblige them, while I'm doing chair massage at a baseball game or a business expo, but I am usually wasting my time (and theirs) by trying to explain things that only my hands can show them. Sure, I can suggest a few stretches or posture corrections, but if it were that easy, there would be little need for massage. Of course, some of these conversations lead to some hands-on education, which is usually how I get suckered into such dialogues. I think, 'This person could use a massage, and maybe they're just testing me to see if I'm the type of therapist they're looking for.' But more often than not they go hobbling off, thinking they are going to translate those few words we exchanged into relief from their physical pain. I think my advice for such folks in the future will be that they will learn more from actually feeling the massage, and how their soft tissues react, than they'll ever learn from a frantic verbal search for relief. In short, 'Muscles don't have ears!'