« Big trees and little nuts | Main | Unexpected revelations »
Bacon: saved. Now does anyone know a good treatment for bee stings?
I nearly freaked out last week when I looked up my broken bike part on the Cervelo web site. It's just a tiny little nut. Cervelo would have charged me $3.50 for the nut plus NINETEEN DOLLARS shipping from Canada. Granted, those are wee Canadian dollars, but $22.50 for a one-gram scrap of aluminum? That's highway robbery.
Lucky for me, Eric at Pacific Bikes, a local Cervelo dealer, saved the day. He had the exact nut I needed, he put my new saddle on the bike (and wow, what a difference a good saddle makes*), he adjusted my fit slightly, and he charged me a very reasonable rate for his time and care. I've done bike fittings with Eric before and he's got a gift for triathlon fit. Also, he freelances on the mechanic team at many of the US Ironman events. It was very cool to see a friendly face waving from the sag car several times on the course at IM Wisconsin last year. And then we ran into him in the airport bar on our way home, and I think he was just as tired and sore as I was. Like I said: good guy!
That big bike week I planned? Kind of fizzled. I did ride a bike seven days in a row, and I got in a total of 225 miles plus a very challenging trainer workout (5-minute intervals at 100% watts... sounds hard, and it was). I was hoping for 300-350 miles, but alas, that didn't happen. I did, however, have an excellent ride on the Big Kahuna Triathlon bike course on Saturday, followed by a 30-minute run with pretty fresh-feeling legs. So that bodes well for this season's A race.
The insect sting I got last Tuesday -- over a week ago! -- has turned into a mottled, puffy, bruised, hive-flecked patch on my upper thigh. It's a really ugly circle about two inches in diameter. So far, it has shown no signs of fading. It actually looks kind of like a black eye... nowhere near my face. What am I supposed to do, put a steak on it? Any ideas that won't put me to sleep like Benadryl?
*Huge thanks to Jess and Deb for recommending the Jett... holy ischial tuberosities, this is the greatest saddle I have ever ridden. I am now the proud owner of two and I loooove them. My, uh, soft tissue is so much happier.
August 15, 2007 5:43 PM
I wonder if Benadryl cream would help, if applied to the sting. It did seem to work when my son was stung behind his ear, and you usually have to overdose on the cream for it to make you sleepy.
I've been reading your blog a while, but I don't think I've commented before. What an odd first comment to leave. Hi, I enjoy your writing and hearing about your triathlons, and I love your photographs.
Baking soda paste might help (just baking soda and a little warm water).
:)
A - remember that sting you helped me with last year? I treated it with baking soda paste - and it did take forever to go away but it took away the pain and itch... and it helps draw out the poison that makes that ugly 'target' circle on your sting area... PS i cant wait to get that new saddle! where did you get yours?