Getting Old SUCKS. Bad Feet, Shoulders and Vertigo.

February 2006. My first motorcycle trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles on my trusty Ninja 250. 

It's been a painful last couple of months. Haven't been riding much and I feel completely out of it. 

A couple months ago I decided to visit a Podiatrist to see about my left foot. I have this painful bump on the top of my foot which I thought was a bunion. Nope, turns out it's probably a ganglion cyst. And turns out I have terrible foot issues that cause me to walk uneven and as a result puts undue pressure on the nerve inside the ganglion cyst. I also have a really high instep so that's not making the situation any better. It's already hard for me to find shoes to fit my feet into, let alone additional pressure on the top of my foot that makes it feel even worse.

Generally, I have to find shoes that aren't too tight around my ankles because of this. 

Good times. This makes wearing my motorcycle boots for 10+ hours a day difficult unless I wear them really really loose which isn't going to work either. So I did a little bit of physical therapy for my foot which has helped a bit, but hasn't completely resolved the cyst issue. I think I need to go back to the Podiatrist soon. 

Next on the list, is my right shoulder. I went to the Ortho the other day and I likely have Bursitis. I haven't done any long rides recently but it's hard to say whether it'll be affected by that. I basically need to keep working on strengthening my shoulder muscles (which I've been working on for almost 5 months now with Crossfit. LOVE IT. Shoutout to Fearless in Philly!) I'll probably need physical therapy too. 

Ok, what else? Oh doh, the main reason I wasn't riding last month is because I had a terrible case of Vertigo. Turns out my blood pressure is so low (~95-100/70) that it caused dizziness and lightheadedness. It took a few weeks, but my head finally came back to normal. The weather was pristine here in Philly too (low 70s) and I totally missed it. Now we're into high 50s, low 60s but I still want to try and go riding this weekend. 

I had several issues with dizzyness/lightheadedness in the past 5-7 years where I would feel that way for 2-3 weeks at a time and I never figured out what it was. My blood pressure has always read below ~120 so I suspect this is it. The solution per my doctor is drink lots of water (which I'm doing, going through about 60oz every day) and more salt in my diet! I'm totally ok with that, because I have a Savory Tooth. 

Chili Cheese Fries at Tony Lukes. Their cheesesteaks are amazing too!

Comprehensive Gear Recommendations for Fall/Winter

Rukka Apollo Gore-Tex Gloves

Sign up for my newsletter because next week I'm releasing a comprehensive guide to staying warm, dry and protected for Fall/Winter riding seasons. 

Recommendations by body types and lifestyle including jackets, pants, gloves and boots. 

Motorcycle Men Podcast

Earlier this week I was a guest on another podcast called the Motorcycle Men. 

Ted, Tim and Chris were absolute gentlemen and such a pleasure to talk to. They let me go and on about riding motorcycles and asked some really great questions about women in motorcycling. They hail from New Jersey and are cruiser heads who I think, had a blast talking to little old me about sportbikes. :D

THANK YOU for having me on Guys! Take a listen: 

http://www.motorcyclemen.us/episodes/blog/episode-52-a-monkey-a-woody-and-joanne

And then don't forget to visit my podcast, Moterrific and listen to our latest episode 85 where Cristi and I get caught up after a month long break.

http://www.moterrific.com/blog/2016/9/18/episode-85-birthday-adventures-in-pillion-and-just-jeeping

New Boots from Daytona, The Lady Pilot GTX

Daytona Lady Pilot GTX, $329 Revzilla.com

I've always been a Daytona fan but in recent years I've left my Daytonas behind except for extreme weather conditions like freezing temperatures and heavy wet weather riding. I also have found ways of compensating for lack of height using other methods.

But if you're looking for a way to get additional height without resorting to a casual styled, chunky heel that isn't protective enough, light enough, or strong enough for riding then try these new Lady Pilots from Daytona.  

I'm liking the cleaner calf / leg design and the simplified styling. To me it also seems like there's more height offered through the soles given the wedge-boot style design. I'm going to test this theory out this week and try on my Ladystars and these Lady Pilots to see if I can tell a height difference. Fit wise, these are going to be a wider fitment overall like the Ladystars but we'll see if there's much difference. 

Either way, you save $100 and get the height you might be looking for with a simplified style and the same comfort and quality you'd expect from Daytona.