Weeks 8-12

The past month or so has been very busy with school, work, and PT, so I haven't had much time to muse about my recovery. But yesterday was a big day, so I wanted to share.

Rehab has been mostly about strength training lately, but some new things are being added it that are making me very happy. I'm starting to feel like a normal person instead of a recovering patient. Jogging is in full force, three times a week - every other session I increase my mileage. I'm doing leg presses with hundreds of pounds of weight, and am getting some really strong abs from the planks, core marches, T-stances, torso twists, and even the straight leg lifts. I'm also doing jump squats, jumping drills, and sprint drills. On non-jogging days, I'm just supposed to get in 45-60 minutes of general cardio, preferably no or low-impact. I usually swim or use the stationary bike. Swimming is building back up slowly - the other day I managed 550 meters, which was exciting for me. Biking was getting boring, but then my therapist told me to get out on the road. He said using clipless pedals would actually be a great workout for my hip.  Yay!!

I was so excited to start the next day - it was time to get back on my race bike. I haven't actually been on a bike that required pedaling or balance to stay upright since July of last year. It's hard to believe it's been 13 months since I've seen the bike trail. I ran through my checklist: water, sunglasses, helmet, watch, etc. After I was all ready, it was time to get on the bike. And I froze. After all this time and prep work, I realized I was scared to death.

What if I crash? What if I forgot how to ride? What if it hurts? What if I tear something else? What if I just can't? Wow, at least I wasn't alone. Hubby was right there with me, telling me that everything will be ok. So I clipped my right foot onto the pedal, took a deep breath, and started to go.

Oops. The gear's too hard, and I can't get enough speed to clip my left foot in. Ok, shift and try again. Oh, now I can't find the clip with my left foot and I wobble to a shaky stop. Third time's a charm. Off I go, and turn onto the road leading to the bike trail. But it's uphill, and I'm not conditioned. I quickly change gears to try to the easiest setting so I can make it.

Wow, turns out I forgot how to change gears on my bike and instead quickly made it as hard as humanly possible. There's no way I'm strong enough to push the pedals, and I start to go down. Luckily, my foot snaps out of the pedal just before I topple and I manage to stay upright. I ask my husband to hold the bike up and turn the pedals while I relearn how to shift.

The ride is a slow one. It does not escape my attention that I am decked out in sleek racing gear on my skinny road bike, and I'm being passed by old men on clunkers. But I love life's little ironies, so I just smile. We went four miles out, then turned around and came back. By mile six, I could definitely tell my hip was not too happy, so I slowed down even more. But a couple of downhill sections let me get up to 15+ mph, and I remembered why I loved my fast bike. By the time we got home, I decided that I would dismantle the trainer and ride on the road every time I biked from now until the snow flies. Overall, it was a great ride, and I'm thrilled to be on the road once again!