Weeks 13 - 25

It's all a blur. To those who are following my posts, I'm sorry I'm not more diligent about doing regular updates. I will try to do better. But please know that the only reason I'm not blogging is because things are going fine.

Since my first bike ride out on the road, I've relearned how to ride and have found that I bike faster than I did pre-surgery. I've also rebuilt my running endurance and again, I'm faster than I was pre-surgery. My PT said that could be because my range of motion is improved, but is more likely due to the focus on core strength in my therapy regiment. I can vouch for improved core strength! My neck and back don't hurt much any more, and I can do all kinds of things, including elevated planks, where my feet are in straps that are hanging from the ceiling. I even did inverted "jumping jacks" while in plank position.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and my physical therapy sessions are now over. I've made such good progress that I no longer need assistance in rebuilding my strength and endurance. I've been cleared for all activities, except for squats that go beyond 70 degrees, which is fine with me. I'm gearing up to go back to Tae Kwon Do, and have started stairclimbing again. I am following my triathlon training program, and have found that the more active I am, the less my hip hurts.

My worst days are when I don't have time to get my PT exercises in (still have to do them, even though I'm not going in!). After a couple days of skipping PT, my sciatica comes back full force and I start limping again. This is not the same kind of pain I had pre-surgery - it's nerve and muscle-related, and not in the joint. Plus I know exactly how to make it go away...a single day of jogging and lower-body strength training works like a charm every time.

I had hoped to compete in a triathlon by the end of the year, since I've done one every year for the past 5 years, but given my work/school schedule, I barely have time to get my training in. So I'm not thinking I'll be ready to be competitive. Plus I live in Wisconsin, and I'm not too keen on traveling with my bike to the islands and getting a crash course in ocean swimming just to find a race.  But there's no reason I can't do one on my own. So on December 31, you will find me in my gym, swimming 1/2 mile, biking 12.4 miles, and jogging 3.1 miles - in whatever amount of time it takes me.