Last Friday, January 11, I got back on my bike for the first time after a 10 week hiatus to recover from a pneumo thorax and broken ribs from a 20 mile an hour swan dive off of my bike just before Halloween.
Although I had taken the dog around the block a couple of times, both to give her some extra exercise and to check my balance, I hadn't been able to do a long ride in over 10 weeks.
Firday, dh and I did an easy 26 mile ride out to our favorite coffee shop and back again. I was feeling quite chuffed at the speeds we were hitting going out until I realized that I had forgotten about the Texas headwinds. I was firmly reminded of these on the way back.
I was also reminded of and reintroduced to the crazy Texas drivers. There's nothing like being on a rough two lane road with ditches on each side and a car coming on while a dump truck tries to blow past you to remind you that they really don't give a damn about anything that isn't bigger than they are. I guess those little adreniline bursts are designed to help me with my overall speed as I pedal frantically for the wider portions of the road where the ditch isn't quite so deep.
I was delighted to find that I could breath easily, while maintaining a decent recovery speed. The seat on the bike feels odd, as do the aero bars, but I'm pretty sure that that is simply a matter of getting the muscles reacquainted with positions and pressures, and TITS time will put all of that right.
I finished the ride with enough left that I could have done a few more miles if I had had to but was also pretty glad that I didn't.
Saturday however, the first work out with my trainer on Thursday followed by the bike ride on Friday caught up to me.
I crippled around the Pasadena Gun Show, an annual pilgrimage we make just for people watching and the joy of bizaare and unusual juxtapositioning, like a little old lady, aching in every joint and hurting in every muscle. I spent the afternoon collapsed in a chair, coasting on hot tea and Ibuporfen , wondering if this hurt as much as the actual accident itself and deciding that it came pretty close. However, I was recovered enough on Sunday to make it to the gym for some stationary biking and weight training. Like the old Monsanto motto "better living through chemistry."
All of the books say that for every week off training, you have to figure two or three weeks retraining. If that formula holds true, I will be struggling to approach my previous level just as I start the long spring charity ride on the Underground Railroad from Mobile, AL. to Ontario, Canada. Chatter among the participants has it that the second day out is a century day. Argh....That is news I could have done without.
At any rate, it gives me a goal to aim for and a way to settle into a reasonable schedule of weekly miles.
I did another session with my trainer today and although he is "taking it easy and going slow" it's still pretty depressing how far out of shape I've gotten. At least my energy came back enough , after a short break, to allow me to finish out with an hour of almost demanding cardio, so I guess I haven't lost as much endurance as I had feard.
All that notwithstanding, I still feel a need to crawl off to bed for a while and mentally gird my loins for tomorrow's ride.
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