Recovery Update

It's now been 10 months since getting sick and my recovery is glacially slow but measurable. I've been on the bike a couple of times -- sticking to the flat roads in our neighborhood. Hopefully a little regular riding will help address my chronic low-energy situation.

I rode 5 slow miles on Saturday which totally wiped me out. Recovery is equally slow, taking many days to recover from each ride. I'm obviously riding pretty slowly -- less than 10 mph so leg strength is really not a factor yet. The limiting factor is my shoulders, which are only strong enough to hold my upper body steady for a few minutes before wearing out. My hands also get tired pretty fast.

At my slow pace I'm not really getting into the cardio zone yet so I can't really judge how my new heart responds to training yet. I hope it will be OK.

Yesterday marked the first time I did a bit of resistance training, riding over the elevated pedestrian bridge that spans one of our local expressways. It's about 100 feet long and climbs about 30 feet. Short and stiff. I used to do sets of 10 out-of-the-saddle sprints up each side.

Now I ride it once each way -- which is more then enough. It awakened a number of unused muscles in my back and hips which remain sore this morning.

I think my cycling is more rewarding spiritually than physically but right now that's just fine. It just feels good being out there.

Back in the saddle

After months of anticipation I rode my bike today. It wasn't far or fast but it was a real ride -- helmet, gloves, heart rate monitor -- the works. The ride itself wasn't too bad, I used my monster-cross, a large-tired cross bike made by Black Mountain Cycles. It's got a really smooth ride and I sit a bit more upright than the Hakkalugi race bike. Still my shoulders were the limit, getting sore after just a few minutes.

It was a emotional event, Sunday morning bike rides have been a tradition for me for more than 10 years and restarting them marks a return to normalcy. During the ride, I was overcome with emotion as I remembered laying in the hospital bed dreaming about riding again. Today that dream came true.

Link to Strava