I Hate following my own advice!

A Diary of Injury Recovery

I’m posting this series in the hope that it will be helpful and instructive for others.

Note the title of this post.  The advice I dispense is the best that I know.  Much (most) of this advice concerns things that I do on a regular basis.  Frankly, some of these things are not always pleasant.  We do them because they yield desirable results.  That last is highly applicable to recovery from an injury.  Many cyclists, and other athletes, are so constituted and motivated that the very idea of slowing down, backing off, or decreasing training is repugnant.

We tend to be goal-driven folks.  But sometimes we suffer a set-back.  When this occurs, it gives rise to an internal conflict.  Almost all of us know that injury requires treatment and recovery.  However, if that recovery process interferes with training, and there is a goal involved, we agonize.  It’s hard to stop, and it’s extremely difficult to let go of a goal.

The proper course of action is to make the healing, and recovery into the goal.  After all, failure to do so may jeopardize more than just an event.  Attempts to continue training, and vigorous intensity activity, can retard recovery, or even increase the severity of an injury.  So the job of recovering, in a healthy and correct fashion becomes the goal.

I’m not all that different from the athletes I mention above.  There are things that I use as goals and training-motivators.  I absolutely hate to postpone, cancel, or fail in achievement of those things.  I know that the advice I dispense regarding injury recovery is correct, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it!  Nor does it mean that I enjoy following it.

Progress to Date:

It has now been six weeks since I injured a rib and a fair amount of soft tissue, and connective tissue around it.  The healing process is not complete, but it is advancing well and in a normal fashion.  (I have been told I am recovering at an exceptional rate for one of my age.  YAY!)

For the past two weeks I’ve gradually (and most carefully) increased the amount of physical activity, primarily riding.  That’s in increase in volume, but emphatically not in intensity.  This has not been the time for stress exercise.  Also please note, that volume increase was not over my “norm” but rather from a very low level.  I am a long way from returning to “normal” volume levels.  This has brought me to a milestone of sorts.

This is the point where I should be able to stop the gradual decline in fitness.  If I can hold steady at this level for a week, I should then be able to start the long process of regaining previous fitness levels.

Next Phase:

For the next week I will decrease volume, while adding a carefully measured, and very nominal increase in effort level.  In the week follow that, if all goes well, I can bring the volume back up slightly.

That’s the balancing act.  First extend volume, the amount of exercise, watching for any signs that the body will not tolerate the increase.  Then, if successful, reduce volume slightly and bring effort levels up.  With luck and care, I should be pretty much back to “normal” levels of activity by the end of June.  Then I will be able to really train again.

Fingers crossed.  I’ll keep you posted.