So after the follow up visit and being cleared it was time to get back to training!! Yippee!!!!!!!!
It is hard to put into words how difficult it is to begin training again after a lay off. It had been pretty close to a month since I followed a routine of any sort. The physical aspects are really the minor elements of it. It is getting all of the logistical and mechanical pieces put in place.
Briefly recapping:
February 3rd, Knee scoped
February 4th, Report to Coach, no scheduled training until after follow up visit
February 12th, follow up visit, all clear to bike/swim/and limited weight training
February 13th, First training session 30 minute easy bike.
Actually that first week trying was pretty straight forward. Wednesday was the follow up visit so Thursday was the 30 minute bike ride. Friday was scheduled to rest and then Saturday was another 30 minute bike ride. Sunday rest again. Very simple 1 hour on the bike. Jump on the bike ride a bit and then off the bike, rest a day and then do it again. Simple, or so I thought.
The first ride was during the week and I also was back at work. With limited sunlight hours the ride would need to be done in doors on my spin trainer. This was actually a good thing. My surgeon suggest that rides on a stationary bike would be better for the first couple of rides. This would essentially eliminate the risk of falling and doing further damage to the knee. Since I had not ridden for a month I would generally be a little less stable on the bike. Less stable, the greater the odds of falling. In all a good plan to be on the spin trainer.
I had put the spin trainer away before Christmas and now it was time to get it out and mount up. Well it took about 45 minutes to get everything in place and adjusted correctly. The long set up time was not normal. It was extended because I could not remember where things were and how to put them together. These are the logistical things we quite often think about when setting our training schedules. This was a typical sequence of occurrences;
It always starts with "okay I'm ready"
I get on the bike, and realize I forgot to set the resistance
I get off the bike and set the resistance
I get on the bike and realize I forgot my heart monitor
I get off the bike and look for the monitor
I then remember I forgot my water bottle.
I find and fill my water bottle.
I get back on the bike and as I am starting to peddle I remember that the reason that I got off the bike in the first place was to get my heart monitor
I get off the bike
I find the monitor and put it on.
I get back on the bike and start to peddle
When I am in mid season training all of this is second nature. I still make mental errors in mid season training but not as many as the this first day returning to training. Saturday's ride was outdoors and a little better but still kind of comical.
I went easy on myself for all the mental errors, after the bike ride does involve a lot of gear. You have special bike shoes, a helmet, special shorts etch.. Monday of the following week was my first swim. It just like the bike short and low intensity. So lets run down the list of my self imposed difficulties. I could not find my bathing suit at first, I did not even think to look for my googles (luckily they were in my bag). I almost left without a towel and when I got the Natatorium I realized that I did not have a lock for my locker.
Needless to say I got better. Physically the first workouts were tough. The bike was much easier than the swims. My workouts continued to be short, low intensity and spaced out. My first 1 hour swim was about 2 weeks after the follow up appointment and I have to tell you, it was tough. I barely made through but I did and it felt good. The best of all through this was that my knee did not give me any problems.
As I was getting back into this all I was also getting some extra yard work done. Yard work was one of the first techniques I used to loss weight. Rather than sit in front of the TV I would go out in the yard for an hour and work in the yard. I remember cutting the lawn two nights in a row just to get off the couch. Yard work is cheaper than a Gym membership and my yard looks better for it. One of the best weight loss tools I bought was a $19.99 teaching rake at Home Depot. I really think they could increase sales selling their tools as exercise equipment.
Well, unfortunately I over worked my self in the yard and ended up with a pulled muscle in my groin. Pretty painful, at first I could hardly lift my legs high enough to walk. Getting up the stairs was very difficult. Getting into bed nearly impossible, rolling over the same.
So back to rest it is for a while until the pain subsides. The cycle rolls on.
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