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Back on the bike after 10 months!

  • 05-09-2012 12:15pm
    #1
    fenris
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,078 ✭✭✭


    Had my first proper spin/commute today in 10 months following my MTB shoulder mangling exploits and I feel fine!

    I know that it is a cliche but I really had forgotten how much fun getting out on a bike is even for a fairly dull Bray N11 - City centre commute, staying ahead of the 145 was my main challenge, commuter racing was nowhere on the agenda!

    My real point is that I was really surprised as to why it was so easy to get out of the cycling habit this time. I am no stranger to injury as any of you who know me will testify and have never had any problem getting back on the bike - sometimes unwisely.

    This time I think there were a couple of differences to my normal process of get hurt, heal up (physio etc.), go out for an easy spin if everything works taper back up to normal service.

    This time things felt okay, went for easy spin muscles tore again, lots of physio, felt good, went back out (road spin) numb arm and massive nerve pain, lots more physio very slow process.

    I think the unpredictable double hit (no twinges just straight to fsck'd up) combined with the the amount of time passing allowed the frustration and pain memories to outweigh the good cycling memories in the back of my head and gently but effectively steer me away from getting back on the bike for longer than I thought possible.

    Speaking to some friends who also tend to enjoy life and would know physios and orthopedic surgeons on first name terms, lead me to realise that an unintentional delay like mine in getting back on the bike was quite common especially when you have done the re-injury thing almost like the body trying to protect itself, I think that it is something to watch out for as it could potentially keep you off the bike/ away from activities you enjoy.

    How to fix that in the future, maybe leaving things heal properly would be a good start - but probably unlikely, but being aware that significant re-injury can hit your motivation over time and allow replacement more sedate activities to gain a hold!

    Setting a recovery date in stone to go out and give it a go, if it doesn't work out then set another one and so on.

    Any thoughts?


Comments

  • #2
    seamus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    You're probably right near the end - the first time you get back on the bike, you're optimistic that it will go OK and you'll have fun. Then you injure yourself and there's a pause, and the next time you're back on the bike you're less optimistic, and so on. So your pessimism grows the longer it takes to recover and get back on the bike. Each time you feel OK, you're more pessimistic about whether or not it would be OK to get on the bike, so you put it off a little longer just in case.

    The abysmal summer probably hasn't helped either by not presenting many opportunities for looking out the window and thinking that a cycle would be a great idea.


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