Can I get an AMEN from my fans?!? (in case you were wondering, if you read this blog, you're a FAN)
Back on my bike THREE separate times in the past week.
It is like starting from scratch and still very very painful (back-wise), but the cold morning air, combined with the "clicking in and out noises" (YES! You read right! I now have fancy pedals to match Caitlin's.) and the fact that ALC starts in 59 FREAKING DAYS has got me very excited and typing in all caps more than I probably should. But, I'm loud and excited and ready to pack my intense gear bag with....oh wait, I have a lot of clothes I need to purchase....so I will type in all caps.
I have been very silent about ALC and biking and such lately because, as Caitlin said, its been a rough month and a half. When I got sick at the beginning of March I never imagined that I would be off of my bike for 6 weeks. Seriously. But, its what happened and I, along with a team of awesomeness that I'm about to introduce you to, have been working very hard to get back to the starting gate.
3 weeks ago I was unable to walk without holding onto the wall, leaning forward at a 30 degree angle and cringing in pain. Now, because of the help of Jeff (aka Dr. Name on the Door), Sam (Mrs. Doctor Texas), Kyle (or "Kahlye" as Mrs. Dr. Texas calls him...) and Danno, and my other friends known as steroids, pain killers and muscle relaxants, I am standing up straight, walking to and fro and back on my bike. Dr. Name on the Door and Danno are also pro kit wearing cyclists and have been VERY supportive of me getting back on my bike in time to ride some kind of 600 miles. Mrs. Dr. Texas is skeptical of the biking, but she's a ball player, so maybe, just maybe, I'll get back on the court some day too. Hereinafter, Dr. Name on the Door, Mrs. Dr. Texas, Kahyle and Danno will be referred to as the "Pain Gang." (I'm a lawyer, so what can I say? I really like defined terms....)
So the Pain Gang cleared me for short bursts of riding at the end of last week and I have been trying to take advantage of it. It is definitely challenging to get back in the habit, and my muscles feel like they did when we started this whole thing, but the good news is that I've been getting up 3 times a week really early before work to see the Pain Gang, so getting up at 5:30 am has almost become a habit (which is probably the most disgusting sentence I've ever written).
So, just get ready to be entertained anew by the next 59 days of training hilarity from Caitlin and me. Aren't you excited??
Also, I would like to once again THANK EVERYONE who has so generously donated to AIDS/Lifecyle. You ARE making a difference! Caitlin and I are both less than 1k away from our minimum fundraising requirement of $3k, but we are shooting for $5k each. THANK YOU FOR HELPING US GET THERE! You are awesome.
Now, back to lawyering and such; I have an appointment with the Pain Gang at 11am and I think I'm required to get some work done before going. One more sidenote before I go: I love my new shoes. Love them. You know why? Well, you see, my feet and ankles are arguably my best features and the envy of everyone (hmm hmm, Caitlin) and these shoes make them look bad ass and skinny. PLUS, apparently, when I get back to riding a disgusting amount of miles and hills, having my shoes attached to my pedals is supposed to help with the struggle. We'll see about that, but in the mean time I love them because they are slimming. And, I will add an emoticon here just to bug Caitlin :-)
~~Autumn
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I'm sorry you've been dealing with back pain. I specialize in treating chronic pain and help many people with back pain by correcting the functional roots of their pain. Here’s a little 1-minute test to help you understand, what could be a fundamental cause of your pain.
ReplyDeleteLie down on your back for 30 seconds with legs extended out, resting on the floor. Now bend your knees so the feet are sitting flat on the floor near your behind for 30 seconds. Which one feels better? If your back pain diminishes with knees bent then your spine has excessive extension stress acting on it. There are simple exercises to correct this. If your spine felt better with legs extended then you have excessive flexion stress acting on your spine. Again this is easily correctable.
Without getting into too much detail, chronic pain results from a cycle of issues. Anatomical problems feed biomechanical issues which then affect movement habits that reinforce the original anatomical and biomechanical problems. Fixing back pain requires attention to all three levels. It's often quite simple to correct though once the root causes are understood. This is outlined in my book. I’ve also posted this 1-minute back pain test on YouTube, if you’re interested.
Best of luck with your training!
Rick Olderman