During my recovery, I was told by the MDs that I needed to be cautious for a while since another concussion would be a "bad thing" so soon after my accident. The medical folks said that I should stay off the bike for about 6 months to a year! That would mean no riding until August 2009 or, best case, until February!
Over the Christmas holidays, I decided to give myself a present. With a garage full of road and mountain bikes that had been calling to me every time I walked by, I finally gave in and took my first real bike ride on December 27, 2008. I got the hardtail out, trued the wheels, added some Stan's sealant to the tires, lubed the chain, and took my first real ride since 8/9/08 when I got punched out by that truck mirror. I jumped every curb on the neighborhood circle route I could find and even did a short trackstand.
I must have looked like a real geek with my running shoes and jeans, but it was the best ride I have ever taken! It brought back memories of my first 2-wheel bike ride down the sidewalks of Brooklyn on E14th Street with my dad running behind me.
Every day I would venture farther from home and started to ride my old training route. I added more miles every day and have worked my way up to 60 miles. While this sounds great, I still have a lot of training to do before I am race-ready again.
You really need to listen to yourself and weigh all of the "advice" and recommendations you receive. Here's a sampling of what I heard in the past six months:
Over the Christmas holidays, I decided to give myself a present. With a garage full of road and mountain bikes that had been calling to me every time I walked by, I finally gave in and took my first real bike ride on December 27, 2008. I got the hardtail out, trued the wheels, added some Stan's sealant to the tires, lubed the chain, and took my first real ride since 8/9/08 when I got punched out by that truck mirror. I jumped every curb on the neighborhood circle route I could find and even did a short trackstand.
I must have looked like a real geek with my running shoes and jeans, but it was the best ride I have ever taken! It brought back memories of my first 2-wheel bike ride down the sidewalks of Brooklyn on E14th Street with my dad running behind me.
Every day I would venture farther from home and started to ride my old training route. I added more miles every day and have worked my way up to 60 miles. While this sounds great, I still have a lot of training to do before I am race-ready again.
You really need to listen to yourself and weigh all of the "advice" and recommendations you receive. Here's a sampling of what I heard in the past six months:
- I would never ride a bike again.
- I will fatigue easily. Therefore, I will need to look for another sport since endurance racing is out.
- My balance will be crappy.
- My racing days are over.
Endurance racers know how to keep our bodies going when our minds say "STOP!" This has been a tremendous help to me as I go through this funky ordeal. It takes a lot to stop me. I can keep going even when I am tired.
My next challenge: fighting off the munchies. Right after my ordeal, I lost some weight but it looks like have gained about 5 lbs. of baby fat. This is not uncommon in the winter months after the race season ends but I am usually in race shape by now. I can't pass up a cookie. While I still eat healthy, I find that my appetite is tough to satisfy. Next test: lose the weight before July 1.
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