It's Friday, and I Don't Have a Good Post Title for Today

Before we get into the meat and potatoes (I wonder what the vegan alternative to that would be? Seitan and potatoes, maybe?) of today's post, I just want to say that this is post #1101. Wow, never has so little been said with so many words. Thanks for sticking around and reading.

Anyhow, yesterday I had a revelation. I noticed something on my morning commute - or more precisely, I noticed that I no longer notice something.

My leg. You remember, this guy that I broke last May.

Ah, memories

I don't mean in the same way an amputee notices his leg is missing, but in the way that it doesn't bother me any more.

Over the past year, I've gotten used to a certain dull ache coming from the lower right appendage, a lack of strength compared to the other leg, and a general sense of unbalance.

Yesterday, as I was riding, I noticed that none of that. My right leg felt, well, normal. I was able to push just as hard with the right leg as the left.

I still don't have the full range of motion, and its entirely possible that I will never get that back, but as far as cycling goes, it feels great to not feel broken any longer.

Facing Your Fears, and Telling Them to get Stuffed

Sitting back and continually whining about being scared to do something will accomplish two things: You won't get anything accomplished, and you will annoy the hell out of everyone within earshot.

That is where I was earlier this week. As I mentioned last post, spring had sprung, and I was lamenting my fears of commuting to work.  My dear, sweet wife - whose patience with my complaining I'm sure was wearing thin - was beginning to ask when I was going to start riding with increasing frequency. She was even going as far as suggesting that I take a "practice ride" around the neighborhood to gauge my readiness for commuting by bike again.

Yesterday - along with commemorating the arrival of Christianity to Ireland by wearing an overabundance of green and drinking in some cases an obscene amount of green beer - was the opening day of Salt Lake City's bike share program for 2016 (Green bikes + St. Patrick's day = good marketing strategy). As an enthusiastic supporter of the bike share program, I had to take one of the bikes out for a lunchtime roll.

Partly because of the nagging (my own, from inside my head, not my wife's. She really doesn't nag me) I decided to go on a longer ride than up to the local 7-Eleven for a drink.

After work, when I recounted my exploits of the day, My wife - along with being happy for my accomplishment - asked me "does this mean that you are going to ride to work tomorrow?"

The answer to that question turned out to be yes.

So... this morning, I gathered up all of my cycling necessities (except for the keys to my lock - I had to turn around a half-mile down the road and go back for them), and rode away into familiar, yet uncertain territory.

My commute is normally not one that warrants long, drawn out stories, wrought with harrowing close-calls and edge-of-your seat action. Today was no different. I made it to work with no problems to report. my leg survived - in fact it did better than my left leg. I'm sure that is a by-product of the one-legged squats that my physical therapist had me doing to strengthen my right knee. No KOMs were threatened this morning. 

Monday, I'm sure that I'll be back on the bike. My wife texted me later in the day and asked if I enjoyed it. You know what? I did enjoy being back on the bike. Even though it was tougher than I remembered, and I'm more tired than I was last time I commuted, I am happy that I rode. 

I'll leave you with this short quote, as it is appropriate for this, and many other situations we face in life...

The road to confidence is paved by daily accomplishments.                                                 KEITH JOHNSON

Back in the Saddle Again (reprise)

Yes, I know I've used that post title before, in fact I'm sure that if I wasn't too lazy to check this morning, I've used it more than once. Still, it stands as the title today. 

Several days ago, I was walking (still limping, but it's getting better) up the street to feed the addiction with large quantities of ice cold Dr. Pepper. As per usual, I was longingly looking at all the passing cyclists, and feeling the need to feed another addiction - the type that riding on a trainer indoors isn't satisfying. 

Recently when I've felt this pull, my body responds back "Not yet, buddy, you still need some more healing." This time, the response was, "Why not give it a shot, what's the worst that could happen? You have to return the bike to the docking station and walk (limp) back."

Emboldened by my body's laissez-faire attitude, I decided to give it a shot. 

The addiction also likes salty snacks, specifically 7-Eleven's Maple Bacon chips.

And it felt... surprisingly normal!

I don't know what I was expecting, maybe to get on the bike, discover that all of my balancing skills had evaporated over the past 4 months, and fall over. Or, learn that I don't remember how to steer a bicycle, and suddenly dart into traffic. Thankfully, neither of those scenarios played out, and I successfully rode the city bike back to the docking station near the day job's office. 

Success can be addictive, and just like my craving for caffeine, I soon found myself wanting more outdoor riding. The next day, I rode to and from the 7-Eleven! I'm still slow, and I can feel that the strength isn't completely back in the right leg, but it feels good to ride! 

After a couple days of caffeine runs, I decided to up the ante - multi-modal commuting. I could take the train by my house into the city, and ride a city bike the 1.4 miles from the central hub to my office. I don't feel strong enough to do the full 9 mile commute yet, but I know I could handle the shorter ride. 

Every day this week, I've ridden to and from the train station. It feels good to be a commuter again!