the lost summer continues

It's been 38 days since my crash, and things are progressing, but not as fast as I would like.

There was progress 1.5 weeks ago when I got a massage @ World Gym, which left me feeling good, then a productive acupuncture session last Wednesday, which also helped. This initiated a ramp-up of my physical activity. I did 10 minutes on the trainer on Thursday morning followed by a resistance training session in the evening where I was able to up the effort significantly from my previous one. While none of these exercises caused pain, I was left feeling quite fatigued, and waited for the bus rather than walk up Potrero Hill afterwards.

Friday and Saturday I was still tired. My walking was definitely off compared to how it had been on Thursday. Despite this, I wanted to stick to the trainer rides, so on Friday I did 20 minutes, then Saturday I did two rides, one of 10, the second of 20 minutes. I figured my fatigue had been from lifting, and the riding was good.

Unfortunately Sunday morning I was still feeling hobbled. Instead of continuing my upward trajectory in cycling, I took a rest day: heating pad, hot bath, self-leg-massage with The Stick. It all helped, and today I'm doing a lot better. But I want to check again with World Gym to see if I can get another massage appointment.

I've got a physical therapy appointment set up, but it's still not for a week. So until then I'm on my own.

On the positive side, my range of motion continues to improve. I even rode a bike a bit outside, just in a circle on Saturday while watching Luna Rosa sail a solo heat at the America's Cup trials. But I'm not especially close to feeling good taking a running stride or commiting to doing a ride of any significance outside. I think riding uphill would be quite a challenge. This would be an excellent application for Garmin Vector, as I'd like to see how much my right leg is slacking off on the trainer rides.

At this point, I'm still on track for a 6-8 week recovery typical of significant injuries. The doctor told me if I plateau out and am not "significantly improved" by next Tuesday I should get an MRI. Hopefully I make that deadline.

On the plus side, I've been reading more than usual. Currently on my Kindle: The Gods of Gotham. Excellent stuff: New York 1845. I find city life in the pre-car era to be intriguing, although the lack of bicycles is deeply disturbing. Certainly the level of poverty portrayed in the book is sobering. But my recommendation to mid-19th century New Yorkers: invest heavily in real estate in the northern, agricultural part of the island.

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