Friday, February 14, 2014

Week by Week

Once again I transported the 700 down
my hill to take another ride on the flats.
Everyday it's either ride my 700, take a hike or go to the gym. Sometimes I go to the gym after a ride or hike but regardless I still have a long way to go to get my strength back. I've been told to expect up to a year for my hips to feel normal again. Although with every ride I feel noticeably stronger

I'm taking life week by week. Recovery from hip replacement is a long grind. If you measure progress on a daily basis you'll drive yourself crazy and those around you as well. The worst was over after about a month and now it's just a slow but steady trek to total recovery. I know my limits and I know when to slow down a bit, my body tells me so. My doctor tells me I should probably back off a little on my activity level for the first twelve weeks after surgery. His comment is based on  the average patient that is older, over weight and less fit. As long as my hips aren't becoming red or inflamed then I'll can carry on. At least I'll avoid any hill climbing until the twelve weeks are past me.

I've got my exercise routine kicked into gear and I'm enjoying my short rides. My longest ride on the 700 is 12 miles at about 15mph average speed and 500 feet of gain. I'll keep the rides at that level for the next few weeks until I get past the twelve week threshold that the doctor set out for me.

The biggest challenge is keeping my brain focused on where I'm headed and not where I am or where I've been. Getting out of bed in the morning  is a "here we go again" moment, time to get the hips moving. After moving around a bit and sitting with a cup of tea in the garden my head generally gets back into the game of recovery and getting physical. My first option is to hop onto the 700 and take a ride. I also need to walk to get a full range of motion and taking a hike into the back country is easy on the mind. So I mix things up a bit and I always make sure I get to the gym every other day. Visualizing what I want to accomplish and what I want to be doing by the end of the year motivates me to work past the soreness of my new titanium hips and go for a  ride, a hike and to tolerate the odors of a well used gym facility.