March 4, 2010

Make no Mistake

In my last post I eluded to the fact that I might have been lucky enough to pull off a zero-ramp-up 217km permanent, without consequence.
Clearing the air, if I had it to do over again I would have done it correctly.  Ramp up slowly is still very good advice.

Anyone can do pretty much anything... it boils down to survival afterwards.  You can go run a marathon, with your previous distance being only 5km... but you probably won't be walking the next day, maybe the next week.  To be clear, I'm paying for it.  The hamstring issue seems better, but my knees are sore.  I've checked them carefully, and it's not a fit issue -- nothing on the bike had changed (thankfully) so the pain is simply from overuse, and too-much-too-soon.  I did a full commute (no bus) yesterday, and I was feeling the effects all evening - despite best efforts to "take it easy".

If nothing else this blog is a compendium of ways to do long-distance riding incorrectly, so make no mistake:  I got really lucky.  Knocking off that distance last Saturday, without having ridden a century since early September, was foolish.  The cramping, the bonk, the hamstring pull, the knees today... it's really doubtful I'll look back on this ride as a hallmark of training mastery.  I'm taking extra care now to recover.  The ridiculousness of sudden over-training that I'd mentioned in that post, "knee-popping, ankle-swelling stupidity" was pretty much aimed directly at myself -- Tejas 2005, very little training, and I paid the price by not begin able to walk correctly or ride for five months.  I'm upset with myself for flirting with a similar outcome.  I've seen very fit individuals - good friends - that have been injured beyond repair, and it's irresponsible of me to flirt with that same outcome and pretend that I'm somehow immune.  I'm not.  With each passing year, my ability to recover slips... I have to keep that in mind, and be smart.  I pray for my friend's healing, and am hopeful for my own.  

So, careful recovery, and looking towards the end of March for #2 still on my mind... but if things aren't right, this next R-12 starts over in April.  Maybe.

 

2 comments:

dmar836 said...

Heal quickly. It sure would be a shame to toss that ride out only to have to do it again next Feb!

Jonahs Blog said...

Trust me, I do track and a lot of biking back to back and I am always pulling something. You will be all right but try not to any full on commutes for a while. My name is Jonah I just began following. Your blog seems very interesting to me. Oh, and I am 13 years old.