I completed my first week of physical therapy, and I am doing well. Although it seems that I will be unable to resume training at full capacity for some time, I will at least be able to ride my bike this weekend… with some limitations. I’ve been instructed to ride no more than about 30 miles, and that I should try to take it easy. It’s not great, but I’ll take it!
My Achilles’ tendon is relatively pain free during normal activities like walking and going up and down stairs. But I still feel a bit of pain and discomfort when I do calf raises. I’m hoping an easy ride on the bike path will not cause any aggravation.
My therapist has identified some weaknesses in my calves (particularly the left calf) and glute max. It appears that these contributed to my injury. As I work through the healing process, we will also be working on strengthening these areas.
Since being injured, I cleared out my training calendar on TrainingPeaks. It feels weird not to have a plan in progress and not to know when I will be able to resume training. My goal events are still on the calendar, though—the Solvang Double is just 5 weeks away! 😢 I know I will not be able to ride that event, but I hesitate to delete it. There’s a part of me that is still hopeful (or in denial), I suppose.
In the meantime, I’m just looking forward to getting back on the bike this weekend. I hear the weather is going to be great!