After two attempted rides at MMCC last week that ended prematurely do to back and hip pain, I returned yet again on Friday with a different bike and a different attitude, and was treated to better results.
A week ago Friday I had a painful, suck-filled ride that had me coming home after eight miles in foul mood, listing my five month old Procaliber for sale, and sliding into a pit of despair filled with the realization that I can’t seem to ride singletrack pain-free anymore.
Since then I have committed to daily hamstring and quad stretching, as well as daily sets of Romanian deadlifts, and have found that my back has started to improve a bit. My hip is still a bit jacked, but I am hopeful that my doctor can help me get to the bottom of that when I see him on the 23rd.
With the wind blowing steadily this Friday, I had no real desire to be out on the roads, so I figured I would go to Mid with my Superfly, and an attitude that says “I know this might hurt, but I’m not going to get down, I’m going to ride, stop if it hurts, then continue on, because it’s Friday, and I’m in the woods on my bike, and that is pretty swell.”
It turns out that all those stretches and lifts helped my back a bit, and the attitude adjustment helped me ride nearly the entire loop, choosing to skip the Green Trail due to time constraints.
It was by no means a fast, or long ride–just 14.7 miles–but seeing progress was excellent and I am hopeful that by mid-summer I am in a place that has me doing two full laps and not putzing around in semi-pain for nearly one. Not great, but it’ll do.
Later.