first mi-AL

Wherein Al Recounts the Road To His First Mile Back






The last few weeks have been tough ones for Al.
I've been trying to rehab a stubborn calf muscle injury, and it's made me a bit depressed. Each time I tried to extend my rehab beyond simple low resistance spins or light stretching or very light load bearing or mild water therapy, I felt the pull tighten and I suffered several days of setback. Until last Sunday.

Sunday: after 3 and 1/2 weeks of that shit, I needed to try to move ahead. I took a walk. And I managed to go 3 miles at a medium pace. I followed that with a nice long swim and a good stretch / massage session. Sunday evening, I felt great.

Monday: Mondays are the off day for me. I typically do some light lifting / stretching on Monday. Yesterday was no exception. All felt good.

Today: I was ready to go. I went through a warm up spin and then got some stretching and massage in for the calves and legs. After this, I pushed myself a bit more and did an hour long spin with some smallish hills and light interval work (nothing really much beyond my medium pace).

Then it was time. I eyeballed the treadmill. (Still too pussy to take it to the street.) I saw it eyeballing me back, those little red lights flashing back and forth like some malevolent Kit Camaro or a fucking Cylon on crystal meth. "Fuck you," I said. "I'm ready to kick ass and take names.
And that was it. I jumped on and pumped out a single mile. It wasn't anything spectacular (I held myself to one single 9 minute mile). But it is a start.

Word to all y'all: Al is back! (Almost.) He's ready. (Sort of.)

And he's armed.