I meant to write this post yesterday but the day literally ran away from me. It has been an action-packed two days with Marc arriving on Tuesday and Sarah and Dan arriving on Wednesday. So, Wednesday was also a big day in one other regard – I had my appointment with the orthopedist surgeon…

Good news – I can start doing light rides on the trainer. I can ride for up to 45 minutes at a very easy pace and cadence. I’m not really training yet. Simply just riding. The doctor was impressed that I’m experiencing little to no pain (most days I have zero back pain). He explained the injury to me in further detail and really it is the muscle that attaches to the L3 that is causing the pain to occur.

The other thing the doctor told me is that I simply need to listen to my body. Easier said than done of course… But I understand that any signs of pain are not good – he said the moment I feel pain I need to stop riding because this is a sign that I’m not ready. I’ve promised Marc, coach Steve and Nikoline that I’ll be honest with myself and listen to my body.

In two weeks I’m allowed to try some riding outside and even do some mounts and dismounts… It will about another six weeks before I can start running again. And likely 10 weeks until I can get back into yoga and deep stretching. But this is all progress.

The one thing this does not mean is that I can start racing again this season. The doctor stressed that I cannot risk a fall. A fall would be very bad news. So the season is still over but at least I can do something now!

When I got back from the doctor yesterday and told Marc and Nikoline my good news, Marc asked “so why are you crying?”. My response, “because I’m so happy that I can ride again”. Perspective is huge – I’ll be riding the trainer indoors at a very easy pace while my friends are riding outside and getting to race – but at this point I’ll take it!