Coming Back from Injury

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Chris.IOW

Well-Known Member
Hi all, I've been off the bikes for a few months with a hamstring injury, it's finally back to full strength and I've been back in the gym for a couple of weeks and survived a couple of spin sessions. Hoping to get back out on the bike tomorrow if the weather isn't too horrendous.

I was wondering what peoples experiences were after a time off the bike, can you get back up to the sort of distances you were at previously quickly or not? I have a 100 miler in the diary in August and was wondering if people thought it was still a reasonable target, I had been up at that distance prior to the injury.

Thanks
 

derrick

The Glue that binds us together.
I'll let you know next week.^_^
 
I'm interested in the replies, pulled something on my first 65 miler... Took at least three weeks until I was back in the gym for some light sessions, and even then I had to take it easy on the spin bike.

It was about 4weeks before I was back on the bike, and I feel like I've lost a huge chunk of my fitness! Which is a blow for me having lost 2.5 stone this year and planning to do the Manchester 100 in September. I was hoping to ride a few more 60+ mile rides in July, and then pushing the distance in August.

I only got my bike in February this year, and set myself the Manchester 100 as a goal. I'm still determined to do it!
 
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Chris.IOW

Chris.IOW

Well-Known Member
Well, the sun was shining this morning so I headed out on one of my favourite 50 Mile routes with lots of escape routes planned for if things went badly. The first 5 miles were pretty horrendous with feeling really short of breath and weak, however once I found my rhythm and got comfortable on the bike it was a great ride. I was probably a bit more puffy on the hills and slightly slower than at my best but I made it round the 50 miles feeling okay.

Leg twinged a couple of times on the last few hills so I've got an ice pack on now to (Hopefully) prevent any reaction but overall really happy with the day.

One thing I realised part way through the ride, average speeds, levels of fitness etc really didn't matter today, it was just so nice to be back on the bike seeing parts of the Island I hadn't seen for the last few months. Happy Chris this afternoon!
 
One thing I realised part way through the ride, average speeds, levels of fitness etc really didn't matter today, it was just so nice to be back on the bike...

very true and exactly right. I am still trying to get back from my leg injury (92-100 stitches after a nasty dog attack whilst touring) and progress is much slower for me, but then I am much slower ^_^.

The best bit of advice I was given (from a cycling physio in the Lofoten Islands in Norway) was to start off with something you know you can manage without pain and enjoy being back on the bike, then build on that with a (couple of) mile(s) extra each time (OK he said km's but you get the drift). Hold fire at whatever distance you have achieved when it starts to hurt (other than mild twinges which will be normal) and repeat that distance, not building on it, until you are fine again.

That got me going again on the tour after picking up a RSI in my foot on tour, last summer.

For me, right now, 10 miles is good, 12 miles is OK, 15 miles left me unable to ride the next day a couple of rides ago and needing nearly a week off the bike again to recover. 2 days ago I went back to 10 miles and whilst it was OK, it was slow, very very wet and fantastic to be out on the bike again! Distance will come back faster than you would guess, but let your body get used to that 50 miles and don't push too hard too soon.
 
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