Blog 7 – NUMBER SEVEN! That means I’ve been going – oh I’ve lost count – but it’s a fair few session under my belt!
Things are looking up too! My knee doesn’t have SUCH crazy swellings and is bearing up well under the strain. My Fitbit tells me I’ve got a little bit fitter again (38-42 now!) which keeps spurring me on to maintain what I’m doing.
Do I want to improve? Yes, of course I do, that’s in my nature. I want to be able to stand for the full duration at 85-90 rpm – and ONE DAY I WILL! But for now, I’m pretty pleased with myself, with my recovery from the operation, with the improvement in my fitness and my general overall mental wellbeing – I just feel ‘better’. Maybe coming out of lockdown has something to do with it too, I personally think it’s a combination of everything!
I’ve found a ‘nice’ class – a strength class with a COL of 73%. This is a GREAT class for me – slightly slower pace (after the initial warm up) with some great climbs, and for me, realistic standing phases too – ones I can keep up with! Duration and pace! Woooo, get me! I’m going to try and do this class once a week for a few weeks now – I felt like it was perfect to aid recovery, just the right amount of fast and slow(er!), nice climb at the end with a bit of a sting in the tail. (For anyone who has participated in Darren’s classes previously you’ll ‘know’ that little sting)
The bike is holding up well – it’s getting used twice a week by me and twice a week by my husband. After reading that a fellow Ciclozone member had lost a pedal this week, I’m a little bit paranoid that my ‘cheap’ bike won’t hold out for too long, but for now, it’s OK! It’s doing its job; it’s getting me well on the road to recovery. I just wish I had my cleats rather than my trainers as both myself and one of the other bloggers are getting cramp in our feet afterwards. It’s been suggested to cycle in harder soled shoes, but I don’t think my ankle boots would look right somehow!!!
I can also see some progress in my muscle on my leg that was operated on. It’s slowly coming back, a little less wobbly that it was in September last year (a month post op), and slowly catching up with my right thigh.
It’s still not convincing me to take up outdoor cycling – I’m not much for wanting flies in my teeth and grit in my contact lenses, so for now I’ll stick to the comfort of my own home and push myself as much as I can!
