ACL Recovery – 1 Year Post Op Update

Well, it has officially been over a year since my ACL surgery! There really isn’t anything new to report, however, one thing I did finally conquer was the box jump at the gym last month. This thing had been my nemesis after injuring my knee. Before my injury,  I had no issues doing them. It may seem silly, but it was important to me to be able to do box jumps again. One day, at the beginning of my workout, I decided to just go for it, and completed 3 x 10 24 inch box jumps! I was thrilled! The key was starting at the beginning of my workout so my legs weren’t tired. It was a nice feeling.

I also started training for the Farmer’s Daughter Gravel Grinder that takes place in mid-May. I’ve been following a training plan on Training Peaks and increasing my cycling mileage steadily. Last year the ride was canceled due to COVID and I had just had surgery so I probably wouldn’t have been able to ride it anyway. This year, I’m actually training for the full event: 65 miles! I’ll admit, I’m skeptical that I’ll be able to complete the ride in its entirety due to the 6,000’+ of climbing, but I’m going to train for it.

Last weekend, I rode the Albany Hudson Electric Trail for the first time. The trail is new and is part of the Empire State Trail. 

My friend Aubrey and I parked at the trailhead in East Greenbush and rode the 10 miles to Schodack. The first five miles were not that exciting, but after the trail got more scenic.

Next time I want to explore beyond Schodack and ride to Valtia/Kinderhook.

This past week I also became a member of the Peloton Century Club by completing 100 cycling rides with the Peloton App! Seriously- buying that cheap spin bike and using the Peloton app has been AMAZING. There is such a variety of workouts and I’ve been incorporating them into my FD training plan (intervals, Tabata, hill climbs, etc.) My favorite workouts are the Bike Bootcamps which are classes that combine intervals on the bike with strength circuits.

Anyway, I know this update wasn’t too exciting. This winter I hibernated but still stayed pretty active by riding my spin bike and weight training. But with warmer weather comes the opportunity for more outdoor adventures that I can share.