ACL Recovery Log #3

As someone who is very goal-orientated, I’m struggling with not having any concrete fitness goals/events to focus on during this injury. My recovery thus far has consisted of small goals, such as starting to ride the stationary bike with increasing  RPMs, with bigger “events” to look forward to, such as starting personal training at my gym to increase my overall fitness and beginning pre-surgery physical therapy. It is difficult not having a big event on the horizon. Usually this time of year I’m gearing up for a spring gravel event and the epic Farmer’s Daughter gravel grinder in May. Ironically, I had just signed up for that ride when I got injured. My doctor made it sound like that non-technical riding wouldn’t be out of the question this spring and summer. He said cycling is the best rehab following this surgery. I’ll have to revert to flat pedals on my gravel bike since unclipping from a bike pedal isn’t a good idea following ACL reconstruction because it involves a twisting motion in my knee. This is a small price to pay to ride outside! I have a feeling I’m going to get a lot of use of the local flat bike path. 

Some events I was considering before getting injured:

Bale Kicker Gravel Ride – April 11th (6 weeks post-op, so probably out of the question)
30 miles with about 4,000’ elevation

Cranko de Mayo @ Lawson’s Finest Brewery – May 3rd (9 weeks post-op)
32 miles with 3,900′ elevation
Jordan and I rented an air bnb in Vermont for this event. We’re still planning on going since it’s my birthday weekend, but whether or not I’ll be able to ride is up in the air. We might just have to spend the weekend touring Vermont’s breweries instead!

Farmer’s Daughter Gravel Grinder -shorter bailout route– May 17th (11 weeks post-op – most likely out of the question due to the singletrack portions of the course)
40 miles with ~3,500’ elevation

Black Fly Challenge – June 13th (14 weeks post-op)
40 miles with ~2,200’ elevation
Right now the BFC seems like the most realistic option for me since the elevation is a lot less than the events above

ADK Ididaride Gravel Route – July 26th (20 weeks post-op)
25 miles with 4,580′ elevation

Mountain Biking Trip to Whistler, BC – August 2020
I’m still planning on going on this trip, however, I’ve thrown all my mountain biking expectations out of the window. My doctor said I’d probably be able to ride some flowy, non-technical trails while keeping both wheels on the ground (not that my wheels ever go off the ground…) but technical single-track would be a bad idea and hinder my recovery. I’m not about to be a non-compliant patient!

One of the worst parts of this injury is my fear of the unknown. How fast am I going to recovery from surgery? It is going to be terrible? Is it going to be painful? Am I going to be able to ride any of these events that I had been looking forward to? I’m going in expecting the worst…but maybe if I work hard enough I’ll be able to.

Speaking of working hard, last night was my first session of pre-op physical therapy. I was taught a set of exercises for improving extension in my injured leg. Currently, I can’t straighten it completely, so that’s the main thing I need to work on before surgery. It’s painful, but it will be worth it in the long run, if it helps me recover from surgery faster!