When your level of play increases, you expect to push that little extra to get into shape, to have an edge, follow a plan and to destroy your competition. Well, none of that is useful if you don’t listen to your body or execute the fundamentals. That’s what happened over a month ago as I was starting to ride outside again after a long season of indoor training, but not before enjoying some downtime cycling in Florida.
Apparently, my body doesn’t like the cold, even though I grew up in Canada where the winters can be biting towards -40 degrees Celsius. Riding in 17 degrees Fahrenheit on the other hand felt balmy. But that’s where I was mistaken.
It was one of the first few Saturday morning rides of the year and there was a bunch of us ready to pick up where we left off last year after the Doppio Ciclo. (That’s “double loop” for those who aren’t Italian.) I was feeling great after having come off vacation and felt I could continue on the work I did when I was in the warmer climate. I pushed just as hard as I did in the Fallen Heroes Ride – except in the last few miles before the big sprint, my legs and body gave out and I went backwards as the group surged on. I didn’t think too much of it – not with the amount of training I had put in since November. But as the days went on, it turned out to be almost 2 weeks before I went to get diagnosed. I could feel the power in my legs dissipate and the fire slowly burn dimly. Back strain was the first culprit. The people at Maine Medical Orthopedics and Sports Medicine made the diagnosis and immediately set out a plan for rehabilitation. The reason my back was strained was because my core was weak. I realized that by taking part in more Yin Yoga, I had forgotten to take care of my core by doing Vinyasa Yoga. In the first couple of weeks of doing Vinyasa, it was painful. My body wouldn’t bend the way I wanted it to and I was completely stiff. Part of the therapy regiment was staying off the bike – initially. I wasn’t okay with this, but I had no choice. I remember the moments when my body, especially around the lower back, hips and gluteus muscles where they were screaming ever so silently, “No more!” They were fatigued after the amount of stress I had put them through.
The only bike activity I was allowed to have was if I pedaled below 100 watts – which was soft pedaling or, “Look pro, go slow.” Even though I felt devastated, I also knew the consequences if I didn’t follow my doctor’s and therapist’s advice. The good thing is that this happened early enough in the season and not in the midst of it, even though I could use some additional conditioning. The silver lining was that I was able to ride with friends who had a more leisurely pace.
I had a four week plan after two weeks of trial and error. Along with back-strengthening exercises, I was to gradually increase my power output on the bike each week, but only if I followed the guidelines exactly. If I were to exceed the guidelines, I would have to revert back to the previous week as a form of punishment. Actually, the purpose of that was to not re-injure myself and create more fatigue and strain, producing unnecessary muscle inflammation. One of the ways to reduce inflammation was to concentrate on nutrition. Less fish, more vegetables, more nuts and avocados and turmeric on everything.
By the third week, I had felt better having continued with Yin Yoga, but also doing more Vinyasa Yoga in the gym as well as at the Greener Postures studios. Although I was doing this activity, I felt a need to get a specialist I hadn’t called upon in a long time. My intuitive masseuse, Amber.
After just two sessions, she was able to pinpoint and address my pains. Not only was it coming from my lower back, it was all connected into my hip flexors, gluteus areas, piriformis and psoas. I discovered that while Yin was able to relieve much of my pain in the connective tissues, I also needed direct manipulation in the form of massage. Afterwards, I felt out of sorts and my body couldn’t coordinate with the effects of the massage. My body was that messed up! But I knew it was all the accumulated toxins that was floating around that made me this way.
Miraculously, I was able to race the next day in the Scarborough Criterium Series even though I had my doubts having already missed two of them. I finished with the peloton, which was my goal, but I wasn’t competitive. Another Vinyasa class, another Yin class with the mindful instructor, Sagel, a fast Monday night ride, another therapy session and Yin class over the course of a few days, and finally – I felt like myself again! Yes, that’s today!
What I learned from this experience are the following:
Injuries teaches you patience – in the mental and physical aspects;
Listen to your body – you only have one, so know its voices;
Always eat nutritious foods – avocados, turmeric, maple syrup, steel cut oatmeal, organic and raw cashews, almonds and pecans and bananas are my go-to foods;
Always exercise your core – this is fundamental. There are so many benefits with Vinyasa Yoga;
Get massages – especially after some hard training and racing;
Listen to your sports doctors and physical therapists.
As of now, I feel 100% healed.
And all it took were a number of people and events to make it happen. Feeling blessed? Yes. Feeling motivated? Of course!
I’m ready to ride bikes!
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