When we moved into our house here in Austin, Texas, one of the first things I noticed was that I could set up my trainer ‘permanently’ even without a basement. (That Texas rock is hard!) In our office, we have a closet large enough to fit a trainer and bike. Although I reserved it for emergencies, as you can almost always ride outside in Austin, it has come in handy. And although I digress, I did spend some serious hours on it last spring when we got a freeze during a week with some particularly long rides… let’s just say that I watched all the Star Wars movies (what a geek) in 3 days.

So, imagine my fortune when I learned that I could ride my bike again (but only EASY on the TRAINER). I was already set up. With movies. And books. As another side note, I read all 4 of those Twilight-series books and watched Little Miss Sunshine (again) in less than 10 days. Maybe I’ll become a trainer junkie. My Canadian/northern-living friends, I’m joking. Alas, I can’t unclip until January 27, and I’m a bit nervous to hit the road. I ride to school with Autumn — until recently with a The Boot and a clog. As of this week, I’ve graduated to just tennies.

So, back to my saga, I was riding before I could even WALK without crutches (horray for sanity). So, I rode a little in the closet…. nothing over 100 watts, then 150 watts (ok, that’s not much for those without watt comparisons, but I was moving). PS, I don’t often ride aero in the closet, I’m just showing off for the photo.

Fast forward to today, day 4 without the boot. I can’t ride hard (YET) or run (YET), but I’m getting closer every day. It’s been over 2 months since my reconstruction, and my ligaments “feel tight” according to Dr. Smoot. I can swim with a brace and a buoy, ride on the trainer, and (as of today)do a bit of elliptical. I’ve done some strength training, trying to prevent the ‘miss olympia’ reaction, but it is still happening. 4 more months to “running” and “REALLY cycling”. I have perspective at the moment. I need a name for these next months.
I’m taking suggestions.