"Pedal Pusher" or "How Many Days 'Till LOTOJA"
Perspective is an emotional utility that
attempts to placate or subvert our true, primal emotions. For instance, not being to ski this season
because of my knee surgery can be viewed from a perspective that emphasizes the
relaxing time I’ve spent reading and watching fine movies… like Van Helsing; the
appreciation of a healthy body; and quality time with my wife. Talk about bullshit.
At
least I can walk now, albeit with a crutch, so I don’t have the dark insanity
that plagued me for those two weeks of non-weight bearing where I seemed to
never leave the couch and an odd odor of soup seemed to emanate from my
pores. In fact, now I’ve become quite
consumed with a desire to pedal. Skiing
is obviously out of the question. Skiing
might as well be a fantasy, like intelligent state legislators, but cycling, that
is what keeps me going.
 |
| "Ahhh, the reward for a demanding 10 minute ride" |
The
wonderful thing about physical therapy, which I started on January 25th,
is that you do mundane, repetitive and almost embarrassingly simple exercises
that appear to have nothing to do with your injury, and you progress. Yesterday at TOSH, I had a seismic movement
towards my goal when I finally was able to pedal a bike… a stationary, recumbent
bike. Simultaneous emotions of self-pity
and accomplishment hit me as I struggled to turn the crank with my stiffened
knee. I’ve ridden 170 miles in a day,
and now I was just as happy to be spinning at zero resistance. It only lasted about 10 minutes, but of
course, it called for a beer last night, and what better choice than a Crank
Yanker IPA from Eddyline Brewery in Colorado.
The beer had a consistent, medium bitterness throughout, but not much of
a hoppiness. I didn’t get the fruit I
usually enjoy with an IPA, although it was pretty smooth.
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