Malibu Triathlon Training: Day 10: Back in the Saddle

July 4

OK, so my last ride was great until the last 10 yards. Check that ... Even with The Crash it was still a decent training session, if only for the increase in distance. But the glory of a new personal record was quickly quelled by the injuries I sustained in said crash. More specifically, one injury that I didn't really address last time kept me from being overly excited.

While the road rash on my arm, hand and knee and bruise on the thigh mostly just added some color to my normally pinkish hue, it was the shot to the ribs I took from my sucker-punching handlebars that was keeping from doing important things. Like breathing. I had never broken a rib before, but I've always heard the most identifiable symptom is extreme pain when taking in a breath. It did hurt to take in a really deep breath, so my dream of being a professional freediver would have to be put on hold, but regular breathing wasn't a problem so I was pretty sure I didn't need a trip to the doctor. Sleeping did pose a bit of a problem, and doing things like getting up from a sitting position hurt like a bitch, but I figured sleep and sitting are overrated anyway.

So in the interest of my long-term goal, I put myself on the 5-Day Disabled List (which is rarely used in pro sports), retroactive to June 28th. Which meant on July 4th I was cleared to take the bike out again.

After a 5-day layoff and a busted-up rib, I didn't want to push myself too hard and have to go on the 7- or 9-Day DL. And on top of that, I was heading out for a daytime ride (the temperature routinely gets into the high 90s during the summer in Valencia), so I decided to take it easy.

For this ride I went old-school, following my 4.2-mile loop from a couple weeks ago. Despite not wanting to push myself too hard, I somehow ended up with a run that equaled my personal best for Average Pace. More importantly, while I was riding I didn't even feel my ribs. OK, wait, I felt my ribs but they didn't hurt, and that is what surprised me the most. I even went out that night and was the pyrotechnician at the

Pookies' 4th of July Extravaganza!

Of course, I woke up the next day and could barely stand up straight, but I didn't care. I was back in the saddle and continuing on my quest for the 18-mile mark.