Forgetting Pain

It's been exactly a month since I smashed my head and collar bone. Thank God we forget pain. I'm still not allowed to forget it for long. Several times a day, I either move my arm in a way that causes pain, or a shooting pain comes out of nowhere and hits me in the shoulder. I'm guessing that's just a normal part of a bolted-together clavicle trying to be whole again.

I have a stationary bike, which I prefer over a real bike on a trainer because of its massive weight and stability. I can get a little dopey, which I'm inclined to do when I train hard, and not worry about tipping the bike over if I start to lose my balance. (That would get my friends and family laughing behind my back…breaking a collar bone by falling off my indoor bike.) A couple friends, when they heard of me getting hurt, asked, "Did you fall off your bike again?" That sounds so retarded, so I don't even answer the question. Yes, I guess I "fell off my bike" when a cat jumped into the tri-spoke front wheel of my bike a few years back. And yes, I guess when I lost control on a mountain biking descent last month, I "fell off my bike." I may be retarded, but I prefer a phrase like "I crashed."

Anyway, today is worth celebrating, not just because it's exactly a month after the crash. I'm celebrating the fact that I was able to stand on my stationary bike and put both hands down on the handlebar. Yes. The law of gravity has been repealed. If I can stand in that position, I can train hard. In fact, since I can't really reach the handlebars with my left arm when I'm sitting down, maybe this phase of my recovery will be good for my hill-climbing training.

I'm still looking at a few more weeks before I try this out on the road, but at least I can start to dream good dreams again. Being able to REALLY train will help me forget the pain, too.

Tomorrow? I see the surgeon for the first time since the surgery on the 8^th. I just might get these 26 staples removed, since the 6"-long wound seems to be staying shut on its own now. Wow…all kinds of things to celebrate!