“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
Is a quote I have always believed in. It has become more apparent recently after dislocating and cracking my elbow it has left me firmly out of my comfort zone, both physically and mentally. I felt like the strength was being sucked out of my arm by the weight of the plaster and the simple things like opening jars seem to take great effort.
Mentally I was fighting demons who keep telling me I’ve screwed up the start of my racing season and put myself on the back foot, which is totally stupid when I know how tough the competition is going to be.
Life has thrown me a curve ball and I’ve decided to catch it, with my good arm!
I may not have been able to get out on my bike or to the gym but you shouldn’t let the present situation stop you from getting to where you want to be.
Thanks to Giant in the first week back from my holiday with my arm in plaster, I rode a total of 135 miles on my turbo trainer in the first week, working on my endurance and pedalling. My focus was on the thought that my racing season is long and apart from my arm I am fit, healthy and hungry for competition.
When I look back it’s clear that life does begin outside your comfort zone.
My fracture clinic appointments brought great news, my consultant was very happy with the progress I had made and now I’m back on my bike and starting to re-discover single track! It has been a long a painful four weeks but I am now ready to start getting back on my bike and start my season.
Tips for training with one arm in plaster:
- Try and set it up outside its far nicer!
- Drink plenty of water.
- Get a mini fan to use to blow cool air down the cast.s
- Try and cycle sitting upright with your arm hanging or in a sling as it maintains a more balanced position on the bike.