As I sat in a waiting room on Easter Sunday waiting to see if X-rays would say my dislocated finger was broken, thoughts were flowing through my head about what lies ahead for my next few weeks.
“What if it’s broke?? When will I be able to ride again? Will I need surgery?? What about my non-bicycling workouts I’m so dedicated to? Will I race in 3 weeks”?
I have exactly 21 days from my injury to my mountain bike race, the Whiskey Off-Road in Prescott.
Well, my finger is broke in 2 places and I severely tore the ligaments in 2 out of 3 joints of my middle finger.
I will be able to get back on my road bike about 4 days after the injury to continue training but won’t know if I’ll need surgery until maybe after the Whiskey, regardless if I race or not.
And as far as any kind of lifting or upper body workout, no way for at least a month, probably longer. Will I race?? I won’t know until after a follow up visit a couple days before the race.
It is disappointing just the same, whether I race or not. I rode the same race last year with a broken bone in my other hand. I also took the month of April off from work this year so I could solely focus on my training for the race. I really wanted to see how well I could finish if I had the time to train myself the way I always wanted to. Then 1 week into it this happens.
It would be easy for me to just write off my race 3 weeks from now. I could use my finger as an excuse not to ride. I have been waiting for this race a long time and I’m not going to let this easily derail me.
I plan on resuming my training as early as tomorrow and even though I’ll need to take it easier than I expected the next few weeks leading into this race, I still anticipate finishing just the same as if Saturday’s accident never happened.
Until my Dr. absolutely advices against it, it’s business as usual for me, minus my interval training. Head down, heart rate up, training will continue. I will PERSEVERE.
stephenmholmes 