I’m closing in on 6 months since my L5-S1 laminectomy.  I’m made a lot of progress and am generally living life fairly normally again.  I’m even riding my bike.  I noticed that I recently did the same ride last week that I did a year ago.  It shows I have a ways to go, but it also shows I’ve come back a long way.

The Ride

I’ve got a “1 hour” ride that I like to do as a break from work.  It is mostly flat and I get get it done in about an hour which is nice.  There are a number of variations, but I tend to repeat them fairly often.  For this ride, I basically go around Mission Bay with a lap of Fiesta Island.  There are plenty of lights and stop signs to change things up, but it is a good comparison.

I’m now starting to feel like I am riding better.  I am more comfortable (by back is getting more limber) and strength is coming back in my right leg.  My right leg is still a good bit smaller than my left, but it isn’t as obvious now.  I can also feel that it is more stable.  When I stand or ride hard, my right calf holds.  It isn’t as strong, but it isn’t bad.  I’m trying hard to just slowly rebuild base, but I am starting to do a little more climbing.  I even did a 40 mile ride up and back on the coast a week ago.

The Comparison

I don’t think there is anything scientific to this.  Was the weather the same?  Did I hit more or less lights?  No idea, but it isn’t way off like it was when I did the first “1 hour” ride after surgery.

Ride From October 2012

Ride From October 2013

First 1 Hour Ride After Surgery