My doctor approved me returning to the gym about half way through my recovery process.  He didn’t give me permission to go full steam, but it was great to get active again.  I remember first day returning to Orangetheory fitness, feeling like the new guy as it had been so long.  I checked in with my coach before class to explain my injuries and request modifications.  As the class progressed, it was time to head over to a row machine.  I sat down and mumbled, “hello darkness, my old friend”.  I wasn’t much of a fan of rowing prior to the accident and wasn’t too thrilled to get back on that machine.  I spent 14+ minutes on the rower before our rotation to the next station.  My back was achy for the remainder of the day. 

I used an elliptical in place of the rower during the next class.  This became my normal process for a long time.  Eventually I would use the row machine, but only every other class.  I had to work my way back until July of this year.  Since that time, I haven’t skipped the rower at all.  In fact, I’m getting stronger again and rowing more meters in class now than I was capable of prior to the accident.  My limitations were not exclusive to the rowing machine.  I would frequently need to utilize modifications in the weight room and was unable to run with an incline on the treadmill.

While in class today, I realized it has been several months since I’ve avoided anything in the gym or asked for a modification.  I’m using lighter weights than I was three years ago, but I can do everything.  I mentioned how I feel 100% recovered just a few weeks ago.  Thankfully, there have been no setbacks.  I’m continuing to progress.  Sure, I still get sore after an intense workout, but I’m not injured and I haven’t reaggravated anything.  The soreness I experience now is not related to my workouts.  My recovery process is much quicker these days thanks to cryotherapy and DDP Yoga.  My body is in a constant rotation of rehab, work-out, recover, repeat and I’m in the best shape of my entire life.

I still have 7 discs out of whack, but I don’t feel them anymore.  In fact, I think I feel better than most people I know who are in my age range.  It seems that most friends my age are always sore.  Some of them deal with bad backs, knees, hips, etc and are not able to hit the gym.  Father time catches up with all of us.  I don’t want to feel that way—I want to be active when I retire and not live with daily pain.  I want to be one of those old 70 year old dudes you see still competing in local races  It cracks me up when I hear someone use a bad (name a body part here) as an excuse to not workout.  Dude, if I can do it so can you.  We all have limitations we can overcome if we decide to. 

I am slowly but surely returning to my old running capabilities.  I’ve focused on mileage over the past 90 days while logging more miles than any 90 day time-frame in my life!  I’ve missed several races this year due to COVID; however, I am just 27 days away from running my first half-marathon since October 2017.  I will be participating in the Prairie Fire Half Marathon in Wichita and I also have a few 5k’s and 10’s on the radar as well.  I’m so ready to take the next step in my come-back.  Successfully completing a half-marathon will allow me to level up, one step close to my ultimate goal of the Boston Marathon in 2025.

Go get it.