ACL Anna: 5 months!

Each time I sit down to write about the previous month, it hits me every time- 5 months already? I'm going to assume... that's because my recovery was over summer. And of course, all summers go by super fast! 😄

There are still odd pulls and tugs every once and I while but overall, my knee feels back to normal! I do though feel as if I'm in a plateau in my recovery... and that's ok. These are the late stages/months where you do what you can to build back muscle and then... wait for em to grow! Sideways movements are easy peasy now and I don't think twice about sharp turns anymore.

Hike up Rollins Pass

Hey something is missing from my pack...! Was fun to see friends ski in July!

As far as starting back to running, I'm still working on it! It seems to be taking a bit longer than I expected, couldn't just jump right back into it as I had hoped. I haven't ran more than 3 miles for 6+ months now! How killer is that for an ultra runner? 😅

Nah it's actually not too bad, as I have definitely found other activities... yep, mountain biking! The last time I was on a mountain bike was in 2012 before this year. And to be honest I had no plans to touch a mountain bike anytime soon, if ever. I am finding though that 1.) as I've been told, it's great for rehabbing your knee! and 2.) Im loving the mental state of grinding away and working hard pedaling uphill on a bike. This might be a thing I keep around!

All mountain biking pictures from my friend Eddie- I would love to ride at his level someday!

The mental battle with injuries certainly don't end once you are healthy enough to get back outside. Riding at Moab the other weekend, we stopped back by the Xterra to refill with water about half way through our ride before continuing on. Although I felt tired, I knew I could head back out and push through the tired feeling, as I've done many a time before. But little did I know the feeling of being tired would get to me mentally, because I know (and experienced) alot injuries/crashes come from being tired and becoming careless in your form and focus. It was crazy how I lost almost all confidence in my bike that I had just trusted for miles before the break! The knee still has the final call in my activities and probably will for a good while... but if it'll let me bike for 20+miles and hike 14ers for the time being... I'm not complaining!