Creaky old bones
Wednesday I rode, unobstructed, up to Champlain lookout (60km – must keep track of that kilometrage). It was with some trepidation.
I had biked out to Metcalfe and back (96km) the weekend before, but had experienced a significant amount of lower back pain.
At Irene’s urging I went to visit this athletic therapist who told me I’d basically over stretched a muscle or two in my back but that any of the really nasty injuries you worry about – slipped discs and things like that – I had avoided.
So as he was poking, prodding me, watching me walk, bend over etc etc, he asked "so what stretches do you do before you ride?"
"I don’t," I replied in all honesty.
"How old are you?" He asked. I told him. He was very professional about his response.
It shall suffice to say he gave me a regimen of three stretches to do for three minutes each when I wake up, before bed, and before and after riding.
And so I’ve been doing them and they’ve had the desired effect. Pain has gone away, back feels stronger, I was able to ride up to Champlain lookout and was appropriately chastened for pretending that I’m not getting old.
