3+ Months Post-Op

I am almost 15 weeks post-op now and I have passed the elusive 3 month barrier (June 3rd!)  According to my PT and surgeon, that means that my labrum should be pretty well healed up in there.  Now comes the battle of getting my muscles strong enough to support running.  When I walked into PT on Monday, the first thing she asked me was, "So have you run yet?"  I gave her a look and said, "No!  I've been following directions and no one told me I could!"  She laughed at me; perhaps runners are stereotypically a little impatient.  Since we're taking the conservative route with my return, she wants me to get more impact and agility drills under my belt before I start to run.  I'm doing side shuffling, forward/backward skipping, karaoke, the ladder, and a strength exercise where I am stepping down from an elevated step and trying to mimic part of a running stride. I can definitely tell I am getting stronger.  My PT sessions aren't leaving me quite as sore anymore. 

I feel pretty darn good these days.  It is rare that I have a flash of pain anymore from a certain movement or twist.  My hip flexor is finally cooperating with getting in/out of the car as well.  No more hanging onto the car to get in.  Sleeping is completely normal; I find I don't need the pillow between my legs anymore either.   I have still been hiking and have gone as far as 7 miles.  Walking feels fine with no difficulty.  Honestly, I have nothing to complain about at this point post-op.  I continue to move forward without any set backs and that makes me very happy.  I hope others who are earlier in the post-op game can find solace in that.  Now if I am well enough to enjoy fall trail running this year, I will consider everything a complete success. 

It's finally green here again; one of my favorite trails.

My big news lately is that I've started bike commuting to work again.  It is a 33 mile round trip, so it's a bit of a beast of a commute, but I love doing it.  I'm aiming for two days a week until my hip is a little stronger.  Last summer I tried to ride 3-4 days a week and would love to be doing that again in a month or two. Biking in general has been great and I think it's a great tool to build muscle without the pounding your body takes from running.  My legs and cardio are slowly coming back to me. 

Speaking of bikes, I bought my post-surgery present to myself!  I had to take a 4.5 hour road trip up to Minneapolis to make her mine, but here she is.  My new 2013 Salsa Colossal 2. I've been dreaming about this bike since I first saw it last year, and I promised myself that if I made it through surgery and I could still find it in my size, I would buy it.  It's a steel frame with a carbon fork, which makes the ride incredibly smooth.  I absolutely love it.