Starting to feel like me again...

How time flies.

I remember going for a run, on the 11th of November, it was 16 degrees and my goal was to complete an almost 3 km loop without stopping. This was approximately 4 and a half months after my surgery, and while I felt sore and tired afterward the run which took me just over 16 minutes, I felt great to just complete a run without stopping. Today, I completed a rehab/workout session at home, complete with jumping and hopping, before deciding to go and run around a quick loop to “finish off”. It occurred to me while I was running that I was doing the same loop I had done a few months earlier. So when I got home I checked to compare times. I completed the loop in 12 mins, after a workout, and in 33 degree heat. And with no specific areas of fatigue. It got me really thinking about how far I have come.

I have also decided I will go back to playing basketball. I missed the camaraderie I developed with my teammates last year, and I want to prove to myself that I can return to something like the athleticism I had. So I have started back on the court, doing a lot of the drills with my teammates but just a controlled pace. First few sessions were really tough, as much from the fear and anxiety perspective as anything, but that is getting better with each session. Feels great to be back around that team environment, around people I feel are genuinely excited to see me back up and moving.

My strength and fitness is almost back to where it was before the injury although, I still have a fair way to go in terms of explosive activities. I also still have trouble getting going in the morning, being a bit stiff and sore, and I am having a little trouble still getting the range back, through the ankle joint as well as the calf and Achilles. But at this stage, I really have nothing to complain about. Just over 7 months since surgery and I am starting to feel like myself again...