Viva Las Vegas

Going to Vegas really did me good. By the end of the trip, Mireille was feeling adventurous and wanted to go mountain biking in the Mojave desert.

It sounded like a good idea and check out the picture. Looks like fun...

But what the picture doesn't tell you is that it must have been at least 40 degrees celsius out. And, as you can see, there were no clouds or anything else to provide shade.

Upon closer inspection, that nice winding trail looked like this.

There was a lot of flat ground but also some of this.

However, it didn't take too long before Mireille built up some confidence and rode over the bumps with ease. It was a fantastic workout for me and definitely my most challenging yet.

I wonder where Mireille will take me next.

6 months and some

Wow, I was stiff after a 5 hour plane ride.

But it was all well worth it. Las Vegas is good rehab. We've walked great distances along the Strip, and gone up and down countless stairs.

A lady in a store found out Mireille was Canadian and asked how she liked free healthcare. She told her she wouldn't have it any other way. However, it's hard to convince someone it's any good when it took 7 months for surgery and over three weeks for an MRI. I wonder how much ACL reconstruction costs in the States...?

P.S. Won't write much for the next little while because we're having too much fun in Vegas, baby.

6 months now, I'd say

Mireille took out the ol' six string.

"You know, now that you're injured, you should finally learn to play the guitar."

Really? Well that person forgot that we had so much icing and physio to do... there was no extra time. Plus, I could barely bend in a position to support a guitar. And, when I could, the foot got numb.

Maybe those are all excuses. But... we're an athlete. Not a musician.

I'm not sure what compelled Mireille to start playing again. She actually remembered a bit. Plus, the reverberations felt quite good on me.

Guitar playing could end up being therapeutic.

Almost 6 months

The Orthotron is the latest torture device I've been subjected to at physio.

The best image I could find is at this site (left-hand photo): www.physiotherapy.gr/pantazis/physio1.htm

I'm sure there are newer, sleeker models but the one where I go is old school like this one. The difference is the strap looks less like a seatbelt and the hold-on-for-dear-life handles are more prominent.

"Are you sure that's not going to kill me?"

"If I don't do it right, am I going to get an electric shock?"

"Hey! Help me out!! Where are you going?"

Oh, I know deep down inside my physio is going to miss us when we're gone...

Yeah, it's like the leg extension machine at the gym. Except with this one there's resistence on the way up and down. The reason I hate it: Mireille is expected to whip her leg up and down as hard and fast as possible.

I know... it sounds like an injury in the making. That's exactly my problem with it!

Gotta trust that physio knows best.

About 5 months, three quarters

The pressure is on.

Mireille told her volley-ball team about the surgeon's timeline and said she still wanted to be on the team. Volley-ball season doesn't start until late September / early October so we wouldn't be that far behind. They are going to take us on despite Mireille's delay in playing and my condition... Yay!

I just need to be strong enough when we see the surgeon in November.

It's a recreational team so, hopefully, the surgeon will take that into consideration. No competitive team for us this year!

Mireille started practicing serves and simple bumps and volleys. It's difficult to think about hitting the ball and not about me. After a while, though, she does forget.

Not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

A bit over 5 and a half months

After we kinda ran 2 kms on Saturday, Mireille was feeling pretty good and ready to hit the track again.

I was moving well and Mireille was psyched. However, the legs weren't cooperating. It felt like someone had poured concrete in Mireille's quads. I guess we haven't built enough muscle mass, yet??

Maybe it was the hooligan loitering in the bushes on the southside of the track. He was quite distracting. You know when you get scared and you freeze? Maybe that's what was happening.

If I ever go missing, please inform the police about a middle-aged man walking aimlessly and looking suspicious. Ok, so I didn't a good look at him... Crap.

Yes, I'm paranoid by nature.

About 5 and a half months

The usual.

Still working on bending until we can sit on our heels. Jogged (I mean, walked as fast as possible with a hop) for 2 kms and was quite sore the next day. Stiffness is less and less of an issue.

Most importantly, Mireille can now visualize going back to sports. It doesn't seem that scary anymore.

I, and the whole leg, feel very strong and stable.