When you Fall; You are Not 100% Injured

You are riding a trail during the best part of summer, flowing, smashing, and letting go of the brakes. Suddenly, you are on the ground. Everything around you is white, and the next thing you know, you are in the emergency room. It takes about a day to clear the fog, and you realize you are unable to get on the bike.

You are injured.

Have Patience
Mentally, it's more painful than the actual injury. It is frustrating. Injuries take time to heal, and time is the first factor in returning to 100% strength. There is no magic potion, and there is no catalyst (other than a balanced diet and health professional instruction. I will touch on that later.) To combat time, practice patience. Cure like with like. Clear your mind of anxiety, and you will see your goals.


Stay Focused
Noise is an athlete's worst distraction. Many stories describe strong athletes who block out sounds as they bike to the finish line. They do not hear the crowd. It is silent. The same concentration applies to an injury. Block out the negative "cries" of the injury. Block out the distractions. Focus on where you want to go. It is easy to forget the feeling of railing down a trail, but keep your mind on mountain biking. Improvise, and create ways to incorporate trail riding into your surroundings. Find cycling movements in gym machines. Train the rest of your able limbs.

Note: Cappuccinos are a wonderful drink to enjoy during an injury, but give caution to those with a broken bone. These drinks have caffeine, a chemical that inhibits calcium absorption. That means, the body is not getting the number one mineral to heal the break. For those that drink two or more cups daily, limit yourself to a 4 oz. cup per day.

Nutrition
Have you ever had a rough workout after skipping a meal or maybe two meals? Almost always, it's the result of nutrition deficiency. Nutrition requirements are more demanding for workouts than regular daily activities. The body needs more specific nutrients than usual, but when the body gets the nutrients it needs, the body feels better. The body stores energy in muscles, organs, and all throughout the body. Think of the body consuming, producing and storing energy in a cyclic pattern. Start with a healthy store of energy to break down food. When you eat a meal, your stores of energy are used break down that food into valuable vitamins and minerals that make up the body's structure. Then the next part of the food is broken into energy to replace those depleted stores that will later process more food. If the body does not get the vitamins and minerals it needs, the body becomes weak. The energy to procees food decreases and metabolism slows. The body can not as readily digest vitamins and minerals after a period of fasting, and recovery (for the next workout or even an injury) is exponentially slowed. It is important to take in a steady supply of nutrients to maximize the energy and nutrients the body can absorb in the body. That will maximize performance.

When you are injured, you may feel like you are at rest and need less food. However, you now have an increased need for more nutrients to mend the injury. Particularly, with bone injuries, you need an extra supply of Calcium and Vitamin D. Personally, my fracture has taken 6 months to heal. I followed a normal healthy diet for the first five and a half months. Then, I began taking four Calcium tablets and Vitamin D tablets a day. Within one week, sharp elbow pain diminished and I am experiencing full range of motion without pain. Credit your diet to most of your success in any injury. Its the easiest fix.


Train Hard
Most likely, only one limb is injured. That leaves 75% of your body available to train. Maximize the opportunity to get ahead. Rest the injury, but push the other part of your body to its limit. You need it. Develop the rest of your body into a benchmark that will bring the healed limb up to speed. Listen to the health professionals. Most doctors are involved in sports of their own and know what you are going through. Follow their orders to rest the injury, but ask for alternate training guidelines. My elbow specialist stressed the importance of staying fit at the level I want to be at once my elbow is healed. He said, "ride YOUR bike, because it is fit to YOU. Your bike will activate the same muscle groups." He stressed the importance of fitness, heart rate, strength, and endurance. He prescribed a program called Computraining. Sign up at a gym for a few months. There are many ways to train off the mountains. Prepare with the intention of coming out of your injury stronger.


Each Computraining Session provides a thorough workout summary with interval effort, charts, and data like Functional Threshold Power (FTP). The numbers are a great way to point out areas to improve or make goals during a series of workouts.

Computraining is like a bike-assisted video game for bikers trying to maintain fitness thresholds indoors. It's the closest workout program to an outdoor bike ride that mimics a similar intensity. It is set up in a training room at local bike shops with a projector screen and a half-circle of computerized stationary trainers. Athletes' bikes are calibrated to the trainers. During the workout, the video screen plays a selection of roads/mountain trails connected to a workout program. Just like a video game, the video sends data to the trainer which changes resistance, and sends performance data back to the screen for each athlete to monitor. The trainers are equipped with a power meter, cadence meter, and automatic resistance adjustment. The program calibrates resistance before the workout and again during warmup. It gives a personalized, perfect crushing work out. This program maintains the same muscle groups you worked insistently to develop throughout the year. Computraining is unique, because it teaches you how to maximize pedal efficiency. The above photo is a detailed report of a recent Computraining ride.


Xpresso Alps is another bike-assisted video game available at fitness centers across the USA. It is a stationary trainer connected to a biking program. It is equipped with handlebars and shifter paddles. It is a fun program and passes the time far more quickly than any other gym equipment. This program keeps your mind sharp about early-shifting habits and hugging corners. For the competitive riders, there are leaderboards and milestones to work for on this program. Above is a screenshot of rides I logged on this program, much like "Stationary Bike Strava."

There are a number of balance-assisted machines that will allow an athlete to isolate and strengthen able limbs. Wheaton Sports Center is a great gym that provides a variety of machines.

Lift
Injuries will happen less frequently and less drastic when you are stronger. Bikers can roll out of crashes and resist stress on joints during falls. Plus, lifting will make you stronger, and you will hold more power and bike faster.

Being injured is not as bad as you think. There are a lot of other aspects of your game you can strengthen while you patiently wait. You are not 100% injured. You are commissioned to build upon other strengths.


About the author: I have been racing bikes since 2011. My goals are to be the best I can be and provide resources to other riders so they can be the best they can be. A few injuries this year taught me a lot of lessons, and I'm definitely not keeping those lessons to myself. Some words to live my life by are, "do not withhold good from those who need it, when you have the ability to help" Proverbs 3:27. Injuries during 2014 included a concussion, elbow radial head fracture, separated AC joint in right shoulder, and a left shoulder sprained rotator cuff. I'm not the only one to fall, and I sure want to make a point that everyone can get back up.