There's no denying it. Coming back from Canada all busted up - long term - and having let my partner down has landed on my head like a ton of bricks (or a BC tree as it were). Not neccessarily in that order. It is an odd experience right now. There are so many parts of the week that glow in my memory, and those parts fill my subconcious. I know this cause when I wake in the morning it is from sweet dreams. Then the rib screams, the foot aches, I go for my crutches and the day begins...
Yet, the initial shock is wearing off (the diagnosis 2 days ago was a surprise dave bomb), opportunities are presenting themselves, the head is clearing.
Steve Palladino, Wattage forum member, has been fielding questions left and right for a day. His experience and responses have helped put this thing in perspective and remove some of the unknowns. Thank you Steve for shedding some light!
No matter how I slice it, there isn't going to be any serious training for 2-3 months, which realistically means no racing for 5-6. Christmas star anyone? As I learned in the collarbone experience, lots of time off = lots of fitness loss. At my age it doesn't come back in a week or a month. It takes a bit of time. Realizing this, I'm actually quite relaxed about the situation. There's no rush, aside from the ability to do enough to maintain sanity. After the collarbone incident, I rode like there was no tomorrow as soon as I could toss a leg over a saddle. I've ridden and raced more in the last 6 months than most do in a decade. That'll hold me over for a good long while, and in the meantime, I've got some cool stuff in the works. One project is gonna be over the top...something I've wanted to do for a long time, and the current situation makes it doable.
The support from friends has been tremendous - thank you everyone who has emailed, called, commented and sent the vibes. All have been well received...and it's been overwhelming.