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July 24, 2024 update.

 Originally posted to social media July 24, 2024.

"Sunday July 21st ride details. I left home with the dream of doing a long ride on some trails near home. Leaving the parking lot I felt like a million bucks, strong, confident, and full of energy. I felt unbelievable good, and decide I was going to see how far I could go on the ebike using the lowest power setting. I made it almost 12 k, with 450m of elevation of the 19 k ride, 678m total when I hit the wall. It was getting hot and I had 2 more climbs plan, Boundary and Snagmore. I realized I was running out of energy and just need to get back to the van. So I upped the power setting, blasted up Boundary and down the other side and bailed on Snagmore.

I got back home and realized I may have over done it lol. I did a small recovery ride on Monday morning, but had to pay for my Sunday effort. Felt run down, and an achy body for 2 days after. Valuable lessons learned from this ride. I am not back to my pre Whipple Surgery fitness, and not sure I will ever get there.

Talking with the new dietitian that will be working with me, I told her about my adventure and how I felt after. She is going to make suggestions to the Dr's for some blood work to check on minerals and nutrients, to see if my digestive system is able to absorb things properly. This will help educate me on what I need to eat, or supplements to take that will help me in the future.🙏

It was also pointed out to me that the ebike has a motor that is meant to assist me and help me get stronger. So use the assit now and stop thinking I am ready to resume riding like I use to. 😜

I guess my brain was trying to tell me it's time to get on with things, stop taking it easy, and sitting around, but my body is just not ready for the increased level of activity yet. Listening to my body, and being patient is what got me through the surgery and complications that followed. Listen to your body, and if you notice something doesn't feel right, act on it, make changes, do what it takes to fix any problems. Life is an amazing gift, live it like it's the only thing that really matters."


 




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