Recovering from AC Joint reconstructive surgery – Which plan

[Bob Wright]

I had a significant crash last summer that tore most of the ligaments holding my AC joint in place. After months of physical therapy, we made the decision to surgically repair it, which I did in January. About a month ago I was cleared to begin riding on the trainer and started your “Broken COLLAR BONE rehab mtb training plan”, I am currently on week 4 and all is going well.

I have been racing for about 4 years, primarily doing XC races (15-25 miles)and finishing mid pack, but last year I started doing more endurance focused races like DK200 and a couple 6/12 hrs and found I really liked that style of racing.

My original plan was to focus on 100 milers this year with a goal of upper mid pack with the following as my main races:

Cohutta (Apr 26 ~100mi)
DK200 (May 31 ~200mi)
Lumberjack (Jun 21 ~100mi)
Wilderness (Jul 26 ~100mi)
Ore to Shore (Aug 9 ~50mi)
Fools Gold (Sep 20 ~100mi)
Iceman (Nov 1 ~30mi)

With that in mind I purchased the “Masters 40+ MTB Cross Country Base Training Plan” and “Masters 40+ MTB 100 Mile Personal Record Training Plan”.

With the shoulder surgery I am way behind on my training and I am not sure I will even be ready for 100 Mile races this year. So I have changed my goals to be a little more realistic and will be focusing more on having a quality race rather than being concerned about placement.

Ore to Shore (Aug 9 ~50mi)
Fools Gold (Sep 20 ~100mi)
Iceman (Nov 1 ~30mi)

Looking at the Master 40+ 100 mi PR plan, it has 3-4 hour rides in the first couple of weeks. I do not think my shoulder is up for that this fast, even though I have no medical restrictions. My Physical Therapist has recommended holding off doing off road riding for a few more weeks, but has said to let shoulder discomfort guide road/trainer riding.

That was a long winded way to get to my question, which plan would be best for me now. Should I look at your 50 miler plans or one of the Finisher plans or just reduce the length of the rides in the first few weeks of the 40+ 100 mi PR plan?

Thanks,

Bob

[Lynda]

Bob,

Sorry to hear about your injuries. It sounds like rehab is going well.

Short answer is: Reduce the length of the rides in the first few weeks of the 40+ 100 mi PR plan.

There are actually longer rides in the Finisher plans as the focus on those plans is more on building endurance than speed. Shorter, higher quality rides are the accurate plan for you. During the mid-week rides reduce the volume on any interval day by shortening the warm up and cool down and keep the interval set unchanged.

When you get back outside to riding I suggest you spend the first few weeks riding your MTB on the road. That will give you more control and cushion the road vibrations better than your road bike. Also, you are best to stay away from competitive group rides for a while as typically they have more crashes than riding solo or with friends. There are group ride or race options in the plan. Do modify everything in the plan to your personal needs e.g. ride solo instead of racing or doing a fast group ride.

Lynda.

• This reply was modified 12 years ago by Lynda.

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