2 Months

It's exactly two months today since the operation. Looking back, I was hoping that by today I would be close to 100% by today, though I was ready to take it as slowly as necessary to make sure the recovery complete and permanent. Yet, when I look back where I was even weeks ago and compare it to where I am now, I really am pleased with how it's going. I think the biggest unexpected thing is the discrepancy with what I can actually do - cycling, running, gym workouts - and the little aches and pains that still happen on the first few steps after I've been sitting for a while, or the way the incision site gets swollen after standing in one place for too long. I guess I wasn't expecting those little things to persist the longest.

In the last few days I've done all the three main activity toes: cycling, running and gym work, and are improving. I've increased the weight for the squats up to 25 kg (I didn't plan to, but the previous weight really felt to easy), I expect to increase the weight of squat to shoulder press from 8 to 9 kg dumbbells next week, and I've done the first few sets of deadlifts. In cycling, I'm pushing harder and harder as well, though I'm keeping the distances low for the moment. I've done the same 7.5 km loop as last weekend, but my average sorted has increased from around 18.5 to around 23.5 km/h.

I've made the least obvious improvements in running, but that's hardly surprising; I was never a runner, so I'd be staying at zero even if it wasn't for the knee surgery. I've done one session of walk/run intervals, purely by feel. The running intervals were around 200 paces each (this is still jogging pace, so I guess 150-200 meters), at which point the muscles in front of my shins would start complaining. If then switch to walking for about as  the same distance as the running part, but I want really trying to be too precise with it. I've no idea how far in total I went, but I was out for maybe 30-40 minutes I guess. I was surprised by the shin pain appearing so quickly, but at yhe same time I was pleased that there were no major complaints from the knee, just a vague feeling of tension from time to time.

I've done only one session of balance and elastic band exercises, but this is according to plan since a lot of the same muscles are now being targeted in the gym. This combination of harder exercises with more rest in-between send to be producing very good results so far, and the lighter exercises are just there to improve balance and coordination further.