My Road Thus Far V - Month 6

Month 6: Jan 24- Feb 20, '09
- The first weekend of this time period, I played another game of "stop" then, the next day (sunday), after a long internal struggle, decided to give "Mini" a go. This was very high level, hard cutting, short bursts of speed, with a group of guys whose team I am planning to tryout for. So, going was a very tough decision, since I could also attend goaltimate on the same day, which would be lower level, easier to choose whether or not to go hard, and I wouldn't be showing myself for the first time to the guys who might in the future decide whether or not to cut me. I decided to give it a shot and play Mini, and it went as well as I could have hoped. I got the shit skied out of me a few times, but otherwise didn't make a fool of myself and held my own for the most part. Uninjured, I wouldn't have been too psyched, but considering I was barely 6 months our of surgery, I was content.
- This month also saw me play my first full-field ultimate, a long day of pickup this past weekend. The level was mixed, as were the games, but as the afternoon went on, two games distinctly separated themselves and my field was left with mostly men and the better men at that. I slowly increased my speed, involvement, and risk-taking, and by the end felt comfortable sprinting, cutting, and jumping at nearly full speed. The following day I played Mini again, and although I couldn't last as long before feeling mighty sore, I again felt relatively comfortable (or, as comfortable as I can expect to feel against the high level of competition).
- As Month 6 unfolded, my physical ability blossomed quickly. From playing my first competitive game on Jan 25th (and simply trying to keep up) to a game of goaltimate on Feb 22nd (where I could really push myself without worry), there was such a drastic change in knee stability, comfort and strength, in speed, reaction time, and agility, and in high-speed recovery and stamina that it's difficult to fully describe just how much better I felt. This has been my month to return to sport, without a doubt, and I am certainly glad I didn't try after 4 or 5 months like some people I've spoken to. I simply wouldn't have been able to, and the risk for re-injur, or compensation injury, would have been high.
- On Feb 17th, I had a checkup with my Physical Therapist, at which point they were basically doing a last look before they did or did not clear me to play. And they did! I wasn't that surprised to be cleared, but I was at the results of my leg diameters (they measure the muscle bulk in your legs to determine the balance of strength between your healing leg and your normal leg. The bigger the difference, the less likely they are to clear you). leg diameters:
11/7/08
2" above patella
L - [37cm] - R - [37cm]
6" above patella
L - [48.75cm] - R - [46.5cm] = 2.25cm difference
2/17/09
2" above patella
L - [37.25cm] - R - [37.25cm] = +.25cm in both legs, stronger!
6" above patella
L - [49.00cm] - R - [48.5cm] = +.25cm in ok leg, + 2cm in injured, only .5cm difference!!
- These results were very, very encouraging. Now to get back to the field!
- Going forward, the biggest gaps between me now, and me pre-injury, are my top-end speed and my jumping ability. Used to be able to touch rim. Used to have a first-step that could get me open. Both are good goals for the next two months as tryouts loom in the distance. Training now consists of running stairs twice a week with a weighted backpack (20lbs added) twice one week (Tues/Thurs), then doing sprints and acceleration work twice on the next week, alternating weekly, in addition to long pickup on Saturday and high-level Goaltimate or Mini on Sunday.