I fell off my bike in May and broke my wrist in the process. That meant several weeks in a plaster cast. It was frustratingly restrictive but I was determined that I wouldn’t use it as an excuse.
I tried to find out exactly what I was and was not supposed to do whilst my wrist recovered and then work within that. The main restrictions were that I couldn’t get it wet and, obviously, that I had limited use of my dominant arm. Still, I managed the following:
- A 50 mile run from my front door to the coast
- Regular cycling in London. The doctor said it was OK and I could still control my bike so I kept riding.
- Running between a day’s errands instead of cycling. I racked up 15 miles before tea time.
- Walking the first half of the Ribble Way including bivvying out in foul weather
- Swimming in the sea. I just kept my right arm aloft the whole time. It looked pretty stupid but you can’t beat an icy plunge for entertainment.
- Four days’ walking along the Cornish coast, sleeping under the stars.
- Continuing our Thames swimming project by running to the source
My point is not that I am a tough guy. I’m not. If something hurt then I stopped doing it.
It is also not that I ignored my doctor’s advice and did stuff anyway. I didn’t. I had no interest in short-term release in exchange for long-term complications.
The point is simply that whatever your circumstances, you will be able to find something adventurous to do.
