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Well that’s that then….

Injury has finished off my Metric Century challenge for 2013. I’d battled through a cold start to the year and was well on track until we hit May 12th. On the 12th after a thoroughly enjoyable ride with friends, I pulled muscles in my neck and shoulder simply getting changed after the ride.

19 days later, it still hurts too much to ride a bike and a challenge I’d very bullish about is kaput – increasingly like my fitness.

The rules I set myself were quite specific – a metric century ride (100km plus) at least once every month of the year. It was the one every month that’s been my (and that of a few other people I know) undoing.

I’ve already ridden 6 centuries as I knocked out 3 in 5 days in April as well as monthly ones in January through March.

Yes, I know I could fudge or adjust the rules but it feels lame to do it. In all honesty given how slowly I seem to be recovering a century in June is far from a given at this point in time either.

I’m definitely very grumpy about this. According to the Osteopath I’ve been seeing it’s a result of bad posture and lots of bike riding that I overloaded my neck and shoulders until the muscles gave out. I had a month of the bike last year for pretty much the same injury.

I may need to go for an update on my bike fit and I’m certainly going to have to do stretches regularly in future once I heal. Something I’ve never believed in before. I’m also having to work on my posture and make sure I hold my shoulders back correctly and puff my skinny chest out more than I have before (which is probably amusing for passers by).

I will keep riding centuries and longer once I recover. Who knows how long that’s going to take – I certainly don’t. My poor bikes are gathering dust, my fitness is seeping away and I’m not dealing with the combination very happily.

Bugger