The definition of irony: after spending years exercising to get off the couch, I am now spending weeks on the couch to get back to exercising.
It has all come full circle, as the couch is now my avenue to recovery.
After being disheartened about my stress fracture showing no imaged signs of healing, I decided to have a couch holiday. The doctor suggested spending as much time off the hip as possible. That meant walking with a cane, or just hardly walking at all. All of my normal activities have taken a toll, and I could tell that just going about my normal life was hurting rather than helping the injury.
So I took Friday off, and purposely pledged to spend the entire 3-day weekend on the couch. Of course this wasn’t going to help me heal any faster, but with any luck, the short reprieve would lessen the chance of my messing things up even further. Another piece of irony is that I started this stay-cation by registering for the Assault on Mount Mitchell. My first bit of training is sitting on my derriere, watching the world go by.
For being on the couch, I have been quite productive. Thank God for modern technology, as I’ve benefited from Amazon Kindle, TV on demand, and Netflix. I’ve been an avid consumer of content, and it has kept me (mostly) sane.
Finally, the weekend finished up with the Super Bowl. I was rooting for the San Francisco 49ers, who I’ve been a fan of since I lived in the bay area during Joe Montana’s years. There hasn’t been much to root for over the last decade, so I’ve been saving my energy. The result wasn’t what I hoped for, but at least it was an engaging game that kept me on the couch.
To my surprise, my rest and relaxation has helped. I had already shown significant improvement over the last couple weeks. It seems that this downtime has helped settle the hip even further. It feels a lot better. I will continue to walk with a cane over the next few weeks, as the doctor suggested. Since I have some more leave time available, I may take another stay-cation or two on the couch before all is said and done.
SteepClimbs.com 
February 5th, 2013 at 11:59 am
Keep the faith Aaron!
February 7th, 2013 at 5:34 am
Thanks, Rich. That’s what is keeping me going.
February 5th, 2013 at 10:48 pm
It’s hard to sit still when you are used to being active, but sometimes rest is the only answer. Be patient (and that’s coming from one of the most impatient people on earth.)
February 7th, 2013 at 5:35 am
As a wise man recently told me, ‘don’t sweat it.’ I’m pretty impatient too, but I am a realist and can adapt to my situation. All things considered, I feel like I am handling this well.