Back In The Saddle

As of March 15th it's been a full year since my femur injury, and I was just released from my surgeon to "go wild" -- him having declared of my once shattered thigh bone, "that's solid." I ♥ my surgeon...he did an amazing job and really gave his all despite me being "one of those" patients that he probably made little, if any, profit from. Now if we can just get me sitting straight in a better suited wheelchair, I'll be rip-roaring ready to go, but because (as anyone who knows me IRL will vouch to) I'm slightly hyperactive, while I hope and pray for my new chair, rather than letting too much time pass by, I'm going to go ahead and jump back into life with both wheels (or I guess that would be 4 wheels?) This means that April 14th - 16th I'll be competing in the bench press competition at the 2011 Southeastern Regional Wheelchair Games, and then on April 17th I'll be handcycling 11 miles in the 19th Annual Coastal Carolina University Triathlon. It's a team triathlon, where one of my friends will do a 300 yard swim, then I do 11 miles of cycling, and finally, another friend does the 5k run.
I adore the warm weather and all the fun opportunities it brings. I always say I'd rather have sweat pouring off of me than feel the slightest chill... my son is the complete opposite and dreams of one day escaping the Deep South for somewhere with snow and hats and mittens. Crazy kid!
So it's been back to the gym full force. I must admit, I was a wimp and was doing good if I made it to the gym twice a week in January and February -- did I say how much I dislike the cold...even if it's South Carolina "cold"...? I only teetered up about 4 pounds though, over the entire holiday/winter season, so I guess it could have been worse, no?
Good news is that I'm already back up to 3 sets of 7 with 150 pounds on the bench press machine. Sounds impressive, but 150 pounds is a lot easier to bench press on a machine than it is with a free weight bar...trust me!! Especially when you have balance issues, like most people with spinal cord injuries do...although most of my friends would testify that I'd be "unbalanced" even if I were able-bodied...but only "good" crazy, right? RIGHT? *looks around suspiciously*
Anyway, wish me luck as I jump back into sports & athletics, femur healed, *hopefully* a new wheelchair in the near future to help me sit right, and a fresh new outlook that the spring breeze blew into my soul. :)