Absence makes the heart grow fonder (sort of)

Around 3 months ago, it was a beautiful July afternoon and I decided to take my 355 to my Monday night pickup basketball game. Unfortunately, I was unable to drive it home as towards the end of the last game, my right achilles decided it had had enough of my basketball hobby and put a dramatic, and final, stop to it. It also meant I couldn't drive a stick for a (long) while. A couple of years earlier the left achilles had made a similar decision so I knew there were two options - no surgery and 16 weeks before I could use my foot again or surgery and 12 weeks. I had surgery two days later.

So, 4 weeks on crutches, 4 weeks in a walking cast and another 3 1/2 weeks in a boot and finally I'd had enough. I spent yesterday walking around without the boot and though my foot got tired and what was left of my calf cramped a bit, I had no pain in my achilles and minimal swelling. This morning I woke up and it felt fine.

Well, that meant I could drive a stick again. I had the house to myself and had to take my 355 out of the garage to do some work on my wife's car, and given that it was a beautiful sunny morning, I figured it was time to take it for a ride. It had been exercised with some regularity in the interim with mostly my wife driving, and I'll say that as tough as it was going out to the garage and looking at it and not being able to drive it, it was even tougher being a passenger in it. It had gotten to the point that I didn't like going out to the garage because I knew it would be there, taunting me. No longer. I decided to take a gentle ride on my 25 mile back road loop to get reacquainted with the car. I contorted myself into the car, adjusted the seat and mirror and worked the pedals to be sure I wasn't making a mistake. Despite some numbness and general weakness in my right foot, it felt fine on the pedals and I had no issue pressing the brake. So, I opened the garage door, fired up the engine and headed out.

My plan to take a nice, gentle ride lasted around 3 miles, as that's all it took to feel right back at home in the car. Surprisingly, I could even heel/toe relatively well despite my foot, so thus encouraged I had a more 'spirited' drive than planned and the engine saw the high side of 8k rpm a few times for the first time in a few months. Man, I forgot how great this car was to drive and how fun it is. I cannot understand how people can buy these cars and not drive them, I absolutely couldn't stand it. Alas, my leg was starting to get tired and I had work to do, so after my planned 25 mile loop turned into 35 miles or so, I pulled back into my driveway and spent the rest of the day in the garage. With a big smile on my face .

 

Thanks guys.

PT starts next Tuesday. I've been through it before with the other leg, it didn't take long to get my strength and balance back but I'm a couple of years older for this one so it may not be as easy...

 

Out of sight, out of mind. You have it easier, trust me .