Sometimes things become possible if we want them bad enough. (T.S. Eliot)

Finally. I'm riding my bikes again.

Like it or not sometimes stuff needs to be fixed. Like joints that are messed up from arthritis. This spring I had changes made to 5 joints in each foot, joints that run across the ball of the foot. Which, of course, is right where feet and bicycle pedals come together. For months I watched my bikes gathering dust, waiting for things to heal.

Starting with a puny 7 mile ride at the beginning of August, I've gradually worked my way back up to 50 mile rides. In a month, I'll increase the rides to metrics (62 miles). I'm doing it Old School: Do the miles; speed will come. 

Surgical fixes are always a trade-off. My "new feet" work really well. A big improvement. The trade-off? I'll never be able to do downward facing dog again in yoga, and I can't get a lot of force when pushing off with the the front of my feet. I'll never miss that yoga pose, but it sucked big time when I figured out acceleration on my bikes was toast, at least until I learned a new way to pedal.

Every problem has a work-around. I'm learning how to compensate. Changing how I pedal. Placing the ball of my foot in front of (rather than over) the pedal axel. Using gears just a little differently. Tweaking my riding position on the bike. And toughening up some. It takes a while to make a new style of pedaling a habit. But it is coming along. After all, I've got friends I want to ride with. And, when cooler weather comes to Florida in a few weeks, Al and I have places around the state to visit and explore by bicycle.

If you want something bad enough, things have a way of working out.