I am injured.

I really must consider myself very lucky to have traveled over 62,000 miles in 14 years and not have to take time off over multiple days due to an injury.

Since January 2024, 178 days, Strava notes 208 rides taking 368 hours 24 minutes that covered 3,130 miles.

Sunday morning when getting out of bed I noted stiffness in my right ankle.  I thought that I had just slept in an awkward position.  After lunch I announced that the ankle was stiff enough that I would not ride in the afternoon.

I could not determine a specific incident that caused such stiffness and decided to Google the phrase "stiff ankle."  It did not appear as a typical sprained ankle because it was not swollen greatly.  It was tender to the touch the area above the right of the ankle bone down the top of the foot. Moving my foot up and down caused pain. I needed to walk stiff legged and it was difficult to pivot or push off from the toes.

I found comfort in the reclining deck chair on my porch which elevated my ankle.  Ice was applied on and off through the afternoon.  It was a good time reading and I enjoyed the shade with a comfortable breeze.

I discovered that stiff ankles are pretty common in the morning and I can particularly understand that at my age.  The causes usually are arthritis or tendonitis.  The query response went on to say overuse was also a common cause, especially after long periods of strenuous exercise. 

I concluded that my injury was from the last ride.  Riding the country roads for two and a half hours had probably caused the strain from overuse.  

I am anxious to get on the road of recovery.  When I am used to riding 1 or 2 hours each day, it is hard to stop. But I must take a break.  Injuries do not go away.  Riding and ignoring physical pain is not a remedy.  Rest and ice can work wonders.  

RULE #1   LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.

Through the second day there was considerable limping and discomfort.   I spent the afternoon in bed with the foot elevated. By the third day the discomfort had almost disappeared and the ankle is feeling noticeably better. My spirits were lifting.  This leads me to say, "Good, I can ride soon."  If I push it too quickly, I may aggravate the injury.

RULE #2    DON'T PUSH TOO HARD TOO QUICKLY

I will see how it feels tomorrow.  It may be good to do the inside trainer first. A half hour easy ride will probably be enough and it is easy to cut shorter. Going  outside will put me further from home and harder to cut the ride shorter. Taking it day by day is the best plan.

RULE #3   WHAT CAUSED THIS INJURY

It is important to determine why the event happened, so you are less likely to make the same mistake.    

MY CONCLUSION
A couple of weeks ago on a similar ride, I was wearing my hiking shoes instead of cycle shoes. After the ride the muscle along the side of my right calf ached. The pedals are old style metal pedals (rat traps) that came with the bike. I decided to use my cycling shoes this time. I think my pedals need to be a larger platform surface to provide more support. My foot was probably slipping off the pedal platform and put undo stress on a calf muscle.  On my tours I have always used pedals with clips and I should use those on this bike too.

The diagram helped me to understand what muscle was the problem.