Cautiously Optimistic

It has been a frustrating 3.5 months post 100 miler, but I am cautiously optimistic that things have turned for the better!
I completed not one, but two rounds of rehab, had two cortisone shots in different places, wore a knee brace for 6 weeks and have done very little running. 

A few things that kept me somewhat sane during this process were:
1) I completed my goal!  It is much easier to be patient when you have already completed your goal.  I tried to look at this time off as just a part of the process.
2) I was able to spend lots of quality time on my bike and I was thrilled to have that outlet.
3) I knew it could be much worse.  I had a teammate break his back and another break her collar bone.  Having spent the better part of 5 years training for and racing endurance events, having a forced couple of months off after accomplishing something that I thought was impossible a year ago, was not the end of the world. I have had other small injuries during this time, but nothing that kept me from training or racing for any signficant amount of time.

I am going to be taking it slow and continuing the strength training for my knee and when I have a decent base I will start thinking about late season goals.  As my doctor said, "Do half as much as you think you should and cross training is your friend."

Patience, patience, patience ...