Back in the saddle

Four weeks post back fracture and I'm feeling great.  I did a short bike of 20 miles on Saturday and it felt pretty good.  I was a little tired in the spot where I broke my back, but it was better than I was expecting.  The first week after the crash hurt pretty bad, second week was pretty achy, third week was a little sore, fourth week and no pain but I'm still not pushing it.  This recovery is a snap compared to the disc stuff, not that I would suggest either.  When you can feel yourself getting better everyday, it really makes a difference compared with the hopelessness of the never ending months of pain of a disc injury.  I think I'll start easing back into activities over the next 2 weeks with a few more gentle rides, being careful not to do anything stupid.  I go back for a follow up with my surgeon in the middle of August, but don't expect anything other than checking in with him.  The artificial disc has held up like a champ, with no problems at all.  This makes me feel a lot better about the disc, but I still remain cautious and will not use this as an excuse to try to be more daring.  I'm grateful for another bullet dodged.