Originally Posted by Nickel

I would just take the year off and do some other stuff so you aren't constantly worried about getting back into shape quickly. Yeah it will definitely suck but it will be better for you in the long run (like everyone else has said).

I couldn't play my final rugby season because I had such terrible tendinitis in my back and my hips. I never knew what it was like to have joints be so absolutely on fire. I took 2 months off and it still hurt so I started rock climbing. I think it took over 5 months plus some resistance training to build up muscle where I could run again without pain. Too late for rugby so I started cycling. I definitely missed it but at least I had other things to keep me active so I didn't focus on it too much.