As some of you may know, last month in June, I was an idiot and overdid it (my body may be 55, but my mind thinks I'm 20)...

-------cut 'n pasted from an email to my sister (who's a retired RN)--------
Looking back at the sequence of events from early June:

(1) Hit golf balls at the driving range. Did a full powered, go-for-it, 100% full golf swing with a 4-iron and nailed the ball out 200 yards! But when I came back around with my backswing, I gasped, and just stood there, because I felt this instant hot burning pain in my lower back (L5/S1). Stupidly, I ignored it with the "no pain, no gain" mentality.
(2) June 18th was the blood drive at Glen Allen #131 Masonic Lodge. I donated a pint of blood, and felt fine.
(3) June 19th, I decided to go out on my Fuji road bike, and do a "marathon bike ride" and went out 26 miles out into Manakin Sabot area and back home. The freakin' day after a blood drive, and my body was still a pint low!! Duh!!!
(4) June 21st, I drove down to Richmond's "Pony Pasture" area and went running 3 miles. That's when I instantly knew something was wrong. My body was so dehydrated from too much physical exercise too soon after a blood drive. My lower back screamed at me, and my entire right leg got all tight and painful. Instead of stopping and going home, I stupidly continued on and fought through the pain, and limp/jogged the remaining way back to my truck.
(5) June 25th, realizing something was wrong, I wanted to "test" my body to make sure. I got back on my Fuji road bike and only rode to Deep Run Park (about 7.5 miles or so) from home. I was fine, except my right leg freaked out when I got into some hills, and tightened up and grew weak.
(6) June 26th - I **FINALLY** get it into my thick skull that I messed something up and need to go to the doctor, so that's when I went to Patient First and had blood work done.

That weird enzyme called CPK (Creatinine..something) was elevated due to the back trouble, sciatica, and muscle tissue in my right leg. But otherwise, I would be fine. No running, no bike riding, no anything for a few weeks and go see a neurologist for a 2nd opinion.

I went to the neurologist this past Friday and felt fine. He did all sorts of tests, took an x-ray, tested my nerve areas, tested my reflexes, etc... and found nothing major wrong. From the x-ray, I slightly "popped" the disc in my back a L5/S1 back in June when I was hitting golf balls. Through exercise and stretching routines, I will be okay and it will heal on its own. It could have been A LOT worse!
---------------------end of cut 'n paste email to my sister-----------------------

Now, with all this being said... My main question for all you well seasoned, older riders...

I just "tested" myself on my old C&V Fuji road bike and did a very easy, very gentle, 6 mile ride throughout neighborhood side streets. I was perfectly fine and had no problems, no hip pain, no leg pain, no tenderness of any sort. At the beginning of the ride, I could feel a little twinge in my lower back, but nothing terrible that would cause me to stop. But yet, when I lowered myself into the "drops" of the Fuji's handlebars, my back felt better, like it was stretching out or something! Explain that!