I had all the best intentions to keep this blog going every month – around mid-month, but one thing leads to another and all of a sudden I’ve lost two weeks somewhere, maybe a month!
The best point to start is to look at my progress since the operation last month. In comparison to the first time round I was up & walking within a day and back to using just one crutch within a week. I guess the big difference here is that I wasn’t hit by a van head on the day before my operation this time round – so there’s no “double-trauma” to recover from. I vividly recall not being able to walk with a Zimmer frame a couple of steps to the end of my hospital bed after the crash, whereas this time I was not bouncing about but at least I could hobble around pretty much within 24hrs of the operation.
I have to keep looking back and using comparisons to the first time around because you can lose yourself in the negativity of thinking you’re not progressing at all day-to-day. I’m glad I took photos of my initial injuries and then the progress and Suzy took videos of me learning to walk again etc. so I can look back and realise I’m quite a bit better off than before.
In my weird little world things just don’t progress fast enough and I get frustrated in the amount of rehabilitation sessions I do and see very little progress. Of course, there are no miracles when you’ve lost the use of your leg for nearly 6 months. The comeback is going to be hard and I have no illusions on what lays ahead of me both in the next few months and indeed in years to come. But sometimes, just sometimes you just wish you could fast-forward a few years and then get back to normal life.
I returned to my consultant a few week after the operation and he looked at my leg/knee to see if it was in good condition. Although the stitches were degradable the nurse kindly removed them where they poked out so it didn’t aggravate my skin. I was advised that swimming should be delayed for another week or so to allow the skin to repair around the stitches and then we talked about what I could or couldn’t do in the gym and in my sport what limiters there were.
One thing that has changed is the fact I am now planting my foot flatly on the ground, whereas before I was only using the outer (lateral) side of my foot whilst walking. The leg almost extends fully as well – maybe a degree or two in it, but it won’t hyperextend – something which the consultant said wouldn’t be achievable. He advised pushing down on the knee to try and achieve as much extension as possible but there is a constant pain in the back of my leg when I do that, indicating the capsule at the back is under pressure so I think it’s about the best it can be. The fact that the knee is almost extended means I can now use my quad muscle on the inside of my knee (VMO) and it’s already seen a marked improvement even now. However, my right leg is still noticeably smaller than my left and although I’ll try to get it bigger, I don’t think it will match it.
As well as my weekly Physical Training session I have been prescribed two massage sessions trying to manipulate and stretch the muscles in the right leg as I try to strengthen them. As my sports therapist will say immediately – it’s two steps forwards and one step back with my constant battle to train every day and endeavour to become the athlete I once was (with physical limitations obviously).
Along with my chiropractic care, counselling sessions, swimming & cycling etc. the addition of these massage sessions and ongoing PT have now made me a bit of a “project manager” with me being the project! Juggling multiple appointments and trying to fit it all in the week as well as my recovery tools (Ultrasound, Theragun, Compex Machine and Compression Boots) I’m pretty much a full-time patient. I’m reluctant to use that word (patient) but I’m not sure what else I’d call myself. My friends call me a full-time Pro athlete but I know that’s in jest and lightens the mood when the frustrations are obvious.
A few weeks on from our last trip to Kelling Heath in North Norfolk we returned, with slightly more people from the Swim, Bike, Run social circle. There was the best intentions to take road bikes but the weather had other plans so we just used MTB’s and did a few magical mystery tours which was fun. It was good to get out again on the road (and trails) and not feel like I was losing my mind (and fitness). I think I held my own on the bike and that was good enough for me – for now!
Another highlight during this weekend was an organised swim at the local leisure centre. The elites organised themselves in the fast lane and the rest of us (me included) were quite happy doing our own little thing in the “not so fast” lane. I was keeping up with their pace – to a degree, and then was bullied, albeit welcomely, into the elite session to try and sit on their feet and see if I could keep up. We did a few 100’s and I found myself 8-10 seconds faster just being in the flow of water behind the fast swimmers. I commented that this was fastest I had ever swam 100 metres in…. “what’s your fastest 200?” and so it began. I was pretty much swinging within 50 metres and was trying to hold onto their pace for dear life recording a 2:59 – another fastest time. “What’s your fastest 400?”…. I’d never believe going sub 6-minutes would ever be possible but here I was doing it – although nearly killing myself in the process! Thank god that was the end of the 1-hour booked session – I don’t think I could do 100 metres more to be fair!
A week later and I was in Centre Parts Elvedon, near Thetford for a “Mother’s Day” weekend with Suzy and her Mum, her sister, her boyfriend and their little girl – Thea. Having these little weekend breaks are good in the general scheme of things as it gets me out from my “four walls syndrome” at home but it also throws a few challenges on where (and when) I can do my (our) regular training – a first-world problem I’m sure. Nonetheless, Suzy & I managed a lane swim at a local leisure centre – not quite as fast as I was a week earlier bit a bit more spring in my step (stroke actually). And then we headed out from the park to High Lodge – a well known MTB centre with different coloured runs to test skill levels. Suzy’s mum came out on her MTB too and in hindsight we should’ve picked an easier route but we chose the Red Route which turned out a bit difficult at times. There were certain points when I was struggling to negotiate the rocks, jumps and bomb-holes and I was immediately thinking that this would be too much for Suzy and her mum but they did it and were in hysterics whilst doing so – a good ride out and plenty of laughter – just what the doctor ordered.
It was also good to get away with Suzy, although she doesn’t show it too much it can be quite stressful dealing with a neurotic adolescent such as myself! I’m always stressing about this or that and it’s hard for her to observe. I do try and keep a lid on it and my frustrations only come out on rare occasions but I can’t hide every emotion all the time. As always she is the ear to bend, the shoulder to cry on and the voice of reason when something completely innocuous sends me spiralling for no reason at all. Yep – there it was – the guaranteed mention each blog – my rock.
Back to the grind!
The regular week keeps me focused on my current training as well as the rehab sessions. With the extra appointments I’m attending right now, it requires a bit more organisation than normal to fit it all in. Add into that the recovery aids and the day’s nearly all done. In fairness, I’d prefer to be busy as opposed to staring out of the window. I’ve said before – it keeps me off social media sites in the main.
The cycling is “ok” at present. I’m still comparing myself to what I was able to do before the recent operation – clearly not healthy I know! But I’m also looking back to how “cycling fit” I was before the crash – again, not healthy! I’m sticking to a plan and I can feel my cycling legs coming back – hopefully in time for early May when I need them.
The “spring” in my swim stroke has got me back into the swing of things at my health club, notching up a couple of 5k swims during the week and maybe 2 or 3k on a Sunday afternoon with Suzy, dependent on how knackered I am from the ride earlier in the day. Although I feel like I am on a bit of a plateau at the moment with swimming I think I’m still developing as I’m probably getting more efficient at my current pace which may help with my race tactics, ie: keeping calm in the water so I can start the bike-part of the Aquabike race with a bit more energy.
Moving forwards!
We’ve got a trip to Majorca next month, the original plan was to take part in the Long Course Weekend Triathlon (LCW) to get some race mileage in the legs on the bike and go open water swimming – something that you simply cannot do in the UK until about May/June as it’s too cold. The bike-leg has been cancelled as they didn’t get the police permit for the event so I’m just doing the 3.8k swim but they others will be doing the run events and we’ve got bikes hired and I intend on packing a few miles in that week in preparation for the World Long Course Championships a few weeks later in Ibiza.
Ibiza is now starting to creep into my vision and my mind and it’s occupying my thoughts on occasions. My semi-disaster in Samorin, Slovakia in August last year needs to be put straight but I’m not 100% sure because of recent events and the operation whether this is the place to do it – but I know what I’m like and I’ll give it my best shot and suffer the consequences for going “all-in” on the day. I mean – it’s the World Championships after all.