Update

Cycling:  In the last week I have been back on the bike for a couple of easy rides to see if I can resume training...  the swelling in my leg has subsided and appears to be 100% gone now.  I am ramping up the work level but still not going 100% because there is no sense in shocking it and risking a recurrence.  The annoying aspect is that the doctors never fully figured it out so I am nervous it will come right back as I resume....  Oh well, time will tell...

Running:  I have been able to resume running as well.  I am taking it even slower in that department as it represents the biggest test of my skin and leg.  If something will go wrong it is usually when I am running.  So far it has been fine, but I have been using the treadmill (softer) and going in short bursts of 10mins or less.  It feels fine and soon I will "go for it" a bit more...  I am thinking of doing a short "race" with Sacha this weekend - it's tradition (once a year) and should be a good (but not too hard) test for my leg.

Swimming:  I continue to get out in the ocean three times a week at least.  It has been my saving grace during this period.  We now regularly get 6-8 people out at B.Bay.  For info click HERE.  I have totally found my love for swimming.  Today we had a strong current making us work extra hard.  I would love to know more about the currents and tides at B.Bay - they seem utterly random to me...  

Overall:  I would say that my upper body could use a rest...  with all the swimming,  and workouts that avoided leg strain, it has seen a lot of work over the last while.  I think my fitness is ok mostly due to the swimming, but there is going to be a definite effort involved in recovering some lost speed and power on the bike and it has been AGES since I ran properly.  These will come back with time but I need to be patient...

The logos are from the Olympic pictograms from 1968 Mexico City Olympics.  

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Making Lemonade

I spent a good chunk of the weekend on my butt resting the leg.  It seems odd to 'rest' an unidentified swelling that is pretty much invisible to anyone who isn't familiar with the geography of my leg.

It can be a frustrating process that's for sure...  when something this minor becomes so major simply because you have to put it inside a prosthesis.  On the other hand it is no different from an injury anybody might get - it keeps you from doing what you want to do.

The trick, if there is one, is to find the things you CAN do and DO THEM.  All while trying to repair, rest, and recover from whatever the problem is.  So that is what I have been trying to do.

Progress:  X-ray - done.  Ultrasound - booked (July 25th what a joke...) and re-booked with begging (next Thursday).  Blood test - done.  Results of any of them - not yet.  On two different drugs - one an anti-inflammatory the other an anti-biotic.  Amazing how you can go from very healthy to all of that in a few days...

Training:  Kevin and I hit up Batchelor Bay at 6 yesterday morning.  We did the usual loop and enjoyed the warm water temps.  Usually it takes me 30-45 seconds to get comfortable in the cold water around this time of year, but right now it is instant comfort.  

You can see it is now around 16° or 17°c (62°F) which is a LOT better than the 9° (48°F) a few months ago.

ALSO, I am flying in the new wetsuit!  Looking back I should have realized that my old suit was 1. too big and 2. had two or three too many holes (that's a disastrous combo for speed.)

Innovative Fitness:  I have continued going to my sessions at Innovative.  I learnt a long time ago that I can't stop everything when I have a leg problem.  I just adapt and do what I can.  It's at times like this that I AM SO LUCKY to have the coaches at IF on my side.

On Friday Jeff Iwanaka devised a dastardly core session - all the hardest core exercises back-to-back-to-back for most of the hour.  It left me tired and happy and my leg untouched.

Yesterday, Dylan worked me over with bands, cables, swiss balls, posture etc.  

Riding:  I tried out the leg on a quick 1 hour ride at 5:45 this morning. Kevin and I ran the bikes out along Marine Drive to the industrial part of North Van and back...  we took it pretty easy but worked occasionally.

It felt ok-ish... on hills and out of the saddle I can definitely feel pain but it's relatively fine when I just spin. I am now waiting to see exactly how much I will have to pay for the effort in the way of swelling.  It's encouraging I guess - though TTs and track events are all about pushing HARD start to finish.

Anyway, the long and the short of it is that I am doing what I can when I can.  It's not easy right now but then again, who ever said it was gonna be easy?

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My Mt. Everest

Over the years many people have asked me about my accident, there have even been a few who asked me about my recovery....

The question which pops up when that topic is on the table is usually something like, "Was it hard to recover after your accident?" or "Wow, you've recovered so well.... how did that go for you?"

Really, I think the recovery is the more exciting part of the story - because the accident was really kind of boring:  Coles Notes version - San Francisco, August 17, 1995.... two cable cars collide, really quite slowly - I am in the wrong place at the wrong time i.e. between bumper #1 and metal staircase #2 - flesh and bone vs. metal - flesh and bone loses the battle (no contest) and later that evening said flesh and bone is in a ziploc bag on the way to the hospital incinerator....  

Recovery has been my personal Mt. Everest.  I never reach the summit (which is OK...) it is a process of reaching for more - maybe in that way Everest isn't the perfect analogy but I like it...

If you were assigned the job of climbing Mt. Everest what would you do?

Most people would come up with an overall plan first, it would include things like this:

"I'd hire a guide."

"I'd get the right equipment."

"I'd educate myself about the challenge."

"I'd read other climbers' accounts."

"I'd get super fit."

"I'd hire a trainer."

And there are probably a thousand more.  The point is that faced with a BIG challenge like Everest, most people instictively know that they'd have to come up with a good plan and stick to it.

I was the same - I knew I was in a serious predicament and I knew I'd need some help.  I find it interesting that in most cases people have a better idea of what they'd do to climb Mt. Everest than they do for how to lose 10lbs.  When the chips are down we humans know how to survive - or at least we make a pretty solid effort at survival.

I can only chalk it up to the fact that in my situation recovery was of primary importance.  Nothing else mattered.  To continue the analogy - with Everest your life is on the line - planning and execution become CRITICAL because the consequences are immediate.  

In stark contrast - the lack of immediate consequences with weight and health is too bad really - I think a lot fewer people would become obese if the Grim Reaper took you to hell 3 days after you pop the button on your Levi's.

There might be another factor that comes into play...  With a challenge like Everest or recovering from a disastrous injury or accident, most assume (reasonably) that it is important to bring in experts and pay for their knowledge and abilities.  With a goal like "losing this spare tire", many will assume that they know how to accomplish the task on their own, when in reality they have no idea.  There may also be a hesitancy or embarrassment associated with seeking help for the task.  Combine all of these factors with a lack of immediate consequences and the "spare tire" stays right where it is - likely growing.

How can you apply the Everest climber's mindset if your goal isn't a matter of life or death, or even of primary importance?

Force yourself to use the same equipment that the climber uses.  Not his ice ax and crampons,  but his mental checklist and processes.  Tackle smaller goals with the same procedures you would adopt if your Everest expedition was departing next Monday.  Try to imagine that you might FREEZE TO DEATH, ALONE, ON THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN if you fail.  (In truth, you might actually die....  just not right away.)

There are a million ways to write it down but it is pretty hard to argue with the following:

1.  Define Goal.

2.  Develop a Plan.

3.  Assemble a Team.

4.  Get the Required Equipment.

5.  Execute the Plan.

6.  Hold Yourself Accountable.

7.  Assess the Results.

I didn't consciously think this way when my accident happened - but the situation was serious enough that I was forced to get A LOT of help - and with assistance, and great advice, I developed a great recovery plan.  From the ongoing experience I have learnt a lot about tackling subsequent goals in life.  

First and foremost:  I try to make my goals serious.  I try to adopt a life or death attitude - like an Everest climber.

Second and secondmost:  I get help.  People love to help others - make them feel good by allowing them to help you!

When it is all said and done, the same methods that can result in a speedy recovery or a 10lb weight loss can be used to tackle any goal in life - even climbing Mt. Everest.

P.S.  I even like to imagine myself in Everest climbing gear....  it helps create a hardcore mindset!

P.P.S.  Sacha - don't worry, I am not planning on climbing Mt. Everest.

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Mama said there'd be days like these... Nationals - Race Report #2

Well the relative glory of Tuesday's bronze medal was tempered by an unsuccessful outing yesterday...

As previously mentioned, yesterday's race was a 7.5km skate race.  Our category drew a late start (1:15pm) which was a bit different...  I am used to racing in the morning.  I liked it actually...

The conditions were challenging - snow was falling fairly heavily all day so the course was very soft.  The light was very flat and the course was strewn with sitzmarks (a jaunty x-c term for an ass-shaped divot in the snow caused by a wipe-out.)

This sounds like a list of excuses just waiting to be trotted out... in fact these things didn't bother me too much and had little to do with my eventual undoing...

The race was 2 x 3.75km laps...  I had completed one lap before my troubles began.  Things were going fairly well I figured...  I had only been passed by one skier (the bullet train known as Nitta from the Land of the Rising Sun - he went on to win this race as well.)  I felt decent...  was working hard but had gas left in the tank.  

So, enough suspense... my crash was of the low velocity variety, but would have received high marks for awkwardness.  It occurred in the stadium - the flattest, easiest and, coincidentally, most public, part of the course.  I don't know why I dumped it there....  I must have hit a hole in the snow, or caught an edge or something.  I rose from the snow ASAP (as you do when you eat it in front of 100s of people...) and headed out of the stadium towards the next hill on the course...  once the adrenaline of the wipeout (and the embarrassment) subsided I was faced with the steepest and longest hill on the course.  Unfortunately, I also found myself fighting a fairly large dose of pain from my back.  I had twisted quite awkwardly during my faceplant...  and now climbing the hill was proving to be almost impossible.  I stopped a couple of times (much to the chagrin of several spectators on the side of the course) and tried to restart, but I was making almost no progress on this hill.  Ultimately, I elected to stop.  DNF.

I proceeded tentatively to the medical tent where I was diagnosed with a pulled/strained spinal erector muscle.  I was fairly relieved that it wasn't a slipped disc or pinched nerve or some such terrible sounding back ailment (I have no experience with back trouble so I was significantly worried.)

Race diagnosis = disappointing.  I have failed to finish a race one time before...  that time I passed out from heat exhaustion so the decision was out of my hands.  This time I decided to quit.  Choosing to quit is a different animal... one that lives with you for a while.  Unfortunately, this pain may live with me for a while as well.

Race Lessons:

- Some days you will fail.  Remember how much you hate it and channel it towards kicking ass the next time.

- Turn the page.  Like an NHL goalie that lets in a bad goal - forget about it or get ready to watch another one go in.

So, with this sage advice in mind:

- tomorrow's race is a 1200 metre Sprint - a time trial first thing in the morning, seeding, a semi-final, and a final (if all goes well.)  This is actually the event I have been looking forward to the most for the week - it is exciting - first to the line wins (no interval start).

Whether I can perform tomorrow will be the question.... my back still hurts.  I got an initial treatment in the medical trailer from Mikhail (an RMT associated with our Para-Nordic Team) which calmed the spasms and gave me some relief.  Today I had a 60 minute massage from Mary-Beth at Peak Performance in Whistler - she really concentrated on the area and loosened it up quite a bit.  I have spent significant time in the hot tub and have also spent about 30 hours with my fingers crossed.

If it hurts too much I won't make it to the semi-final so I don't think there is a big risk.  If it goes well I will still only have to ski 3 x 1200m.

Wish me luck - hopefully tomorrow's post will be a little more fun.  

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