Still Broken

The Journey back to fitness - part 2

Still broken - Death to the Al Bundy dad body - Peer pressure and maybe I should stop doing dumb stuff – What’s next?

Still broken but apparently, I’m starting to heal. 

As you can see from my X-ray taken on May 4th there is still a clear break in the rib which I boke over 7months ago.  There are small signs of healing but basically it is still broken.  Not sure what that means but I am being referred to the cardio thoracic specialist.  It may mean they need to stick the rib back together which if I am honest does not seem like a fun time. 

​Basically, it’s a bit shit but until I know more I just need to manage the best I can. I guess at least I know where I am at right now. It does explain why it is still uncomfortable sometimes.  It also means I may be a little more cautious at the next cyclocross race as a crash might not be ideal.

Death to the Al Bundy dad bod.

One of the key objectives while building back my fitness is also to begin so shed some of the extra conditioning I have gained.  In our world the term is – being a bit soft or as my mate Scott described it – my Al Bundy dad bod.  At the start of this process, I was 79kg the heaviest I have ever been.  I do weigh myself every morning and take a weekly average and the good news is that I am now into the mid 76kg zone, so I have managed to lose just over 2kg.  Target race weight is 72kg and as the training volume increases then the progress should hopefully speed up.  That is all about being patient and making smart decisions but compared to the rib progress is being made.

Peer pressure and doing dumb stuff.

In the last few years, I have done a few swim run races and while it was definitely not an option for me this summer when the key swim run  race was cancelled my buddy Andrew wanted to do a swim run training day on one of our training courses – which was going to involve swimming out to quail Island running around the Island then swimming across to the other side of the harbour before running back to Diamond Harbour.  This was early February, and I was only just starting to run again.  My biggest swim had been about 2.5km and my longest run had been 30minutes easy using a run walk protocol. 

After much pleading I finally relented to the peer pressure knowing I was not ready for what would be at least 3.5-4km of swimming (open water) and about 12km of running.  I was nervous especially about the run aspect, however I figured if I was super careful, I might just fake it.  

It soon became apparent why I was required and what all the pressure was for.  We have a safety rule on the long swims that the stronger swimmers tow the weaker swimmers with a bungy so we all can swim in a group and hopefully stay safer.  So not only was I going to be swimming but for at least 3km of the swimming component I was going to be towing someone (my buddy’s partner as it turns out). 

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You cannot see it - there is a bungy cord between us - Mainly for safety but it does mean extra load.

​To be honest I got through the swimming ok however the last run just nuked me, and it was more of a walk, run, hobble the whole time questioning why I was doing this.  Honestly while I managed to get through, I was train wrecked for the next week and needed a week off from running to let my trashed legs recover. 

Funny moment the following Friday at the pool when the athlete I had towed was making a comment about sore shoulders from the day – Really?  Mine too, as I towed your sorry arse across the harbour!  It did make me smile.     I think that comes under the category – let’s not do any more dumb stuff that is going to put me backwards.  

What’s next?

First up obviously it is a case of finding out about the rib but until I know more it’s a case of pressing on with the plan as best I can.

There is lots on as the cyclocross season has just started and that is a fun way to get some bike intensity in and have a bit of fun while trying to be careful that I do not crash and reinjure the rib. 
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May 24th signals the start of my preseason build for Ironman and that will be two 4-week blocks of training where the key focus will be building the run volume and preparing for my Ironman build that starts the first week of August.  That will also involve some time trail testing which is never fun although I have already completed a 1km time trial in the pool for a base line and while 14mins 25 was ok it should really be in the 13minute bracket so work to be done.  

Cyclocross season has started - surprisingly the rib not sore during this nonsense but it has been a little niggly post race - no way they could be connected.

So that’s the update –

Overall, I am getting there however there is quite a bit of uncertainty about the rib and what the way forward will be.  I am not sure that if surgery is going to be the solution how I manage that and trying to get fit for the races I have entered next summer.  It may be a case of getting it fixed asap and take the hit or waiting till March and get it sorted post season.  I have no idea at this stage, so I guess it’s a case of wait and see.

The positive is that I almost back to a normal fitness level and the next blog will be about the concept of two Ironman’s in one season (which is something I have never done before so that should be interesting) or it will be about the rib and post op recovery.  Life on a knife edge I can tell you.
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Cheers

John