A toughy, but a goody

At present, it seems its all about riding... the last 2 weeks I have ridden further than ever before... which although gives me a real sense of achievement is also bloody hard work!

Last week we went out to McLaren Vale and back, about an 80km round trip... stopped for coffee half way - as seems to be the way it goes. I don't know about this caffeine business. Talk about uncomfortable the whole way home. I have a tiny bladder at the best of times!!

This week we extended it a bit further and went to Willunga... an extra 10km each way so I managed to clock over the 100km mark for the first time ever. Its a real sense of achievement. I felt really great afterwards, as well as through my ride which was very pleasing. I think I must be made for distance work.... ask me to do sprint work and I will baulk at it, but anything with some distance just sounds like a challenge!

So after nearly 5 hours in the saddle (the last little bit one of our group was cramping so we had a bit of a plod back to drop him home) I was famished. Got home and put on the old compression gear and absolutely monstered a turkey salad sandwich... what a great way to spend a Sunday hey?

Who's up for next week?

Sometimes it just hurts!

This one hurt!!! 32 Degrees, 10km of suck it up princess and keep running. That said, Im thankful for the running that I can do as it won't last forever. I felt like I was running at an absolute plod! Last night in bed my legs kept doing that "nearly cramping" thing so I spent a fair portion of the night waking up!! Bugger.

I haven't done a 'long' run in a while (back in the day... 10km wasn't a long run) but the plan after my ankle is reconstructed is for 10km to again become a fairly regular sort of distance again. To train for and complete my half marathon and then go from there...

Friends of ours just ran the New York Marathon - I was inspired by what they did. One day deciding that they wanted to run a marathon, they began the training and got stuck in. Heading to NY they had no expectations of actually running the whole way, but on arriving at the race thats just what they did. Ran the WHOLE 42km. Isn't that insane? 42km. Its the challenge. The challenge drives me, the aftermath hurts, and the memories and sense of achievement last for years. Bring it!

My big day out.

So despite weighing up how bad this could possibly be, with scenarios running through my head of bonking half way up a hill, not yet even at the half way point.... it wasn't so bad. In fact not only that, it was well... enjoyable. (Ssshhh its our secret hey?)

The boys wanted to do an 80km ride, up hills, a long way from home. The furthest I had ever previously gone is 60km and that was flat! I had spent 3 weeks off my bike.... you can imagine my hesitation.

So cutting a long story short - I decided to suck it up and give it a bash. As it turns out, Gorge Rd was just a beautiful ride. We managed to dodge the awful weather from the weekend - even getting outselves some sun, we managed a tailwind up and a headwind down (ah- thank you!!) AND managed all 75.29km of it.

A sense of achievement - yes. Sore shoulders - also yes. Compression gear afterwards - hell yes. Do it again?? Of course!

So this is the ride:

New ride to work!

So, we have moved... all be it temporarily, but we have moved. With this brings all kinds of fun (& nightmares!!) but what it does mean, is that in our relationship I now have the longer ride to work. Still not far, only 10km - but it works for me. I need to put in some extra k's and riding to work is the best way for me to do it. Its a guaranteed 20km round trip per day, then (or do I mean now) that the weather is fine, I plan to pad it out a little with some additional distance each day.
Truth is 111km ride for the TDU is an intimidating prospect given that I haven't done a long ride for 3 weeks now. 3 WEEKS. Crap. Best get moving.

Talk soon.

S.
xx

Head in the books

On a recent work trip interstate I grabbed myself a copy of the latest runners world. I love to read these kind of things on the plane (& yes, lets be honest, it beats the airline mags hands down) and it bit me. You know... the kind of sneak up behind you when you're not looking and bite you so you get "the bug"... well I have the bug. The running bug that is.

Its funny, right through winter I forget how much I enjoy getting outside and running. I see new things, I keep in touch with my local area, I end up that nice golden brown colour (YES I do appreciate this is bad, but trust me... I do wear sunscreen religiously and it STILL happens.) and I find that the scales tell me nice things when I jump on them.

I can't tell you why, but running - only running sheds the kilos for me. I can spend hours on a bike, or swimming laps in a pool, or in the gym and I will get fit, strong and all those good things, but running just is the only thing that makes me drop any extra kilo's. Which is great - because it does mean that I can do those other things BETTER. My swimming improves, my cycling is stronger, my basketball is better and I actually get muscles, little girly muscles. :-)

Running & gym are the only things which really give me muscle soreness. I HAVE to say a massive thanks to Barry & the team at Linebreak for their compression gear when this comes round. To be brutally honest, without this my recovery takes so much longer. Shameless plug... maybe - but it is the truth at the same time. So for all my fast approaching old age (no it doesn't scare me, no I don't worry about it) I have to say, being able to do the things I enjoy is far more important!

Live people. Get out and live!

Up & About

Well, as we all know getting out and about ends up with sore muscles and tired little eyes. I have had a bit of a case of both of late, so Wednesday just gone I was lucky enough to book myself in for a massage!!
We have a massage therapist at work so one of the perks of knowing the person who you've booked in with to revive your legs is that when you book for 45mins you get 1 hours worth! Amazing. It really helped me clean out all the crap, the lactate and feel so so much better for it. This weekend will be a quiet one exercise wise as we have weddings, family dinners, christenings and the like however to be brutally honest, I am sick of being on my bike, so a weekend off will be wonderful.
We had a BUG breakfast at work the other morning and as much as it was cycling cycling and still more cycling, it was lovely just to spend some time with the common interest, without having to have my bum in the saddle!!

Hot tip, find yourself a user group at work. They shouted me breakky AND a hot tasty coffee.

Off they come...

Its happening all around me. People are coming off their bikes left right and centre. A lady I work with who we describe as a christmas tree on 2 wheels was knocked off by a policeman!! Yep, you heard me right. Crazy. Then on the weekend my other half was riding along and managed to go into a corner just that bit too quick, found a bit of gravel, and have a look at the result!
Poor boy. However, Im still yet to work it out, but the brand new Liquigas Team gear he was wearing for only the second time... the worst it had on it was blood and grease. No holes, no tears, nothing. Amazing. He was another story though, holes and tears in his shoulder, back, hand, and hip.... he's presently sporting a 20cm bruise across his hip, which for someone who never bruises is impressive to say the least.

As for me. Safetly on the saddle. I did my ride (maxed at 61km/hr coming down the hill and the whole time was thinking DONT COME OFF, DONT COME OFF, DONT COME OFF!!) tackled some decent hills and a headwind. Completed my 50km's and still felt good. Its a shame I didn't have the time to keep going, as I think I had another 20ish km's in my legs yet. All fares well for the TDU ride.

Exciting. I have been able to ride to work regularly now too which helps me heaps. So todays plan... ride in, run home, gym tomorrow morning then ride home tomorrow night. Its great. After all the injuries and hassles Ive been having to finally get back to some decent exercise is wonderful.

Time ticks away though, every day Im closer to getting my ankle recon, so I best make the most of the time I have hey? Before I have to sit tight for 3 months!

Tour Down Under Ride 2010

So this is the ride... now, Im only doing the 111km from Woodside but I have a feeling that might be challenging enough!!

Im a slacker!

Im the first to put my hand up and say it... Ive been a slacker. Sorry.

Not exercise wise, just my blog.... that said... since Ive been back in Adelaide the weather has been getting better and better... Im loving the approaching summer and have been making the most of it.

I completed my rego yesterday for the Tour Down Under ride, 111km of it... one of the boys from our group is trying to convince me to do 164km, but to be honest, Im not sure that I would make it that far!!! Seriously. I parted with my hard earned $145, but figure that the event itself will be worth it, let alone the training rides on the way, the new jersey and the day off work!! :-)

We have been riding regularly as a bunch on Sundays, now that Im not so much of a wimp, I might get in a midweek ride (weather allowing - see, told you I was a wimp!) as well... keeping on top of my commuting to work should see me right.

Sundays ride was tough, it was 60km, which isn't too far in the cycling world, but in the Sue world when you're trying to keep up with all boys its a challenge. Got home from it in one piece tho, SMASHED a protein shake smoothie and chucked on my compression tights. Still had empty legs for yesterdays ride to work, but I also have a feeling it might have something to do with my blood donation last week as well.... they say you can't do it all, but Im fairly confident Im going to try!

There WILL be hissy fits if the hospital give me an early call up for my ankle surgery though. Fair warning.

A week does wonders!

So as I suspected, a week up on the Gold Coast has done wonders not only for my motivation, but also for the size of my bum and my fitness too!

Warm weather is so enticing. Getting out of bed at 6.30am isn't a chore when its SO beautiful out. I had a ball, I love the great outdoors, and going for 3 runs in a week was the first time I have done this outside in so long. Beats the treadmills any day!

Running with fellow exercise enthusiasts is not only motivating but also keeps you in check. Ain't no slacking when there are other people watching, let me assure you. Towards the end of the week, the runners around me started to change from the shufflers and the trotters to the lean, mean kind that stride out and make things look really really easy! Yes, the Gold Coast half ironman was coming to town, and so were the people that were competing. It made me realise just how much I still want to do that.... it also reaffirmed my goal to firstly run a half marathon, then to back it up with a half ironman.

Now to get that ankle fixed!

Gold Coast - better than my Adelaide weather!!

The title says it all. I sit here in Adelaide after having readied my bike for a week of riding to find we had gale force winds, hail, and thunderstorms ALL week. Freakin rediculous. SO...

Next week, Im on the Gold Coast for work (looking after the Flinders Uni Games Team) so Im pumped for some warmer, drier weather. We stay right near the beach and there are some amazing running paths around the area. As much as being a team manager for an event is hard work, stressful and long hours, I really love getting my butt out of bed for a morning run, or destressing at the end of a long day with a sunset run along the beach. (Trust me, setting the alarm the night before is the hardest part!!)

Whats more, is that unlike here in Adelaide at this time of year, I will be surrounded by other like-minded people who are out and about running, riding and exercising. Its not only really beautiful to see all people of different backgrounds, ages, shapes and sizes but its also really motivating. When the winter weather gets too much in Adelaide - this is a great fix-it. Im just lucky enough that Im being paid to do it!

Broken & broken some more

I can't believe the luck Im having. As if its not frustrating enough having to get my ankle reco'd but now I have a broken big toe. Yes, you're thinking Im a wimp, and to an extent you're probably right but to be quite honest its a pain. Literally.

I can't do my gym program properly because anything that bends my toe back hurts. Squats. Lunges... you get the picture. Basketball makes it worse, but being a part of a team I can't really just pull out on them... running doesn't help any either.

Lucky for my bike is what I have to say. It works out alright really. I went out for a trundle on the weekend with my other half and some of his volleyball team mates who Im planning to do the Tour ride with. It was good to get out and about. We did about 45km in all, which to be honest, for me, after so long not riding (yes, Im a weather snob) much was a decent ride. We went along at about 30km/hr for the most part, so I was happy with that.

Got home, sat down and only the next day did I think I possibly should have done some better recovery... maybe some stretching, maybe some compression, maybe a bit more water instead of my egg roll and coffee breakfast I tucked into.

Maybe.

Tour Down Under

Its official... Lance is back. Unless you were here last time, you wouldn't believe what follows this guy around. Its seriously insane. I visited the TDU teams & mechanics tent during the race week and at the time the Astana mechanic was working on this big guy's bike and the crowd that surrounded that booth was about 5 deep all round, just to get a photo of Lance Armstrong's bike! Crazy.
There were stories from my fellow riders all throughout the leadup about who saw Lance, and who rode with the Astana team (or tried to pick them up at least...) - then the event began. Crowds to a cycling event second to none. Never has SA pulled bigger numbers for The Tour and it was due to one man... pure and simple. Sure it was the first time the event was recognised on the UCI calendar as an official pointscoring event, but that had nothing to do with the fact... it was due to Lance.
AND he's coming back. This year under his own team, which will be exciting in itself. Lance Armstrong and hand picked bunch of young guns who will battle it out with the best of the best pro's from around the world. Something to watch... I think so.

SOOOO.... Im going to ride the tour again this year. The public ride, but 111km. Me and the boys... so it will be good fun. I like the challenge of being the only girl. To my mind, there aint no excuse for me to be able to do what they can.... so I will!! Stay tuned, more info to follow.

Lets just say, Ive been bitten by the Lance bug. Back on the bike again.

The Verdict Is In

So its official, I have to go under the knife! That sucks - well for now it does. Should be back stronger and better afterwards for having done it.
I saw the surgeon on Friday morning, he gave me the good news... and the bad news. The good news is that the op will be 3 fold. It will be initially an arthroscopy where they will be inserting 2 cameras/implements inside my ankle joint itself to have a look around and clean out any of the damage I have done to it that presently floats around giving me aggrevation. They will also at the same time do a final assessment of the ATFL ligament and then on the way out, they will also remove a ganglion which sits on top of the front of my ankle. Very good.
The surgeon will then cut across the top of my ankle bone and around the front of it to make a flap of skin which he will peel back. This will allow him to pull back and stitch in my ATFL by my ankle bone. Once this is done, he will replace the flap of skin back over the newly stitched ligament and will sew it back closed. By all accounts he will make a messy job of it, because it means that more scar tissue will develop and that the ligament will heal up better and tighter this way. Very good.

He also told me that I would be in a cast for 6 weeks, then in a moon boot for 6 more weeks... then following that I would start my rehab proper. By all accounts there are some risks with the op, but none too stressful from my point of view. Being a fit active person who is a non smoker removes most of them. The majority are about blod clotting etc, so often they prescribe blood thinners, but they don't like to do that as it can more easily lead to infection in the wounds. Sounds like the compression gear might even come in handy following the op if this is the case.

All very interesting.

Basketballing

Ahhh... so, back to training for basketball this weekend. I was apalling! Frustrating cannot begin to describe how I played, and what was going on around my head. Every single shot hit the front of the ring, every pass was about 1/2 a second too late, I could still at the very least dribble and rebound. Thats a bonus. Still, that said, I have really enjoyed the break, and to have that amount of time off has done me the world of good. My body is feeling better than ever, thanks to a friendly combo of time in the gym and on the treadmills at work. The one thing which I have been SO grateful for have been my new LineBreak calf guards. Weak ankles mean I end up with really tired, stressed calves and these are a saviour. They help my recovery like you wouldn't believe.

With games starting back soon, I will be playing until my ankle gets its reconstruction done, so I was back to training this weekend. Its a bit odd knowing I will be playing until some completely indescript time. I see the surgeon Friday so Im hoping the doc (do surgeons get referred to as the doc?) will be able to get things moving fast.

So I might get in a few shooting sessions during lunchbreaks this week. I tell you, I frustrate myself more than any coach or player on my team could ever frustrate me.... Im not always sure carrying high expectations is a good thing. Its good for me, but when I don't do as well as I know I can, should or am.......

Its tough sometimes

Some days are just like a whole lotta hard work aren't they? Seriously, at present we are packing up our unit ready to sell it and then we're buying a 'big persons house'. As exciting as this is, my days are filled with work, and my nights are filled with house stuff, then some of my days are filled with that too!
So for me at the moment, my spare time, all I want to do is collapse down on the couch, and to be quite honest, that ain't gonna get me anywhere. So... after playing Lacrosse on Saturday (I think it was the last game for the season...) going for a little run on Sunday, I had Monday off. No crime in that. To be fair if I was to run again Monday I don't think my ankle would have forgiven me any time soon either.
Tuesday this week was right back on the horse again... that might have been somewhat driven by te fact that I had to stand on the scales Monday, and I didn't like what they told me!!!
I made a deal with Wendy, who I work with when we both noticed our dress pants didn't fit us quite like they should. You know all those bits that make your pants stretch a bit in places you dont want them to stretch, or maybe challenge your buttoning up system a bit?? Those bits.
Stay tuned for this one, I will come back to it next post.
Working at a gym certainly does have its perks, no Im not one of those perky little instructors, or a PT person... none of that I look after University Sports Clubs, Uni Games, Social Sport & Marketing. So working at the gym is a perk. It allows me to get in a quick workout before work (which this morning's certainly was) and means I have NO EXCUSES for getting there regularly.
In the meantime, its back to work for me.

My ankles

So, to cut a long story short. Basketball has busted up my ankles good and proper! After many many years of playing, despite that it should be considered an elite level, the clumsiness that is the combination of basketball and ankles has come back to bite me on the bum.

After bone scans, ultrasounds, xrays, an MRI, multiple visits to the doctors, visits to the sports doctor, I now have an appointment with the surgeon to finally get to the bottom of this whole situation.

For those who understand... below, in order is the MRI, Ultrasound (of a ganglion), Bone Scan (black parts show inflammation & pressure) & X-Ray







Although both ankles aren't good, my left in particular has given up the ghost well and truly. It has been diagnosed as having a complete tear of the ATFL (the one that runs down the outside of the ankle in front of the ankle bone) and a 3/4 tear of the deltoid ligament (the one that runs down the inside of the same ankle, just behind the ankle bone). In the words of my favourite final year podiatry student... how the hell did you tear that one - thats virtually impossible to do
I still don't know

So now, I lay myself at the feet of the public health system in Australia. All these years of having private health cover is fine, but I only ever had extras... so now for hospital I sit and I wait. So far - touch wood - I have had to wait no more than 2.5 weeks for anything so far, and that included seeing Dr Potter, the orthapedic specialist who is the Adelaide Crows doc... however that doesn't mean squat right now. My appointment with the surgeon is on the 4th September.

Im excited, Im keen to get this bloody thing fixed, as it sometimes just aches and aches. It also gets tired SO much faster than my other ankle... the muscles around it have to do so much more work to keep it in place and functioning, as the ligaments don't exist any more. However the prospect of having 6 months of rehab, and recovery doesn't excite me at all.

Sitting on the sideline excites me even less. At least my swimming might improve??

Time will tell.

It begins..

This was all bourne out of my application to become a sponsored LineBreak athlete. For some people who hear this they ask me "Whats LineBreak?" for others... the simple answer comes back "Cool!" the first is always followed by the second after they find out!
Follow?

So... my plan is this. I have never blogged anything. Im good with sending people emails, but thought I would venture out into the big bad world of blogging. All the cool kids are doing it - right??

My aim is for this blog to be my headspace, but also for you all to be able to take a peek inside and see whats going on there. Its also to allow all my friends from LineBreak to keep up with what Im doing, and as a sponsored athlete, to keep some kind of a record as to whats going on, how training is, when I find things tough, when I find things rewarding, and when I am feeling flat, tired, un-motivated, lazy, pumped, keen or whatever.

Stay tuned my peeps!