I ran

That is all. I ran. Its my new years present to me. :-)

Free.....

How amazing. I managed to score an early - well - 2 weeks!! I got out of my moon boot 2 weeks early, and have been walking the dog, hydro in the pool, using the stairs... all such simple things yet things I've grown to really appreciate them! AND I can now do them all again.
After missing my follow up appointment with the surgeon (yes it would have been nice to be TOLD I had an appointment) I now have to wait till the middle of March to see him! Still, it doesn't worry me too much, the physio (bless him!) keeps telling me Im making wonderful progress and that the surgeon has done a great job.
Still - he's not just blowing wind - after starting shoulder deep in the pool, Im now back to my waist. Im hopping, Im running and Im flippering! Truth is now, that my un-operated ankle actually pulls up sorer than my new one.
Im allowed to run in 2 more weeks... just a wee little bit, but run regardless! In the meantime, I can walk in the water, on soft sand at the beach and all those wonderful things that summer brings.
Bless this ankle reconstruction. I've dropped 4kg, got a brand spanking new ankle and am healing just nicely.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

And Im in a boot...

So I can shower, and I can walk (as opposed to hop or crutch) however I STILL have to sleep in this clunker. Its a beast of a thing, it looked stunning at the two weddings and formal 40th I went to this month as well. I have had limitless conversations with random strangers (which I LOVE - those of you who know me, know I will pretty much chat with anyone!) however .... please please please is it time to start my rehab proper?

I am allowed to do massage, heat, flexion & extension. Thats it. I see the physio again Monday & he will hopefully book me in to start rehab doing some hydro that Friday. I can't wait. Like - really can't wait. 

Well, as for my shrivelled leg once I got my cast off after 7 weeks... how was it? For those who like skinny, hairy and completely shedding 7 weeks of skin - read on. Those who don't - might want to give this one a miss...

New cast....

This is how I regularly see myself now...

Day 1 - note the pink antiseptic!!

Day 1 - backslab only, not too swollen or painful - yet.

Thanks to my parents for our lawnmower - best engagement present EVER. Thanks Josh for mowing :-)

At the hospital, about to get my new cast

Old cast gets snipped off... it was only bandage and cotton wool @ the front anyhow...

Note the arrow to distinguish which leg to cut! I couldn't wait to see what was underneath....

Loving this. Only a small amount of blood on my ankle/cast, 3 holes in my leg!

My ankle was wider than my foot. Not nice. It got a lot bigger too...

The bottom plaster for my ATFL cut, the middle one for my arthroscopy, the top/right one for my ganglion excision.

Note the stitches... yes the part that looks like fishing line. They started tugging on these to snip the ends. I got dizzy and lay down... this from someone who LOVES the gore of the medical shows. Didn't last long and I was back looking again.

A fairly bruised, but neat cut. It goes under my ankle bone, so chances are will hide the scar well.

My foot from my view. The scar on the right is the ganglion... which turns out it wasn't! However pathology hasn't let me know just yet exactly WHAT it was. I'm intrigued.

Stocking bandage layer 1. Warm and cosy...

Cotton wool bandage layer 2.

"Plaster" (fibreglass or some version of) bandage going toe to top.

The nurse was learning how to bandage. Thankfully due to this she was anal about how neat it was, so I now have a perfect cast!

And bandage 2 going top to toe! Then some moisture on the gloves - rubbing it all over and smoothing the edges.

Joshy came for the ride. Very interesting to watch. Most of these photos are by him. Ta!!

Rubbing in the moisture, to set the cast.

Cast complete... touch dry in 20 minutes, completely dry in 45! Amazing.

Note the new cast... see the FAT toes!

This is my life for the next 6 weeks!

Im cut!

Well, Friday morning I went in to hospital to get my reconstruction done, so I sit here today (Monday) with my foot in a cast, the laptop on my good leg, the dog asleep in the sun in front of me and the lifestyle channel on TV showing me how to make cakes...
The surgery went well, but despite people telling me that it was day surgery when I arrived the nursing staff were very surprised to hear I thought I was heading home that day. However, on minimal painkillers (about half the recommended dose) I managed to convince them I'd be ok to go home and not need to stay in overnight.
Day 1 - great, only a little nausea, not too sleepy or painful. Day 2 - even better... no nausea, not sleepy - went to the dog park, went to shops, went to volleyball... Day 3- OUCH! Bit me on the bum for the two days before. So Day 4... I sit resting, like a good patient. Without much patience. :-)
So people, stay tuned. Photos will follow, I have my backslab cast now till the end of this week at least, maybe till the end of next. THEN I get a full cast to round out 6 weeks... all on crutches. NO WEIGHTBEARING.  Then moon boot and shuffling round for 6 weeks more...
Watch this space hey?

Time ticks away... ITS nearly here

Well in a little under 2 weeks, I get to go for my final appointment before my reconstruction... then under the knife I go, 10 September. I have to say, I am a bit nervous, having never had surgery before, but to be honest, Im VERY ready to go... its been nearly a year since I booked in, and Im over it - the wait...

What does frustrate me though, is that just as Im about to become the one left sitting on my bum, Josh - my other half (oooh... I can now excitingly say fiancee) is just getting back up to speed... he hurt his ankle filling in for a social team... SOCIAL ... its always the way.

Never the twain shall meet it seems...

Still, now for me, the search begins in earnest... I need to find things I CAN do while my foot is in a cast. There is this odd looking machine in the cardio room called a 'grinder'. The way it works is you sit on a seat and like the hand pedal bikes, you spin two hand grips around and around (think hand pedals....). Doesn't sound too amazing does it? However thinking further there is no reason I can't do upper body stuff in the gym, boxing might work after a few weeks too... time to put my thinking cap on - to ensure I can do the same with my pants after 3 months!

1m and fluffy!

No, Im not talking about my dog, or my favourite teddy bear, or a great pair of ugg boots... Im off to the snow. In under a week our big trip to Mt Ruapehu will finally become reality. I have NEVER spent more than 2 hours in the snow. To say Im excited would be an understatement...
Packing at present - so many choices about what to take... but given a) the cold & b) my dodgey ankles... and therefore calves.... and therefore knees ALL my compression gear is the first to go into the bottom of my bag. Yep, all my linebreak gear will be padded out with other less important(?!!??) things such as thermals, beanies and layers and layers of jackets.
We are going snowboarding - its what all the cool kids are doing right - so instead of being a cool kid, I will be the one on my butt on the ground with everyone wandering just what Im finding so funny. I don't care that I might be terrible at it, I carry no expectations of myself, and as such if I suck - completely and utterly suck - I don't mind!
Stay tuned... photos will come, blogs will be posted!

I have a date

Finally, after all this time, I have a date for my ankle surgery. I originally booked in 4 September 2009.... .... .... .... .... .... 12 months later - surgery date 10 September.
What a wonderful advertisement for our private healthcare system in Australia. As happy as I am with my public experience, I have HATED WAITING. Timing isn't great either, as now I miss Uni Games - the hilight of my working year (for the first time since 1999!!!) and I will be in a cast for my brothers wedding. GREAT.
Still I am completely and forever thankful that I haven't paid a cent for the whole experience. That I have my choice of surgeons... and that he is the surgeon of choice for one of our local AFL clubs here.... so quality is assured.
Well, I'll leave it for now, but rest assured its the beginning of greater things... or more accurately... posts.
My aim?? I want to do the kiddy ride for the TDU this year... Sad isn't it?

They keep teasing me!

Emails from the tour down under, emails from the melbourne marathon, emails from triathlons... join now, sign up, register soon, don't miss out.... well sorry people... but I will be missing out. AND whats more - your emails don't help any.

I don't want to miss out, and I don't want to sit this one out. However unsubscribe?? - nope not me. I plan to keep my subscriptions there - they keep rolling in.

Why - one might ask? Well it keeps me motivated. It keeps me remembering the light at the end of the tunnel! Your pesky emails ensure that I keep my goals, keep my plans and just remember they are delayed, not destroyed!

Thanks technology. Keep pestering.

Getting the itch...

My pooch is getting older. He's now 9 months old, and over 30kg... gone are the days of a 3 month old 13kg staffy cross something...

However Im getting the itch. Walks really don't cut it for the "little" bloke - as much as I walk him every day, without fail, and he LOVES it, I can tell that both he and I would just love to go for a run.

They say you're not supposed to run with puppies until they're 12 months old right... however Im quite convinced of the fact that he runs himself ragged, and would deadset run circles around my injury riddled body.

Im seriously getting the itch. I want to take my pup out for a run, nothing long - I can't manage it physically - but just a k or two... would that be so bad?? :-)

Scratch away Suey... scratch away!

MY SLACKNESS!!

Right, so to be completely blunt I have been the slackest of slack on this front... its terrible of me, but Im just going to have to suck it up and realise that I need to do better.

As it seems I haven't written since January....

I could go back and start all over, but you don't want to hear that, and to be blunt, I don't have the time!

So, something to share. Given that I am injured at the moment, I have been doing things really really intermittently. I do want to pass on a couple of things for those people out there who are in the same boat!

I know, and we all probably do, that motivation becomes really tough when you have a long term injury. I keep getting wonderful invitations to run this, ride that, play here, go there for sport. I love them all, and have to keep ignoring, saying no and deleting. It sucks.
I see registration dates coming and going and I see me not able to participate all due to a stupid ankle injury.

However, I suppose there are a couple of things which I have taken to doing while injured and battling on to still do what I love, and I think they are something which will continue on past this time once I am again fit and well.

1. I made a new years resolution to complete a food and exercise diary for 1 year. My christmas present of a runners world subscription (yes it does tease me...) came with a food & exercise diary. Each day I fill in everything I ate for the day, I take my resting pulse, and I write down my day's exercise. Twice a week I get on the scales... this can be scary, but its a great tracking tool!
   
2. I religiously wear my Linebreak compression gear whenever I do exercise. I am a perfectionist when it comes to my recovery as well. I find that wearing my compression gear, and ensuring that I do stretch, and I do ice (love hate relationship here...) means that I can do at least some of the things I still love. It is for this that I am forever grateful.

I came to Linebreak as an athlete with dreams, aims and ambitions. Marathons, IronMan races and more, and they all came to a skidding halt when I found out my ankle needed a full reconstruction, a ganglion removal and an arthroscopy and clean-out. However it is now due to Linebreak compression gear that those goals remain in place, and that those dreams remain alive for the short term, and that I can keep my now long term goals as realistic, tangible and achievable.

Don't give up on what you do, hurdles are placed in your path not only to frustrate you, but also to make you a stronger, better person in the long term. Use them to your advantage and ensure that you own them, they don't own you!

A week of basketball & here comes the tour!

So I survived my 7 games in 6 days. Not bad for a cripple!! Seriously, it was ok. Managing injuries is really not so bad, as long as you commit to doing the right thing. I iced after every game, I did my rehab in the pool (heated - yeah right!!) and LIVED in my Linebreak gear. Im fairly certain after the week my full length tights would have stood up on their own... not nice, but saved me worlds of pain. :-)

We finished 2nd overall, which was a good effort, but losing a Grand Final by 3 points always hurts. Losing to WA hurts more! Look at us, aren't we pretty... its a shame we weren't that good looking with a gold medal instead of a silver! Still now my focus changes...



After nearly 3 weeks of onconsistent riding due to 43 degree weather, basketball carnivals and the like Im about to face my first 100km+ ride. The Tour Down Under brings out a whole new world of lycra clad beasts... there are middle aged men showing off body parts that they can't even see due to the size of their bellies, but you know what? No-one cares. Its great. I love to see every get enthused and involved in such a healthy, active, social pursuit such as cycling... and Im right there on the bandwagon.

In a move that may yet prove fatal, we have decided to stay overnight in Goolwa after the TDU ride, and then back up the following day with another 100km back home. The ride from Goolwa to Willunga is just over 40km, and the ride from Willunga to home is more than that again. Fingers crossed I get there! Quite honestly, if it wasn't for stopping at Willunga to watch the pro's go round a few times, Im not sure I would, but a stopover then, and my pride (damn pride!) should ensure I finish it without any kinds of collapse, seizure or general softing out.

Im always up for a challenge to be honest, and in the back of my mind, I will keep telling myself that if I want to get my 1/2 ironman and marathons done after my surgery that this kind of endurance is required. Don't be so soft Sue, suck it up.

THAT time of year

So today is my first day back at work, its tough. I was on my bike riding the wee little 5.1km up here and all I wanted to do was keep riding south, not stop at work. It was a perfect day, I needed to do the k's for my tour ride, and the first day back at work is never an exciting time, lets be honest!!
Oh, and the size of my belly after Christmas and New Years celebrations certainly left something to be desired. I think my sweet tooth (think?? know!!) got the better of me, despite telling people to give a miss to the mince pies, honey biscuits, apricot balls etc, saying no is a skill Im yet to develop.
So the ride was definately appealing. That said.... 4 more days of work after this little fella and I get another week of leave before playing a week of basketball. Now THATS a good arrangement. Melbourne, basketball and SALES shopping... bring it on.

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!