my broken collarbone

my expert analysis:

this is effing rubbish if you ask me

collarbone broken clean in two. one broken end of it (seemingly) pulled out of the shoulder joint. jagged edges of bone pushing against muscle and broken nerve endings. any left arm movement really hurts the left arm and shoulder muscle.

i can't swim, i can't run and i can't bike. i wish i could get back on my bike or at least go out and run a cheeky 4 or 6 mile run just to be out there doing something. i think i'm going to set my bike up on an indoor trainer and bike arms free to keep fit. this isn't the best start to my ironman training. somebody has offered to lend me her indoor trainer and could bring it around my place this saturday so i can start some training in a couple of days.

appointment with orthopaedic surgeon tomorrow morning to see how it should be realigned and whether or not it'll need surgery to pin it back together. managed to sleep for 9 hours last night without waking up once. that was probably the vicodin that i was prescribed.

i think I'm going to have to scratch the kenya trip cause i won't be able to run there, and i won't be much able to carry 80lbs in a backpack around on my shoulder.

there's the tiniest bit of anger left in me about the guy who pulled out in front of me on the bike trail without looking. i sort of wish i'd just let him know how much this was his fault and how much a broken collar bone has buggered up my life. when you rely on getting 4 or more hours of exercise a day, a broken collarbone pretty much buggers you every which way possible. i did the entire - "don't worry about it", "stuff happens", "it's alright, how are you?", "spilt milk", etc.. - after my initial reaction as i laid down after the crash and ask him "what the eff was that?" - about a minute afterwards he asked if i was alright and i told him "got a puncture on my front tire, couple of scratches, and think i've broken my left collarbone" so at least there's a chance he understands how much damage he did. and then he went off one way and me the other.

oh well. i'll bounce back from this like everything else. i wish i could be outside running or biking now. maybe i should practice my one armed press-ups or pull ups? yep, cause i have any upper body strength.

My body seems to be controlling the pain very well. I hope realigning it doesn’t take too much manipulation cause I don’t want to endure too much more of the acute pain I felt yesterday when it happened. About 15minutes after it happened, when the adrenaline had all but gone, it really was a bit of a bother.

bugger it all

1. got up at 5am
2. made small cup of coffee
3. opened presents from m&d and sister
   
4. rode bike to pool
5. swam over 1 mile freestyle for the first time
6. rode bike home
7. changed into bike shorts
8. rode bike to(wards) work
9. idiot on mountain bike pulled out infront of me without looking
10. I t-boned him liek nothing else at about 20mph
11. punctured front tire but otherwise my bike was fine (his wheel was very buckled)
12. something with left should was very bad. pain started to kick in pretty quickly and quite badly... pain went like this:
    
1. something weird is clicking in the left should that doesn't in the right
2. i'll fix my puncture and just go home - thats a shorter bike journey
   
3. left arm movement is really quite painful - best i hold it as if it's in a sling
4. can't pick up stuff with lefthand
5. there's no way i can fix this puncture with one arm
6. left arm really hurts now (after about 10minutes) - starting to feel very sorry for myself
7. biting my right arm/wrist in order to avoid crying. failing. crying a bit.
   
8. lots of short breaths and controlling pain and needing to just get home and just get to the doctors and just go that next little bit of where i'm going. back to what i did today...
   
13. 411 and got taxi company number - got taxi home and dropped off bike
14. drove myself to georgetown hospital
15. got seen to and x-rayed
16. Fractured Collarbone and dislocated/effed up shoulder
17. the collarbone broke in two and one end looks to have come out of the shoulder joint, so the doctor told me...

happy effing birthday hugh. happy effing birthday.

swim.ming.

been a week and a half trying to swim properly now, and it's starting to get easier everyday. I hope the decent swimmers don't much care when i look at their strokes intently in order to work out what on earth they are doing that makes them glide through the water so easily.

monday noon - 4mile BIKE
monday pm - 40mile BIKE (4x hill repeats - macarthur up to Great Falls MD hill)
tuesday am - 60minute SWIM + 25mile BIKE

shin still tweaking a little bit so giving it lots of time off. planning a cheeky 6miles through town tonight after i get home from my 20mile bike ride home. planning on swimming a mile non-stop in the pool tomorrow morning - all freestyle. i make that 64 laps as the olympic pool is cut width ways. might do 70 just to make sure.

i wish i could run 29miles tomorrow morning, but i don't think my shin would hold up to it, which is a shame.

century

thursday am - 10mile BIKE + 60min SWIM
friday am - 30min SWIM + 10mile RUN
friday pm - 30mile BIKE
saturday - 102mile BIKE
sunday - 5mile RUN

cramp in calves while swimming, humid conditions in dc

tuesday am - 60min SWIM + 30mile BIKE
tuesday pm - 40mile BIKE + 6mile RUN
wednesday am - 30min SWIM + 25mile BIKE

cut swimming short this morning due to cramping in my calves. I think the large amount of exercise and heat yesterday resulted in me being a little dehydrated and not getting enough electrolytes straight after the 40mile bike ride and 6 mile run last night. got to bed quite late cause the biking and running took quite a bit of time.

my new bike pedals and shoes are pretty damn great. it makes everything so much easier from trucking along to hills to cheeky little sprints... everything is faster and easier and i'm well chuffed with them.

The humidity in dc is very high this morning (and was fairly high last night) so i sweated buckets on last nights run and ride and absolutely loads this morning. i'm going to have to pay closer attention to fluid replacement during and after exercise, especially with the biking and swimming because it just means i'm out there sweating for many hours more...

But that stuff is so much more expensive than water. Then again, cramping up and having to cut short my swimming by 30mintues isn't the best option either.

resting heart rate was up this morning to 54 which shows i'm pushing myself a little hard. i tend to only get worried when it sky rockets somewhere over 60. Usually, after a two nights full sleep (8-10 hours) and a full complete day off any exercises, it settles to about 44-48, so 54 is a little high.

shin was a little sore every now and again in the pool at the trouble spot, and felt a little funny a couple of times this morning when i'd just gotten out of bed. reacting to yesterdays run i guess. i went through town on the concrete cause i'd been out on the bike for a good while and i wanted to run while looking at people to entertain me a little.

i heart my bike.

speedplay pedals look fast

so much learning going on...

biked to swimming pool this morning. the swimming pool at takoma community center is still one of the greatest things ever. watched a few basic Total Immersion online snapshots from their videos (2minute advertisements really but including some drills and advice). did the drills and took the advice this morning and the swimming already feels easier. i need to get very good at this swimming thing.

bought new bike pedals to replace my old school cages that came with the bike...

also bought new bike shoes so i stop biking all these miles in old worn out racing flats...














bikes are just toys for grown-ups. going on a long bike ride this evening... planning on 40-45... or until it gets dark. i need lights too as the back light feel off about a week ago and as were are past june 21st it does get a little darker a little earlier every night. shame really. biking to swimming and swimming and biking home again tomorrow. might then drive to work and run during lunchtime... see what i feel like in the morning...

haven't fallen off my bike at the traffic lights cause i can't get out of my pedals... yet. but everybody says it happens when you get used to clipless pedals. oh, and the guys who helped me at performance bikes were so much help it was great. Significantly better than the grumpy mechanics i've run into at spokesetc. so i guess performance will have my money from now on out.

yay cycling. yay swimming. yay running (soon).

all so very different now

thursday pm - 60minute SWIM
friday am - 30mile BIKE
friday pm - 40mile BIKE
saturday am - 8mile RUN
saturday pm - 30mile BIKE
sunday am - 74 mile BIKE
monday am - 50minute SWIM
monday noon - 4mile RUN
monday noon - 20min CORE

just gentle exercise bike and reading to flush out the legs tonight... swim tomorrow and bike to work followed by long bike ride (40+miles) home.

swim 2.4 miles bike 112 miles run 26.2 miles

Not too sure of the exact order of events, but it’s something like this:

1. Get injured 5 weeks before london marathon
2. Over the course of more than a quarter of a year – continue to be injured, or get re-injured.
3. Not be able to do all the running I want to do
4. Buy a bike. (I heart my bike.)
5. Still not be able to do the running I want.
6. Hang out with running and biking and triathlete types
7. Running buddy signs up for ironman. Sends email. Search and find site.
8. Sign up for Ironman Triathlon on June 24^th 2007 – in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

I don’t have the discipline to come back from this right shin injury and not run too much. I tore the right shin muscle (same old injury) again for, I think, the 5^th time on my run on Tuesday morning. Again, all my fault, too much too soon. So now I’m going to expand as much of my energy as possible biking and swimming and then I’ll have less energy and time left and will only be able to run about 50miles a week… and my body should be able to handle 50miles running a week without breaking down.

I still think I’m a runner, but I’m practicing to be a triathlete. And as of the end of June 24^th next year I’ll be able to say I’ve done an ironman… The next 11 months are going to be fun in training. Swimming Biking and running lots. I’ll probably end up more healthy from not pushing myself through 130mile running weeks… and I might even develop some upper body strength (I’ll be buggered if I don’t – so I’ll have to).

Swam for an hour last night. Biked 30 miles this morning. Going to bike another 30miles on the way home this evening.

80 miles last week

Banana Pepper plant with peppers growing on it… woo hoo… I might actually have to eat one of them soon… maybe make some salsa or just have it in tomato pasta type dish. Bell peppers/ tomatoes/ jalipino peppers are all close behind… little bits of fruit on all of them, but nothing of significant size as of yet. I should also eat some of my arugula ‘cause it needs trimming back.

Anyway… full week of training last week and all in all I think I just has the best weekend of exercise I’ve had in maybe 4 months. Glorious summer weather with 95F type days with quite low humidity. Great stuff.

Right shin has continued to be a little weird through the training week.. not painful, but I’m constantly aware that I just feels a little off. I think that might just be normal – I’m getting used to using it all again, and the muscle is getting used to me demanding lots out of it. I’ve been icing it twice a day anyway, and see PT Barb again on Thursday for more work. The ankles both feel weak first thin gin the morning (just like the good old days through last summer and autumn and winter when the training was everything). The right shin (and left too really) both feel tight and a bit over stressed when stretching into the front of the shin by bending the knee with my body weight directly over the bent knee – i.e. up against a wall stretching the shin by bending the knee into the wall and stressing the ankle/bottom of the shin/anterior of the shin. But complete day off today – no cycling no running no weights no nuffin. Turned off the alarm clock and radio alarm and just let myself sleep in as long as my body needed. Turns out it needed about 10 hours before It wanted to get up and turn the kettle on for a cup of coffee.

Mileage last week = 80 miles
Planned Mileage this week = 104 miles

reasons i've come up with for why i'm so slow

1. I'm coming back from injury
2. I'm carrying too much body fat and my legs aren’t used to the extra 5-8lbs
3. I've put on some muscle mass on my legs which makes them heavier each step
4. I've not adjusted to the heat increase that is summer in dc
5. I've not adjusted to the humidity increase that is summer in dc
6. The cycling is taking a lot more out of me than I realise or will admit to
7. The mileage I'm running is taking a lot more out of me than it would have done pre-injury
8. After cycling around loads running just feels slower
9. I've lost all efficiency in my stride and form
10. My body has lost the ability to recover quickly from workouts so I'm still not recovered from last nights 6mile run or this mornings 4mile run

there might be more... or some above might be rubbish (the first one doesn't really make sense as the rest all all products of the first point... stupid hugh)

Fact and science? Stuff made up in my head? Just ran 10mile outside at noon in 85F and it just felt much tougher than it should. I can only hope that i get some speed back in my legs and long runs in the next three weeks (the amount of time I've scheduled ahead and given myself to get in shape before I start hitting the track and doing quality workouts again and using a stopwatch properly again).

plod plod plod

6 last night with also-coming-back-from-injury-Mike... we went for a 6mile run around arlington bike paths and streets and avoided the washington-lee track. The track last night was packed with people, and the school reconstruction - whatever that is - has taken over four of the outside lanes of one bend of the track and it makes for a horrible mess of a people/runner/jogger traffic jam. Almost to the point where I'm not keen at working out there unless it's first thing in the morning. I think I need to find another track until that mess is cleared up.

4 miles this morning just to wake up along the rock creek park north of home. It's in a bit of a mess... couple of trees across the trail, really muddy sections, really eroded sections where there's just loads of big stones and rivets big enough for your foot to get trapped or ankle get sprained.

Right knee hurt this morning, but not last night. can't work that one out. hopefully it'll pass in a week or so’s time.

And... exhausted. Forgot how much running once or twice a day - plus cycling to work, can tire me out. Need to get more sleep and i can see the cycling to work getting curtailed. Might even go to my car for lunchtime naps to get some mid-afternoon sleep in. Tired. Yawning. 10 this lunchtime and then very easy day tomorrow (4am).

ship shape

biked home last night along the closed off rock creek park - if only rock creek could be completely closed off to cars everyday. gorgeous running along it this morning, and pretty damn great biking along it last night and this morning. The entire park just full of people running and jogging along the road. Pretty damn great. Felt wierd... felt like saying something to every runner i passed just to highlight that we were out there sharing something different from normal. Running down the middle of a road does feel a little powerful when there's traffic about, but it feels strange when there's no traffic whatsoever... I suppose it's like a race when the road has been closed off.

Anyway... 10 this morning. Again - slow. Again - sluggish. Again - a little depressing... but great to be able to put in a couple days of running without any reaction in the shin area. Both ankles feel a little creaky but thats probably the fat ass they have impacting down on them on every stride. Will stick to the dirt trails for the rest of the week. Right knee hurt a bit last night going up hill when I went out to do some hill work so I cut my losses and just rested for the evening. I think the right knee might be related to the cycling… feels like an old school runners knee type thing – something I’ve not had or felt for at least 2 or 3 years… like a bolt being hammered into the bottom left corner of the knee up through the joint. However, it’s something I can run or stretch through and the pain goes away after a couple of miles or if I’m not going up hill. It’s one of those things that’ll pass. Right achilles was also a little sore this morning… too much rock creek tarmac, not enough rock creek trails – cause the trails are all covered in water after the heavy rain and storms that’s why. I wonder how damaged the trails are north of pierce mill? Will find out tomorrow morning as I have a gentle 6 followed by strides pencilled in the plan. 6 with strides tonight after biking from work to track, and then biking home after track. I’m enjoying the ability to focus on training again. Friday (4miles easy am) is a rest day not far away so I’m looking forward to putting in solid runs tonight (6), tomorrow am (6) and pm (10) before earning the Friday rest.

slow and heavy but ran 12ish and felt alright

12miles this am - fairly slow and easy - felt heavy and sluggish
biked the 20miles to work

weights tonight... 10 tomorrow morning and then 6 in the evening with strides... i have a nice three week schedule worked out and i feel confident as of today that i can stick to it and get the miles in and run some quality as of next week and stick to the easy days being very easy and the days off being days off. mileage starts to creep up slowly but if I can get good food in me, and lose a bit of weight, and get good rest night after night and naps on the weekend, and ice anything that hurts, i'll get through this three weeks through to sunday 16th july and be in decent shape. right? right.

discipline / commitment / determination / sacrifice.

it's all beginning to start again after this strange 3 months away.

things feel like they are on the up (again)

thursday
- off
friday
- off (physical therapy)
saturday
- 10m (hilly trails in rock creek park)
- 35mile bike (with hill repeats)
sunday
- 12m (rock creek south and gtown and north up through glover)
- 35mile bike

lots of rain and thunderstorms and it's just great to be outside when the world and the weather is that active all around you. oh, and COME ON ENGLAND. tactically i thought they played well on sunday against Ecuador, but will need to go through a couple of extra gears against Portugal to win... a couple of gears they definitely have because they haven't played anywhere near their potential yet.

Writing down the next 20 weeks of training today. There are some tender bits around the right shin where PT Barb has worked on my leg, and i think I might start using a masseuse she recommended once my mileage gets over 100 miles again. Took this morning off, and will put in a gentle 4 miles tonight of jogging just to warm up for some stretching and the like. Weights and cycling at the gym as well. 12 tomorrow morning. Looking forward to it. Things are coming back together. Slowly. If I can run well this week, will take friday completely off and run the club slr this saturday morning. Ice ice ice. Also try to get as much sleep as possible this week. Got 10 hours last night. Motivation starting to creep up too - i feel ready to start working hard at the running again and the discipline and put in a shed load of hard work...

what is wrong with my right leg?

this morning - ran 6 miles. biked 20miles. will go out for 10mile bike ride to bike shop at lunchtime (once the mexico game is done). 30mile bike ride long way home tonight.

my right leg continues to be a problem... right knee now hurts going up hill... but only going up hill. everything else just feels off. there is some specific localised pain that feels like bruising on top of the shin at the very bottom of the right leg (where the tear was previously), pain on the outside of the leg around from the tear spot just mentioned. tightness becoming pain in the ankle toward the inside back of the ankle joint. knot in the right calf. i wonder if i ahve some sort of vain ro artery blockage which is cutting off the supply of red blood cells and thus causing all these problems. it's really taking far too long. everything else in/on my body just heals really quickly. why is this so much different?

thunderstorm! crash! bang! wallop! 10miles this am.

had a whole day off running yesterday. rode bike home the long way... rain was so hard i could feel it pelting against my bike helmet. the creek overflowed alongside the bike path and i saw it too late (or was going too fast) and spun out; landed on my ipod...screen busted completely through the protective case i bought, both hands torn up (no bike gloves on), left elbow torn up, left knee torn up... blood dripping down left arm and left shin. soaked completely through and cycled the remaining 8 miles home. Rear gears had some problems after the crash but i think that was just the dirt (at least i hope).

ran 10 miles this morning. felt slow and shin felt a bit tight at times but no pain. stomach wasn't happy at all. running hasn't gotten back to feeling good yet. need to lose 5lbs quickly to help it along. right shin does feel strange at times, but not painful. I'm overly concerned about it, and hopefully I'll get through training this week and next and will stop thinking about it. I was a little tight this morning all over but that might be because of falling off my bike. i think i'm too old to be falling off my bike and scrapping my knees and needing plasters. and they don't sell smarties over here to make it all better. damn them.
england sweeden this afternoon. COME ON ENGLAND.

running again. no pain so far and feel fairly good about the shin (finally)

running, since starting up again last wednesday, has been going well so far. shin feels strong and put in some strides after my run on sunday. also went out and went for long 30 - 35mile bike rides on thursday and saturday and sunday to add to the amount of training I'm doing. shin feels slightly bruised when i rest the left leg (ankle bone) on the shin area that previously hurt - ice ice ice today... but no pain when i run or manipulate the muscle myself.

wed pm - 4m run
thu am - 8m run
thu pm - 30m bike
fri am - 6m run
sat am - 11m run
sat pm - 37m bike
sun am - 8m run + 6X80yrd strides
sun pm - 35m bike

bought loads of salad from farmers market in mt. pleasant - while eating it last night picked a big green caterpillar off my fork - noticed it at the last moment. put him on a leaf and let him go outside. i wonder if I ate any others that I just didn't notice?

biked to work this morning. taking a full day off running. will do a bunch of callisthenics this evening after biking home the long way to get some extra mileage in.

bike ride from home or big big ride over in MD on the eastern shore?

decisions decisions. do I

a) get up at 5am sunday morning and cycle for about 4 hours and try and cover 70miles or so on my bike... but leave from my house and cycle around northern MD and then get back home around 9am and be able to watch the footy all day sunday. and sleep and make breakfast at home. and it would cost me nothing but the food i eat while I'm out there. and better for the environment cause it doesn't involve 5 hours or so of driving.

or

b) get up at 4am and drive two and a half hours to Betterton, MD to ride 104miles in the Bay to Bay ride which starts at 7am and costs about $30 (plus petrol costs getting to and from Betterton) and will rule me out of watching most of the footy on sunday (including Brazil Australia, Japan Croatia, and France South Korea). World cup only happens once every four years... this option costs more money... but there is support in food stops and people to help if I have bike issues and the like... hmmm. and a century bike ride would be a nice thing to have done of a morning and early afternoon.


I'm leaning towards a right now just cause i get an extra hour in bed and it would be cheaper.

fat and heavy and slow but running

felt terribly out of shape running this morning, but put in 4 miles last night and then 8 this morning on the trails. Need to focus now on all the extras - stretching; cross training; sleep; diet; weights; plyometics; calisthenics

need to drop the extra fat I've put on quickly so my joints don't have to put up with the extra impact, and then will be able to put in more miles without the stress of carrying around my fat arse.

might even try a golds gym yoga class, or core exercise class (like pilates or something like that)... but then again i might just do a bunch of exercises while watching the first half of one footy game, and then do stretching for the second 45minutes.

Still thinking of doing the 104 mile bike ride on sunday just to get outside exercising for 6 hours or so... it'll make me not run, but then again, if I could run I'd probably prefer to be doing that... but 6 hours will kick in some serious long distance endurance advantages.

and COME ON ENGLAND

carragher should start as Neville is out.


stevie g is a legend.

just saw this:

Today independent medical experts gave their evaluation on the fitness of Wayne Rooney.

Joint Statement From Professor Angus Wallace and Professor Chris Moran

[...] We have carried out a full risk assessment related to returning him to play at this stage and that assessment has indicated that he is at no more risk than any other player who has recovered from an injury and is returning to competitive sport.

It is our professional medical opinion that Wayne Rooney is now available to play in the World Cup.

[...]

EFFING AND GEOFFING GENIUS.

GENIUS.

he might play for man u, but when he's got an england shirt on, I'll excuse him that mistake.