No Happy Ankle Here :(

Head spinning....

Ever had a couple of weeks where the head spins, and you feel like you are stuck in a revolving door.  My revolving door has consisted of Dr, Physio, Xray, repeat, and yep lets repeat that again, and ok CT scan time now.  No, specialist now and an MRI.  Man can I get off this revolving door now.

That's a long story short.  Yesterday, was the final head spinning moment where I got told by the Orthopedic surgeon; "you don't have a happy ankle".  Really; wondering what gave that away the swelling that is still there after 6 1/2 weeks, the fact you nearly sent me sky high when you hit the mark pressing into my ankle or maybe that I'm still stuck in a fabbo boot, or well, enough of the sarcasm now, yep.

Anyways the 70.3 Ironman goal is over for this year. :( End result and final conclusion; fractured my fibula near ankle (that is nearly repaired woot woo).  But and herein lies the kicker, MRI revealed; I have badly bruised bones around said ankle, and extensive soft tissue damage.  Again with the words you did "a good job and my you have a high pain threshold," remarked as putting in the long pointy thing containing local anesthetic and cortisone directly into X marks the spot on the ankle.  Yeah, baby. 

Another 2 months rehab getting from boot to ankle brace, then see what happens.  No improvement back to surgeon.  Bike and running not for probably 6 months.  Bruised bones and soft tissue damage take a very, very long time to heal, apparently. Alright.

So this is well and truly my mental fitness months of training in preparation for me to do 70.3 Ironman one day because it's going to happen.  I hope the first one will be Cairns but as this has taught me who knows what is around the corner.  And really it's about having a go.  So it is just meant to be later that I have my go.  Looks like the mental fitness is coming first.  Plus guns from swimming.

Head slowly coming to stop...

Bonus:  No surgery....I can still swim with pool buoy, I can still travel (very happy days), have camera in hand makes a happy camper, and I think I'm about to get creative with one leg exercise so stick around that could be well worth a laugh. 

Train safe, avoid tennis balls and 

have awesome day.

Yours, my head is going stop spinning

Shell xox :)

70.3 Cairns Course Change

(18th March)

Last year the swim leg was in Trinity Inlet.  Off the wharf of the marina in the heart of the city, where boats head out to the reef, sea planes lay anchor oh and the occasionally a snappy hand bag is seen.  But hey, they are further up the inlet, apparently. 

The whispers that were filtering through the tri world, ironman land, and local cairns channels where confirmed.  The course has changed.  Dant Dan Dahhhhhhh.

Change; some people embrace it, some people it scares the shite out of.  Depending on what it is.  The later is generally me.  However; at the moment, I’ll be happy just too bloody compete.

Oh the drag of swimming in waters off Palm Cove.  Yeah, sure there are still snappy hand bags, it’s the tropics.  But the probability of one snapping at your heals, is lower.  Gotta love odds.  It is going to be a bit rougher and more head winds on the bike.  Everyone will be in the same boat, so maybe it is a solider on moment.

At this stage like I said, I’ll be happy to just compete and I like the new course changes.  But I’m no expert so will see what happens there.

Embrace the change

Shell xoxo :)

Cranky pants

 It had to happen, the sunshine ran out and the rainbow faded for just this day Wednesday 12th Feb.  Ho

Um.

It was just one of those days.  Swim squad, even my secret weapon afterwards didn't help.  Freestyle, freestyle, freestyle, ha ha.  Yep, I know it is a big requirement.  And actually, I kept getting faster on my spilts.  (I just wanted it to be over, cranky arse me.)  Maybe, it had merits in it though; get a fire in my belly and anything can happen.

Even on bike training for the day was going faster on wind trainer.  Which is completely different to

riding on the road but hey, when the rain is still falling for a novice rider it is the safest way.  To get the km's up.  Everything on this fine day just seemed to hurt. 

The up side is Thursday is always rest day, at the moment.  So maybe my body put on the mental block it wanted a day off early.  Who knows but its another day.  Things that had to be done got done and if I'm totally honest with myself, I felt heaps better after it all.  At the time just felt like I was getting smashed and the "I can'ts" crept into my head.

Not to self; banish the "I can'ts" and tell them to get the hell out of dodge.

Just keep going......
Shell xo :)

It snuck in there..week three

I'm wondering if this is how you loose track of time....focusing on training and little else.  Week three seemed to have come and gone in a flash.  Unlike the rain that seemed to be fallen from the heavens.  (Only wish it would fall where the farmers need it). 

So a week of wind trainer, swimming, well you are going to get wet anyways but that fat rain, when it hits you in the face whilst trying to breathe.  Thats a little interesting.  Cliffy shuffle in the rain, who doesn't love jumping in puddles.  How cool is that?  I love it.  Yep the sneakers might stink because they can't dry but the sun will shine again and will get them all nice and clean. 

Come Sunday was definately a struggle to run (cliffy shuffle 50min) but did it.  So tick tick little fellow this week made it through it all.  Yahoo.  :)

Week three was definately embrace the rain week, all part of the adventure...

Happy days enjoy them.

Shell xo :)

Week two down...it's a wrap

I'm not too sure where all this week went.  I think there were a couple of black out days because I'm still shaking my head.   I've actually, officially, laid out 100's of dollars to compete in a crazy race "because it's fun". 

Monday was AustraliaDay public holiday so a short cliffy shuffle along the Barron Gorge Road.  There are worst places to train believe me.  The peace of the rainforest, running crystal clear waters of the mountains heading to the Coral Sea, blank out your screams of pain on the gentle inclines of the mountainous road.  But what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. 

My beast, still un-named maybe I should get onto that...

Tuesday, the threat of cyclone off the coast lead to the bike being on the wind trainer, just keep peddling.  Bit like one of those silent movies where the character keeps running but doesn't get anywhere because scenery is actually scrolling past him.  It's an interesting ride. 

Wednesday, still raining but no gentle sea breeze.  Our cousins further south got that one.  So you really can't put off swimming because hey you are going to get wet anyways and preschool squad is one of favourite parts of the week.  Except when doing said chicken wings, catch up drills etc.  Breathstoke, bring it on.  Ending the day with another bike session on the wind trainer with teamies.

Thursday,  my awesome day off and getting ribbed because I didn't get up at 6am to run hills with my team mates.  They really haven't learnt I don't 'do' early mornings, some know and they would agree with me.  Coach M has great delight in annoying me on early morning starts; it's funny - yep.  When my day says you are free as a bird.  My mind and bloomin old body says, yippee.  Let's celebrate and have a nanny nap.  Awwwh.  End of story.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday have all blurred with mixture of tri club, boot camp, cardio tennis, and running.  But at least week two is done and dusted.  Yahoo.

It may be only week two but the roller coaster has began with good and crap sessions.  My favourite

leg swimming this week sucked.  Nearly fell off the bike, that's to be expected.  BUT my milestones; I ran 10km with help of my team mate, tackled my first hill on bike and conquered (remember I'm a learner on the bike), and this morning ran 40min non stop.  So I think the important thing dust off the bad crap and grab with both hands the stuff I achieved this week and never had before, even if they are wee milestones.  They are milestones for me.  Bring on week three....

Train well and safe

Shell xo :)

Kick off...

Well yesterday was "officially" kick off for 20 week programme.  Starting on the path to finishing the Cairns 70.3 Ironman in June 2014.  I'm not sure yet, whether to smile and jump around like a Mexican bean with happiness.  Or find a corner and assume the foetal position, whilst rocking in said corner.  The jury is out.  Like my level of mid life crisis sanity, at the moment.  Then again, hey, you gotta be in it to win it.

 

So, yesterday, day one.  I woke up and said; "motivation, motivation where for art thou motivation."  It was left back in the calm of the weekend, with giggles and laughter.  Finally, got to the pool, pushed off from the edge and through my head was running; buggar me, it's all started now.  Then I discovered I've actually taken off 14sec of my 50m laps from 12 months ago.  I'm still no fish and I really would prefer to do it all breaststroke but I'm getting there.    Woot woo.  Thanks to coach la frog :). 

The night finished off with my grandma shuffle with team mates at the Esplanade.  Little thing called 1km and 2km time trials.  With 1km recoveries.  Isn't that nice to have a wee breather in-between all that goodness of running. Then I thought, hey 18 months ago I couldn't jog a 1km, now I'm doing 2km with help of teamies.  Another big, Woot woo.

When I got home I had the same feeling as the Jamaica Bobsled team of Cool Runnings; "I am feeling very Olympic today".  :)   Even though everyone passed me.  I didn't care because I remembered, hey before I couldn't do this and look what I'm doing now.   

Today's adventure however; was 30km on the bike.  I'm a total newcomer to the bike.  I just got it at the end of last year, and well if I had of ridden over the festive season.   I reckon it would be a close call with the man in blue.  (The sacrifices you choose to make :).)  Anyways, today's task is done.  Not pretty.  No "Olympic" feeling, jelly legs, speed wobbles trying to get water bottle because so bleeding hot, nearly fell over in my street trying to unclip...blah blah blah (ramblings of old duck continue).   You may have gathered; not my favourite part of training, yet, but will get there.  I may need to remind my legs of that tomorrow too, when I can't walk and have to hit the bike again.  :{

In a nut shell, though I think the really important thing and Coach M tells us ALL the time.  Take it day by day.  Don't forget to look back and see how far you've come.  Sometimes I think we are all guilty of not being fulfilled of what achievements have crossed our paths, in life, family, job, training.  We are too busy trying to get to the end, instead of enjoying the ride.  Well, what a ride this one is going to be, is all I'm saying.  I might even beat Big Dog (Newcastle thing) to bed tonight, the eyes very heavy and body just wants to be horizontal.  Ha ha.

Safe riding

Cheers

Shell