A February Challenge... #everydayfeb

Its been almost two months since my criterium-racing accident, and so its been almost two months since I've done any meaningful exercise.  This simply won't do!

If I wait until I can actually get cycling properly again, a few months will have passed of inconsistent training and I won't have made any meaningful gains.  Common sense therefore dictates that I need to expand my repertoire to include other activities.

A challenge is born...

So for the month of February, in an effort to start getting back into an exercise and training mindset again, I'm setting myself a challenge - do some sort of exercise or physical activity every day for the month of February.

This activity really can be anything - cycling, running, power-walking, stretching, squats, planks, yoga, gym-work, long walks with the dogs, mountain-biking - pretty much anything that will have a positive effect on my body (and mind).

To keep myself honest and accountable, I'm going to tweet what I do each day with the hashtag #everydayfeb.  If I was smarter and wittier, I could think of something catchier. But I'm not, so I haven't...  If you think of something better, please don't tell me - it'll simply highlight my deficiencies in this regard...!!

Love love love this ad - it'll be my inspiration for #everydayfeb

Feeding the challenge...

As part of this month, I'm going to put some extra focus on clean, healthy eating.  I do eat pretty well normally - plenty of fruit and vegetables, lean meat a few days a week, not too much refined sugar or processed food - but I'll be aiming to raise it a notch and be a little more conscious of what I am eating.

I'm not going to be fanatical about it.  But I'll stick with my general principles and use this to support my #everydayfeb activity.

Baseline stats

I weighed in this morning at 84kg.  That's 3kg above what I was when I had the accident two months ago, and around 5kg more than I really want to be.  So I'll be aiming to slowly and gradually bring my weight back down to where I want it.

Let's go!

Feel free to join me.  Adjust and alter the challenge to include/exclude whatever you like, come up with your own goals and activities, and start the journey with me.  Best of luck, and let's see where this takes us...!!

Diagnosis & Prognosis...

Its hard being a cyclist when you can't ride your bike.  Missing the beautiful summer months has been very difficult - both mentally and physically.  So what exactly was the injury that has kept me off the bike so long...??

Obviously, as previously posted, I came a gutser on the last lap of a criterium in early December.

The emergency doctors were a bit surprised at the amount of damage I'd done, and were saying that the injury was presenting more like a motorbike accident! I did point out that I'd been racing though, which probably accounted for some of that.

The main concern on the night of the injury was that my shoulder was, well, growing! It noticeably swelled, even while in Emergency.  The doctors were a little concerned, and so they kept me in overnight to make sure I was ok.

I went home the next day, with an appointment slip for surgery in my hand. They'd be plating the distal fracture in my left clavicle.

Surgery

Two weeks later, surgery day came along at Royal Brisbane Hospital (RBH).  I must have been pretty out of it during the consults in Emergency, as it was only now I discovered the extent of the injury.

I got wheeled into the pre-theatre waiting area, and one of the surgeons came out to see me for a chat:

Surgeon: So you understand the plan for today?
Me: Yep - plate up the collarbone...
Surgeon: Well, that's not entirely right...
Me: Uh, what??

So as it turns out, the broken clavicle was only of secondary, minor concern to the doctors.  The main issue (by far) was that I'd pretty much shredded some of my shoulder ligaments, which meant the bones had 'popped up' and needed to be drawn back into place.

To do this, they basically needed to use what they call 'tight-rope', wind it around the bones, and tighten them back up under tension.  The clavicle would only be plated if they could do this first, main part successfully.

I was caught a little off-guard by all this - but no point dwelling on it, the surgery needed to be done!  After a chat with the anaesthetists ("wow, another cyclist - I think every patient today is a cyclist...!!"), I was wheeled in, knocked out, and rebuilt...

Recovery

My only point of comparison was my first shoulder break a few years ago.  The recovery post-surgery this time - even though the injury and surgery was much more serious - has been appreciably better and quicker.  I had much more movement in my shoulder, and the pain (after the first few days) was much less.

I was on Endone (oxycodone) for the pain, but managed to ditch that after a week or so.  It was fantastic stuff, but I don't like using pain meds so was happy to be able to get off it relatively quickly.

Post-surgery follow-up

I headed back into the RBH at two weeks & six weeks post-op.  All the dressings and staples were removed at the two week mark, which was a relief to get done (and surprisingly painless too!).  Unfortunately, I was instructed to keep using my sling until the next visit.

At the second visit 4 weeks later, I had x-rays done. The surgeon was extremely happy with how the bones were healing, and with the free movement I had in the shoulder.  I was then handed over to the physio for a brief chat about some initial exercises to do for a couple of weeks - I needed to take it easy, particularly while the muscles were a bit wasted.

What's next?

Next steps now involve physiotherapy.  I do have another follow-up visit with the surgeon in a month or so, but that's more just a precautionary check-up to ensure nothing has gone wrong.

The physio (from the last post-op visit) has said I can start back on a stationary windtrainer again once we tick over into February. Although she did say that was only if I managed to not fall off that too...  ;-)

I'm not a huge fan of using trainers.  I have a magtrainer I bought second-hand when I was injured last time, but I only used it a few times.  Since then though, the Sufferfest videos have emerged - so I might buy a couple of those and give it another whirl...

I'm desperate to get back on the bike again, but am committed to making sure I follow the advice from the surgeons and physiotherapists to get the best long-term outcome.  But hopefully that will mean sooner rather than later!!

On Stretching...

Sometimes it's good to be reminded of some recovery basics - like the benefits of some simple stretching pre & post exercise.

I was out having dinner with a few old school mates last week.  One is currently into CrossFit - he's a great athlete, always has been. He was even a contestant on "Gladiators" many years ago, and won his way through a few rounds.  Another is also a good athlete, mainly doing running and weights these days.

Over a steak and a beer, I was whinging about how I've been struggling to recover from my bike rides, and backing up on back-to-back days was killing me...

They both laughed and said almost at the same time - "You're not stretching or warming up or down, are you?" 

"Ummm, noooo..." I said.

"You've always hated warming up and down! Even 30 years ago when we were in primary school, you tried to skip the warm ups at footy training..." They gleefully reminded me...

Anyway, after a bit of nostalgic banter and backchat, they both implored me to do a few basic warm-up and warm-down stretches around my rides, especially the harder and longer sessions.  I promised them I'd give it a crack for a few days.

The next morning, before I rode out of the garage for my commute to work, I spent 5-minutes stretching my quads and glutes.  Nothing fancy, just basic stretches. I knocked out a few hard intervals on the way, and then made sure I did a similar stretching warm-down when I hit the locker room post-ride at work.

During the day, I was surprised at how much better and 'looser' my legs felt.  Definitely much less of the tightness and soreness that had characterised the last few months.  I followed the same routine for the ride home, which was much more enjoyable and pleasant than recent weeks.

I've kept up the pre and post ride stretching routine for the past week or so.  The benefits have been unmistakable - I feel much better on the bike, and as a consequence I am enjoying my riding much more.

Stretching is such a simple thing that everyone knows about.  But it's also an easy thing to overlook (as I have been doing).  I owe my mates a beer at the next catch-up for this one, it has made a huge difference...

Chasing 5000...

Something I have never done is rack up 5000km of on-bike mileage in a calendar year.

I'll just pause for a second here, and let the decent cyclists amongst you all have a little chuckle...  Yes, I know - only 5000km!! Hey, the blog has "C Grade" in the title for a reason...

I've been a 'cyclist' for around 15 years (if you include my triathlon years - I know some will be offended at that suggestion!).  Not a serious one though, just a lover of lycra-ing up and riding my bike.  It was around 7-ish years ago that I 'got serious', joined Balmoral cycling club, and paid up for a race licence.  I've held my club membership and race licence continuously since then.

For the first few years, I really did nothing of note training wise.  I left the bike alone during winter months, and had very short spurts of training occasionally to try and get race fit. I would typically rack up 2000 - 3000kms in a year, concentrated around the start & end of the calendar year. During this time, I scored my only two ever race podiums - a 2nd in D Grade (2006), and a 4th in C Grade (2008), both at the HPRW Summer Twilight Crits.

After the last podium in late 2008, I decided I should have a more determined, consistent crack at getting better.  I set myself the modest goal of achieving 4000km for the year, with some consistency (especially over winter).  Whilst I was still a little sporadic, I finished 2009 with around 4300km in the bank - goal achieved!!

So the goal for 2010 was a simple one - 5000km. A small but steady increase, with an eye on small, steady improvements over a lifetime of cycling.  By October, I had already reached 4000km - easily on track to make it.  But then of course, 'the accident' happened - 9-10 months off the bike, a couple of shoulder surgeries, and many months of rehab came next...

So this year, 2012, is my first full calendar year back on the bike since then.  My resumption year.  My rebuilding year. A year of gently bringing my body back into consistent cycling-shape.

That elusive 5000km, whilst a very modest target, has been my big goal amongst all that - the cherry at the end.  For me, hitting 5000 will be my mental signal that I am 'back on track' with my lifelong, onwards training progression.

As we reach the end of November, I have roughly 500km to go - something I know I can easily achieve.  It's funny - just thinking about it almost gets me a little emotional.  How can such a small thing (literally!) ingrain itself into my psyche as such a huge measure of progression?

Part of me has already started mentally pencilling in my big cycling plans for 2013.  I suspect the most significant boost to making those plans a reality is when my bike computer trickles over to 5000km sometime during late December - I will officially be back...  :)

An injury setback...

I suppose it had to happen eventually, everyone gets the occasional injury.  But I like to get my injuries in particularly ego-destroying ways...

Late in our family holiday at Burleigh, we were going for a walk through the local shops. As we browsed through one of the old surf-shops, my oldest daughter yelled excitedly - "Look Dad, we can hire a surfboard all day, and its only $20!!  Can we??"

Now, I've never, ever surfed.  But only $20 for a whole day - what could go wrong?  Famous last words...

On the 2nd last day, we headed back to the surf shop.  I handed over $20, and was given the longest, widest, 'floatiest' board they had.  We carried it to the beach, and away we went.  My two daughters, not surprisingly, did very well for their first ever surfing attempt.  I had a great time helping them out to the breakers, and launching them off into smaller waves...

Inspired by their success, I took my turn.  Paddling out for my first attempt I tried to pop over a breaking wave. The board hit me in the chest pretty hard, and I felt a sharp pain. "You are kidding..." I thought to myself as I grabbed my left lower ribs...  I hadn't even tried to catch a wave yet!!

Bottom line is I cracked or fractured a rib.  Could not believe how sore it was!  I was OK to walk around, and breathing was fine - but coughing or laughing hurt like buggery, and lying down, rolling over, and getting in/out of bed was sore too. 

After a bit of research, I decided against going to the doctor as there isn't really anything that can be done for a broken rib.  I was careful to monitor myself closely for any changing pain or symptoms that might suggest I'd scratched a lung or anything else, but otherwise decided I'd have to take it easy so as not to impair the healing process.

I bought a bottle of Caltrate Plus (calcium, vitamin D, and trace elements supplement) to assist with bone repair and strength, and popped a couple of tablets a day.  Not sure if it made a difference or not, but figured it couldn't hurt.

-----------------------

So I find myself now, a little over two weeks later, finally starting to approach normal.  It took about 10-12 days for the pain to drop a notch or two, and for the last couple of nights sleeping has been much better.  Its now just 'sore' rather than painful, and I can feel improvement each day.  Finally!

Having avoided the bike the whole time, I'll lycra-up for an easy spin tomorrow morning and see how I go.  The plan is to stay in the saddle and ride at a cruisy effort, avoiding any efforts that might need me to push-&-pull on the handlebars.  With some luck, the ride will be fine and I'll be able to ease back into more normal efforts over the next couple of weeks.

I've definitely got itchy feet after being off the bike for so long, so I'm really looking forward to it.  Hopefully this will be the start of a build into the HPRW Twilight Criterium series - its held on Wednesday afternoons after work at the Nundah criterium circuit, and starts in late November.

UPDATE:  Went for an easy 30km cruise on Saturday (20/10/12).  No soreness or pain in the rib, which was fantastic!!  Could feel it 'pulling' a bit though, so will just make sure I don't do any intensity-stuff for the next week or two so I don' aggravate it.  Very happy to be back on the bike though!!

On Being Sensible...

On Monday, I had one of those days on the bike that I'd rather forget. 

It was always planned to be an 'easy' day, so I cruised into work for my commute. My legs lacked any snap and I felt a bit lethargic, but I hoped that the easy ride in might shake out the legs a little.  Usually, when this happens my ride home is much better.

The afternoon came, and finally it was time to bike home.  Well, things didn't improve - I felt really awkward and uncomfortable on the bike for the whole hour-long ride, and my legs just had nothing to really give.

I arrived home, and trudged up the stairs to see my wife & kids.  "That was a pretty crap ride..." I groaned to anyone who'd listen.  "You're not overdoing it are you?" replied my wife as she was prepping dinner.

Now, even though it was more of an absent-minded comment, my dear wife was 100% correct (as usual - ha!).    :)

I've mentioned before that in the previous two-weeks I had restarted doing two-to-three hard interval sessions each week.  They are great for crystallising some form in the legs, but they are also pretty draining as well.

This can be a real trap for lower-grade cyclists (who are only used to a moderate training load) and to cyclists who are hitting middle-age.  And I cover both of those categories!!  Jackpot!!

The tendency, especially for males, is to tell yourself to drink a big hot mug of cement and HTFU - in other words, suck it up and train through it.  But if you are in one (or both) of those categories above like I am, its probably the worst thing you can do.

Your body is actually sending you that message, and there's a reason for it.  You might have reached a limit and you need some more recovery, or maybe you have a low-grade virus that has taken the edge off your normal performance level.  It could be a few things really - but the important point is what you should do about it, and that's to take a brief break.

Rather than risk injury, worsening a mild illness, or going into more serious over-training symptoms - just have a few days off the bike.  It will only have a marginal effect (if any) on your form, and will in fact save you from having much longer off the bike if you make things worse (which will have a major effect on your form!).

So what did I do?

I took a couple of days off, leaving the bike in the garage on Tuesday and Wednesday, and catching the bus instead.

On Thursday, I jumped back on the bike for an easy commute into work - and my legs felt terrific.  I did my usual hard intervals on Thursday afternoon's homeward commute, and I felt strong and powerful.  I even set a couple of Strava PR's on two segments.

So all I'm saying here is that listening to your body is a very important part of developing long-term fitness and enjoying 'cycling longevity'.  Play the long game - a couple of days off to refresh the body when it tells you it needs it is good practice. Ignoring it, and developing long-term injuries or illness, is silly and counter-productive.

August 2012 Review

A bit of a better run for August. Still not perfect consistency-wise, but got my mileage up to a much more acceptable level...

Mileage - 530km (year-to-date total - 3294km)
Weight - 78kg (steady)

Not great, but not bad either.  I'd call that a 'par' month.  The key now will be to build on that for September and reap the benefits of two decent months in a row...

Only real disappointment for August was missing out on racing the Charles Coin Memorial.  I was setting myself for it, but unfortunately work & family stuff got in the way and I had to ditch it.  That's OK though - its another one I'll hopefully get to do next year.

I have a few things brewing this month that I'll go into more detail about in later posts.  I purchased a bargain heart rate monitor from Aldi, a Crane Sports branded one for the princely sum of only $20!  Not sure how exactly I'm going to use it yet, but I have a few ideas...  Once I unbox it (I'm not allowed to open it until Father's Day!) and use it a few times, I'll post up a review...

My new HRM - now, what to do with it...

I also picked up a 5kg medicine ball from Southside Fitness for $40.  I've been using one at the work gym to do some core strength work, and it has been paying dividends. So I have bought one for home so I can make it a part of my morning routine. I may not end up with six-pack abs (I think that prospect disappeared in my late teens!!) but hopefully that will further help with my core stability and warding off any back pain on long rides.

Finally, I'm almost finished coming up with a plan and some goals for the last third of the year.  I'm looking to finish the last four months strongly - both in training and racing.  As always, the challenge is  to come up with a plan and goals that will stretch me, but are also realistically achievable - with some luck, I'll get that balance just right!

In the meantime though, it is finally Spring in Australia!! There can be no greater motivation than bright blue skies and weather that is just getting warmer and more pleasant every day...!!  Happy & safe cycling everyone!

Coping with interrupted training

One of the big challenges that every cyclist (or endurance athlete generally, like runners or triathletes) has to face is being knocked out of the usual training regime by illness.

I am dealing with that right now, having lost two weeks of training less than a month out from one of my main race goals for the year.  After racing the Metropolitan Championships road race, I had a week in Canberra for work.  I was planning on being straight back on the bike after the well-timed rest, but caught a bad cold while down there that resulted in losing another full week of training.

There are a few traps you can fall into with this scenario:

1. Forcing yourself back into training too early.

Remember that you are SICK!! Your body is compromised, you are running at much less than 100%.  And your body's already lower resources are being diverted to fighting off the sickness, bugs and nasties...  The very last thing your overloaded system needs now is for you to stress it even further by training.

2. Trying to 'catch up' once you are back to training

Another easy trap is trying to fit in extra sessions and make-up the time you have lost.  Your body will usually take a good couple of weeks to fully recover and be firing on all cylinders again. And remember, you have probably just come off a week or two of doing nothing at all.

What is likely to happen if you then launch into a higher training volume and/or intensity is that you'll get sick again, or injure yourself.

So what should you actually be doing when you are ready to train again?

Here are the "do's" for when you've stopped sniffling and coughing, and it no longer hurts just to get out of bed and stumble to the bathroom...

1. Take it easy for the first week back.

Don't do any 'high intensity' stuff - keep the heart rate relatively low.  What you are trying to avoid is straining your body's systems as they slowly recover that final 10-20% post-illness.  Instead, just get the muscles used to exercising again, and give yourself a short period of 'base training' before throwing yourself into any crazy efforts.

2. Get your consistency back and ride often.

While high intensity is to be avoided, consistency is one of the key's to getting back to your previous level as soon as possible.  Much better to be back and training for short, easy periods on most days during that first week.

3.  Trust your previous fitness base.

It can take a long time (months, even years!) to get yourself to a certain level of fitness.  Naturally, you will lose some of that when you get sick. But you won't take the same amount of time to regain that previous fitness level.

A common term to describe this is 'muscle memory'. It basically describes the idea that your muscles still retain a lot of that base fitness you had before, and will quickly return themselves back to their more highly-trained state once normal training resumes.

This is one of the huge pay-offs you get from having trained consistently in the past.  So don't try and 'force' your body back to previous fitness levels.  Trust all that effort you've put in before, and let it return - it'll happen sooner than you think!

4. Listen to your body as it recovers!

This is a huge one, especially in the first few days post-illness. If your body starts complaining, and you can feel the illness not getting better (or even worse, returning) then STOP!  The very last thing you want to do is send your self into a sickness spiral because you've either returned to training too soon, or started doing too much, too quickly.

Heed any early signs of this, and back off.  You might lose another couple of days, but that is much better than losing another few weeks due to having 'round 2' of your cold or flu re-occurring...

In summary...

Take it easy when you are returning from illness.  Most of us aren't doing this for a living - its supposed to be fun!  So don't risk shortening your sporting 'career' by trying to force yourself back into things too early.

An extra couple of days away from training is insignificant in the context of many years (and hopefully decades!) of enjoying your chosen sporting endeavour.

September 2011 Review

Quick Summary for September 2011:

Mileage – 270km
Weight (end of month) – 88kg, a loss of 1kg.

My first full month back on the bike, and while I didn’t quite hit my mileage goal, I’m very satisfied that “small-ring September” was a success.

September was very much a ‘tale of two halves’. The first two weeks were spent (as per normal) at work. The 2nd half of the month was much more fun – holiday! It was school holidays, and so we packed up and headed to Burleigh Heads for the fortnight.

My cycling goal for the first couple of weeks was to cycle-commute 3/week. I only hit 2/week, but I wasn’t too concerned about that. The legs are feeling really good and strong, and the small-ring riding has been a great start for my fitness.

I had a ‘breakthrough’ ride in the second week. I left work, and my legs just felt invincible. I ‘held myself back’ on the flats, and on the uphills I didn’t fall away as I had been. I ended up getting home in 56min – a massive 10min quicker than my normal homeward commute time, plus I felt as fresh as normal. Finally the legs are starting to adapt, a great feeling!!

Fortunately, I was able to take my bike with me for our two weeks holiday on the Gold Coast. The plan was to fit in a couple of early morning rides each week. Staying at Burleigh Heads was ideal – lots of group rides start at the Burleigh surf lifesaving club carpark, with rides heading north to the Spit at Southport, or south to Coolangatta (& beyond).

For the first week, I did a solo ride up to Southport, plus a ride down to Coolangatta. For the Coolangatta ride, I was able to tack onto a local group for the homeward leg, which was fun – my first ‘group riding’ experience since my return to cycling!

Week 2 of the holiday, and I could only fit one ride in. I rode with the Gold Coast Masters club down to Coolangatta – I left them there and turned for home (they were heading on a 6-hour ride to Kingcliffe & the Gold Coast hinterland!!).

This ride was another great confidence builder. After a short hill (not many of them along the coast!), an older female fell off the back of the bunch. Myself and another guy sat up and waited to see if she was OK.

The guy said “we should wait and drag her back to the group – what do you reckon?”
“No worries” I replied.

The group had a fair lead on us, and we were riding into a headwind. I decided to ‘test the legs’, and did a long 10min pull on the front of our little trio to try and catch the group. I managed to hold 32-33km/h and a cadence of 82-85 – best of all, I didn’t ‘redline’ (although I was working pretty hard!). Very happy that my legs handled the effort, and I didn’t blow up or need a ‘recovery’ – great signs for the month ahead.

So all up, a very good September on the bike. Now – onto October. Time to up the volume again (aiming for 350km+), plus a bit of intensity. And if the legs keep improving, maybe a return to criterium racing in the last week or two…!!

Sick - to train or not to train?

One of the more common questions heard around the cycling traps is - "do I ride when I'm sick?" This has been particularly relevant to me this week - I had a cracker of a head cold last weekend, and I was hesitant to get back on the bike too quickly.


First of all, let's keep in mind where I'm coming from. I am - literally and metaphorically - a C Grade Cyclist. So my advice isn't aimed at someone in the ProTour, or even an A-grader who has a coach that guides them to one or two peak races a season. My perspective about sickness and training is all about your average weekend warrior, who also has a day job and a family to come home to at night.


So - my general rule of thumb is "leave the bike in the garage". There are a few good reasons for this:


1. You can extend the length of your sickness. Training obviously puts your body under stress. A sick body is already under stress, and the training simply knocks out some further defences against the illness. By training on, a week-long head cold can turn into a month-long general illness and fatigue.


2. Your training will be sub-optimal. Sure, you can knock out the mileage and intervals (or whatever) that you or your coach have programmed for yourself. But you will not be able to hit your usual performance marks. Your body will be speed & effort limited by the sickness, meaning your legs will not be able to work as hard. 


So these two reasons alone should be enough to put you off training - you won't be able to train properly anyway, plus you'll just extend your sickness time.  Instead of being 1-week behind in your preparation, you'll end up more like a month (or more!) behind.


3. You could permanently damage yourself. OK - this is more serious, and won't happen to everybody. But if you push yourself hard while sick, you can really hurt your insides. Your heart - already under pressure, beating at a higher rate to cope with the sickness - will be asked to work even harder while you train. Your lungs too, which are probably gunked up, will be struggling to cope with the respiration workload. If you are unlucky, permanent damage to these organs can result. And that's a lot worse than missing a couple of weeks of training...


Have I scared you yet? That's not the idea, of course. But the key is to change your mindset. Often people think that they are 'tough' for pushing through with their training while sick, and it puts them ahead of the pack. Ironically, the opposite occurs - it often puts them in much worse shape than the sensible cyclist who takes the week off and rests up. 


So when do you get back on the bike? Do you have to wait until you are 100% better and sickness free?


Personally, I'll get back on the bike when I'm almost better. I find if I take it very easy - just cruisy, low heart-rate effort, and leaving the bike in the small chainring - it actually assists with the final recovery from the illness. For me, I think it "gets everything moving again". But I must stress the super-cruisy effort though - its not 'training', just rolling the legs over.


In summary - if you are sick, rest!! Pushing yourself back too early will have the opposite effect you intend. Resting up and getting better will have you riding more strongly in the long run.

A hefty weight to carry...

Next week, I am going to make my first cycle-commute into work since 'the accident' - nearly 10 months ago!!  So I have decided to take a few 'baseline measurements' so I can loosely track my progress as I re-enter the cycling world.  


This morning, I did a weigh-in to see where I would be starting my renewed cycling journey at.  My weigh-in protocol has always been designed to minimise as many variables as possible, so I can get a reasonably consistent measurement.  Basically, it entails getting out of bed, hitting the loo for morning ablutions, stripping off the pyjamas, and jumping on the scales (sorry for the gross disturbing visuals - especially if you were eating while you read this!!).


So what did I see when I looked down at the scales - 90 KILOGRAMS!!


My usual weight is around 81-82kg, and I trim down to a racing weight once or twice a year of 79-80kg for a big event.  


I remember when I visited the physio after my first round of shoulder surgery, she said, "You know, 95% of men in your position injury-wise will put on 10-ish kilos by the time you finish rehab and are ready to get back on the bike..."


How prescient!!  Looks like those hills are gonna hurt that little bit extra for the first few months as I try to shave off my 'excess'...  

Next milestone in my shoulder rehab...

Headed along today for my monthly check-in with the physiotherapist – Janelle from HandsOn Therapy. She has been looking after and managing my shoulder recovery, after my surgeon released me into her care.


Good news today was – I don’t have to see her anymore!! Janelle was happy with how the shoulder is progressing, both with range of movement and rebuilding strength.

Now, the only rehab professional left is Leonie, my Exercise Physiologist (who works in the same practice as Janelle). Leonie will be continuing to supervise and adjust my gym-based shoulder rehab every week, although at the last visit, she said I’d probably only need to see her a few more times at the most. From there, I’ll be ‘on my own’ doing a set weights routine in the gym.

I’m actually really enjoying my gym-based shoulder rehab. As silly as it sounds – it feels more like a ‘manly’ thing to do as opposed to using the elastic therabands. Clearly, it pushes the buttons in the prehistoric grunty man-part of my brain…

To give you an idea of the sort of ‘shoulder training’ I’m doing – here are the basic exercises Leonie has me doing in the gym:

Warm up with ‘straight arm pulldowns’ (both front and side’ using a cable pin-weights machine.


Then using the cable chest press machine; doing ‘lat pull downs’ and ‘seated rows’ on the “hi/lo” cable machine; using dumb-bells to do front raises, shoulder press, and twisting bicep curls; and doing some ‘functional lifting’ exercises, bringing dumb-bells up from the floor to both shoulder and head height.

After all that, I’m usually pretty exhausted (at least, my shoulders, arms & chest are!!). My shoulder already feels a lot more ‘solid’ and strong after only a couple of months of this routine. Maybe I’ll need to upgrade my bike stem and handlebars to the Pro Vibe Cavendish or Thor Hushovd editions to handle my new found strength!! ;)

Asking for it

Had my weekly visit today from Leonie, my Exercise Physiologist.  She checks in with me at the work gym once a week, where she'll review my progress with the exercises I've done over the past week and how my shoulder is responding.

Here's a tip.  When your Exercise Physiologist says "How did you find the exercises this week?", you should not say "Pretty easy, actually...."

Today's session ended up feeling brutal!! Both weights and reps went up, and a few new torturous exercises to perform.

Thanks Leonie...  I think...  :)

I went for a bike ride today...

Seems like a very basic thing to say - "I went for a bike ride today" - but the last time I was able to say that was 8 months ago!!


Eight long months ago...  That was the day last October when I was cycling home from work, on my 25km commute.  I was almost home - less than 1 km to go, when an old lady in a white Toyota Corolla didn't look as she entered a roundabout...


I remember waking up on the ground, with an ambulance paramedic talking to me. I didn't know where I was or what day it was (fail!), but I kept saying to her, "I think there's something wrong with my left shoulder - it hurts..."


Since that day, I've had two surgeries on my left shoulder - 11 screws in, then a capsular release and 9 screws out (I have two screws left in there as permanent souvenirs).  They were to fix my broken left clavicle, and the fracture to the left femoral head...


I'm still undergoing a lot of physiotherapy, as my "shoulder muscles" are still pretty wasted and weak - but I'm getting there...


Which brings me back to today's bike ride.  It was only 10-minutes long, and 2.5km.  But man, it was glorious...  :)

Introducing Leonie...

I'm currently recovering from a serious shoulder injury.  Around 7 months ago, I was knocked off my bike by a nice old lady in a white Corolla...  :(  More on that later - but the upshot was a broken left clavicle, and fractured left femoral head. 11 screws went in, and 2 are now left as permanent souvenirs...


Today, the next step in my recovery. I met Leonie, who is my new Exercise Physiologist.  I'll be seeing her every Friday in the work gym, when she'll be making life tougher and harder for me... *yikes!*


For this first week, I have a series of 6 exercises to do - and I have to hit the gym at least 3 times. Don't tell anyone, but she has me doing bicep curls with a massive THREE KILO dumb-bell!! I guess I won't be troubling the Mr Universe titles anytime soon...  ;)


I am mainly just stoked to be doing 'real' strength training again. There is just something not very manly about using the elastic therabands from the physio...