So my last blog was a little depressing and pretty hard for me to write, thankfully this one is much more positive and exciting!!! I know it hasn’t been that long since that last blog however it did sit on my desktop for a good 8 weeks before I had fully accepted my decision and posted it online. After my second PRP which epically failed, I caught up with my good friend Ailie who last year had been through a pretty traumatic road bike crash (she was the victim of a hit-run by a car) and had been to countless doctors, had surgery, PRP, cortisone, you know it she had it, all with little results. That was until she went to one guy in Geelong who sorted her out and she is now about to set foot on the start line of Ironman Melbourne this coming weekend and SMASH IT!!! She suggested I go see him, feeling like I heard nothing to lose and everything to gain I booked myself in. As his clinic is based in Geelong, a good 6 hour drive from Marlo I would have to wait 4 weeks to be able to see him on a weekend.
Ailie had advised me his methods were a little unconventional but to go with the flow, and that’s exactly what I did. I had been on crutches for 8 weeks and had been barely able to put any weight on my left leg at all. Half an hour later I was bounding up and down his hallway and walked around the block. It was amazingly unbelievable. For many years I have been a believer of conventional medicine, injections and surgery is scientifically proven right? Not necessarily! And as for all this spiritual, aura, holistic approach I had always thought of that as hocus pocus. I mean, the only reason I go to yoga is for the STRETCHING aspect!! Well I was proven wrong on February 17th 2012!! I won’t go into detail about what he did, but essentially I had had a big stack a few years ago (quite possibly when I stacked it big time on a treadmill and had troubles getting off the conveyor belt which was going 10km per hour! p.s never hang on to the rail if you fall, simply let the belt throw you backwards!!!) which had thrown my pelvis out plus numerous big stacks off my MTB!)
These stacks had put my hip and lower back into lock down and it proceeded to guard my hip resulting in a change in gait and pain upon walking. This combine with having tendonitis in my hip flexor meant I wasn’t using my left side much. The communication to that side was nil and my body was unable to heal itself. The injections were treating the symptoms (which didn’t work anyway) rather than the cause. The doc opened up the communication pathways in some unconventional ways but hell they sure worked!! I instantly noticed a difference. At the beginning of the session the strength and movement tests performed on my hip were too painful I had to ask him to stop, at the end of the session those same tests were performed with no pain at all. It seems now the only time I get pain in my hip is if I worry about it, think about it or talk about it. It is now a psychological thing that I need to work on not getting stressed or worried about it. Hip? What hip? Exactly.
3 days later I was back on my bike and in the last 4 weeks since that appointment I have built up to a 2.5 hour ride, 2 hours of walking (haven’t walked that far for 18 months!!) and 10 minutes of jogging. I am relishing being back on the bike but most importantly I am loving doing all the normal things again. I don’t have to worry about parking the car right outside the shop, I can mow the lawn, walk up stairs, weed the garden, go to yoga (and perhaps emerge more in the spiritual aspect...maybe...) , and play sport in PE with my students. It’s fantastic!! I feel FREE and like a new person!!! Not being limited to where I can go or what I can do, you certainly appreciate the littler things!
This is me running along the beach loving life!!
I have also started a vegie garden which is very fun!! I hope to have some vegies crankin in no time!!! I babysat my friend Tim’s dog Molly for the weekend and got to walk and run her which was also very fun. I am looking forward to July school holidays, we have booked a holiday to Cambodia, it will be the first school holidays for 12 months I won’t be injured I can’t wait!!! I recently cut out gluten from my diet and have been feeling a million bucks for it. With running I have been doing some barefoot and chi running and it's going well. The plan for the rest of the year is to TRAIN SMARTLY, listen to advice and listen to my body. I'll be doing things I little differently this year and I have no doubt it'll pay off if I do it right this time!!
I came home tonight and was most excited to find a new kit from Giant in the mail, which is SWEET, go team Liv/Giant!!! I was so excited when it arrived I put it on (even though I wasn’t going for a ride) and pranced around the house! Then when I heard Al arrive home I ran out in excitement and underestimated the slippery silkiness of my new socks and went A of T backwards down the stairs. As my friends say – the most coordinated uncoordinated person they know......
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| thanks Giant you rock |
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| ice pack needed for bruised back |
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| loving the liv/giant kit |
I’m off to watch Ironman Melbourne next weekend and I wish my friends Dave, Tim and Ailie the very best!!! And to all the other competitors out there good luck!!! cheers for reading!
