ALICE- OH HOW I HAVE MISSED YOU!!!

About 4 weeks ago when I was riding with some mates in Canberra, Amy asked if I wanted to go race the Red Centre Enduro I said no as I felt I had a) would be nowhere fit enough and b) had already done that race. However I soon began thinking more and more about it because a)I really wanted to do another stage race b) I hadn’t been back to Alice since we moved from there in 2010 and c) I would get to ride my bike for a week and hang out with people I hadn’t seen for ages.

Thankfully my work said I could have a week off and my coach gave me the all clear to do a race! Sweet, Alice Springs here I come!! The week leading up to the race was crazy busy, we had athletics day at school, family down to visit, a bus license to study for and pass, pack the bike and get training in. All I wanted to do was get to the airport and get to Alice. Friday I had to get up at 4 and spent the whole day learning how to drive a bus, and luckily passed, look out kids!! I was convinced I was flying out at 11am so Ali and I had planned to sleep in and head out for coffee in the morning. At 11 that night I decided to check when my flight next weekend would be landing back in Melbourne. Then I discovered my flight actually left at 8.30am the next morning. That would have been interesting had I turned up at 10. I was standing at the gate waiting to board when a girl who looked strangely like Amy started walking towards me and waving. What the heck I thought, am I in Canberra??? Nope, apparently there’s no direct flight so Amy had flown from Canberra to Melbourne that morning and confused the hell out of me. I was planning to catch up on some much needed sleep on the plane, however because QANTAS are the only ones who fly to Alice I had to make the most of the in flight entertainment as they had a heap of Modern Family and Glee episodes I had not seen and they are my two favourite shows!!

Arrived to a sunny Alice Springs and found a few other mtb’ers to chat to, Sam from Rapid Ascent picked us up and drove us into town. Got the groceries then had a nap to try to recharge. Reassembling the bikes was not much fun, however Amy made it much more entertaining by putting her forks on back to front. This morning we headed out for a ride behind the Scout Hall and rode much of tomorrow’s stage. I had forgotten how totally radical and fun the trails are around here. As my navigation is terrible I was disappointed when Amy informed me her navigation skills were also very ordinary. Dam, we tried to make our way back home via a 4WD track but soon found ourselves in the company of a camp dog and on route into a town camp. We made a hasty return to the single track and popped out right in front of the Jude’s house where we are lucky enough to be staying. Big relief as the last thing we wanted was to be baking out lost in the sun for hours. I can’t wait for the race and no doubt it’ll have me wanting to return to Alice, the cycling here is AMAZING!! Tomorrow we get a police escort start through the town which will be awesome, but now we are off to register!!! Will update during the week as it unfolds!!! Follow the race at www.rapidascent.com.au

amy having a blast

ready to rock n roll

intense concentration

FUN....NOT SURE. ADVENTURE.....INDEED. MIS-ADVENTURE...... SPOT ON.

Saturday arvo rolled around and Al and I had planned a bike packing trip with our new Revelate Bags. We got home from a school function late in the afternoon (Orbost Secondary College turned 100 years, rock on!) and quickly set about packing everything to hit the road.

By the time we left darkness had set in, we rode along the road for a couple of k’s before jumping a gate and riding through a boggy marsh cow paddock. It reminded me of riding through sand in Alice Springs, bottom back and push the front end forward, the only difference being this was making my feet wet and my bike very dirty.

I was keen to ride my Giant Dually however as Al is a mad single speeder and had spent many hours building me up a Single Speed he somehow convinced me to ride the SS rig for the first time, and about seven minutes into the ride we had to stop and make some minor seat adjustments to make sure I was comfy, a bit harder to do when its dark and freezing cold. We rode for about 2 ½ hours, up and over some steep climbs. One climb in particular was pretty relentless and I felt like my back was going to snap in two. I had whinged to Al during a test lap about the 32-20 setup for being ‘too easy’ yet I was mighty thankful as my legs were shouting out for more teeth! I don’t think I would have gotten up the climbs in any less of a gear. The fire trails were either up or down making it interesting and never dull. We had a few gates to jump and also had to cross a massive puddle. I gave Al some ill-advise about where to cross and he managed to sink ankle deep into a slosh.



fixing the seat




riding through the sloshy paddocks

We crossed the highway to Cabbage Tree and headed out to Murrengower, going by Dave’s directions we thought we had headed down the right track. Alas, we had not and we shortly found ourselves on a slight downhill in the middle of the scrub setting up camp. Al got the fire cranking whilst I set about putting out the bivvys and cooking dinner. Rice and tuna on the Jetboil was on the menu and after a solid ride and having started cooling down I was looking forward to it. Al had accidentally packed the wrong type of gas canister for the Jetboil, so instead we dined on a can of tuna, a stale muffin and split a small can of soup. We managed to put the soup into the fire using a stick and retrieved it with little dramas.

At about 10.00 we crawled into our bivvys and set about getting some shut eye. That’s about the same time it started raining. And raining. And raining. It kept raining continually for the next 2 ½ hours. I had taken my under garments/base layer/jersey off to dry from the sweat that had dampened them on the ride there, and decided to use them as a pillow. At some point in time I realised I had slipped down my mat, as we were on a slight downhill, and those clothes along with the top of my mat were soaked. I think I managed to doze off slightly at some stage but kept waking up with wet bivvy stuck to my face and not being able to breathe. Combine this with the mosquito net Al suggested I put over my head equated to feeling like I was not getting the required amount of oxygen!!

At 12.30am Al said “Courts are you awake” to which I replied “yep, pretty sure I haven’t been to sleep yet.” We decided the rain seemed to be fairly set in for the night and there wasn’t much point laying there awake the entire night. Lesson Learnt: Take a lightweight tarp next time, oh and a gas canister that actually fits your cooking device!!

As it was raining we had to make the pack up fairly quick. Firstly I managed to get my contacts in, in the rain, dark and with no mirror!! Then quickly deflate mat, pack clothes, sleeping bag and bivvy. Ensure there was some food easily accessible as well as water in my frame bag/cage. Check. Things I didn’t do which would have been very handy – get gloves out. Get raincoat out. Wear a bra. Don’t have a thermal top on. Make sure your lights are fully charged before leaving on a night bike packing trip.

My lights had gone dead, and we weren’t sure how many hours left Al’s had in his. We were fairly certain they didn’t have 2.5 hours left in them which is how long it would take us to get home going the way we came. We had a rough idea of an alternative quicker route home (quicker only if we got it right), and we were fairly certain if the lights went out we would freeze to death in the bush.

We had a long steady climb out to the road and as I was wearing a head buff, thermal long sleeve top, arm warmers, and my Giant long sleeve winter coat by the time I got to the top I had overheated and needed to stop to adjust my clothing situation. I took everything off, except for my bib knicks. I hope no cars were going to go past, and Al’s only comment was “Well that’s a good way to attract some more sponsors” All I put on was my long sleeve Giant top and then we made the descent down to Cabbage Tree. It didn’t take long for me to REALLY regret stripping off only 5 minutes prior. Now I was on the opposite end of the temperature scale. By the end of the descent I was wet, freezing and could barely feel my fingers or toes. We made some educated guesses about which tracks to take and fortunately for once we were onto it. Some muesli bars and dark chocolate were downed to try to keep the spirits up, but there wasn’t a whole lot of talking going on this time. I went into a zone like state where all I thought about was each pedal was taking me closer to a hot shower and hot bowl of porridge.



3.30am not feeling so great



About 30 minutes from the end, Al handed me a spare battery he had been carrying! Could have done with that an hour ago!! It took us a bit over 2 hours to get home, and I was pretty relieved once we did. Al’s only comment was “My foot feels like a stump” Into bed at 4am, to have a solid 5 hours sleep before a knock on the door 9, it was Finn and James asking if we would like to go to Nowa Nowa for a Mountain Bike ride. Sounds fun but we decided to pass on that one. Napped in front of the heater for most of the day before venturing out to Dave and Lu’s house. Al thought it would be good to take a short cut through a paddock, where we once again misjudged the deepness of some puddles and ended up with wet feet once again, as well as getting caught on a few barbed wire fences. We never seem to make things easy for ourselves and it was quite strange to see Al rock up with only 1 sock on, having left the house with 2. Those that have been running with Al may have an idea of where that 1 sock may have gotten to. It wouldn’t have been quite so obvious had he not been wearing my tracksuit pants which only reached his ankle.

Let’s see what next weekend brings shall we!

A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE...A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER

So we all know I’ve had an injury for the past 14 months, we won’t bang on about that any more however just a quick blog about the past week and what I have come to discover about myself. (how very deep and meaningful of me!)

Being injured makes you appreciate racing, training and life much more!!

When I was first injured I went away with Al and a few mates to the Tathra Enduro. I sat in the back of the ute on the side of the track the whole day sulking. Actually I sulked in the car the whole way up, the night before, during race briefing, during the race, after the race, and the whole way back. I didn’t want anything to do with cycling, bikes or even talk about Al’s race. I was the ultimate SOOK!!  Fast forward 12 months (funnily enough I rode the Tathra trails this weekend one year on and loved every moment of it. ) and I have sat on many more sidelines of races and this sooky attitude has subsided thank goodness!! As I sat on the sidelines of the Australian 24 hr solo’s last weekend, a race I have always wanted to do but last year and this year injury hasn’t allowed it, I was totally fine with being on the other side of the fence, literally, as support crew had to stay behind a fence!!

I was worried that I would be sulking and annoyed that I wasn’t riding around Majura Pines trying to win that Aussie title. However as I passed Al his drink bottles and gels, all my thoughts were on his race and what I can do to help him succeed. By the way, being on the other side of the fence is WAY more stressful and harder than actually riding your bike for 24hours!!!

Amy, Rachel and Hanny tearin up Stromlo

I was just so wrapt that I been for a mountain bike ride with Beth and Seb Friday morning, ridden at Stromlo Friday afternoon with Amy, Rachel and Hanny, and had done a 20minute run that morning that I couldn’t care less that I wasn’t racing my bike. I had been able to go out and do all those other things pain free and it was so RAD!!!!!!



Jarrad,Po,Beth,Seb and Al tearin up Bruce Ridge




oh stromlo how I love you, Amy and I about to launch down Skyline



a happy camper cooking porridge for breakky

So even though being injured has sucked, and I have missed out on some awesome races, I have gained so much more in appreciating what being injury free and being able to do other awesome stuff, it has also changed my attitude about racing and not being a sookylala when I’m not the one racing!!! Having said that I am keen as mustard, frothing at the mouth, ready to rumble so excited for when I do get to race next. Fingers crossed it’s going to be on May 20^th, not at Italy liked originally planned, but at Lysterfield for the Chase the Sun Enduro Series Race 1.

Loki and I cruisin Nowa Nowa first ride back. Lok smashed me

the happy couple....

Oh and the other thing I discovered about myself was I have a massive phobia of riding of bridges as I did sook it in Tathra on the awesome Bridge track. We spent a few days riding down the Sapphire Coast – Mandeni and Tathra, I recommend you check it out they’re awesome!! A big thanks to Liv/Giant for the tent, a big thanks to Seb and Beth for putting up with us over the past few nights, sorry you couldn’t get rid of us!! A big thanks to all the people we rode with in Canberra – Hanny, Amy, Rachel, Paula, Jarrad I had loads of fun!!!

Al braving the SeeSaw.

Tathra tracks rock!



Packin it trying to ride a bridge with about 1cm dropoff, needless to say I didnt even attempt to black diamond bridges. Practice makes perfect I guess...



we only got a little bit lost...and only had to jump one river crossing

AND I’M BACK IN THE GAME............!!!!

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 17^th 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......

thanks Giant you rock

 



ice pack needed for bruised back



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!

The road it Italy......comes to an end.

This is a letter I wrote seven weeks ago after my six month follow up appointment with the surgeon who operated on my left hip last year. I was hoping I would be tearing up that letter and putting it in the bin, not typing it up and sending it out to friend, family and sponsors.

I am about to commence my fourth year of cycling and have been lucky enough to qualify for the WEMBO World Championship 24 hour solo race to be held in May, in Italy. This will be my fourth 24 hour solo race. My love for this sport began in April 2009 when I first rode a mountain bike on single track, after been advised to take a break from running due to ongoing knee injuries throughout my four year triathlon career. After watching Gordo smash himself and the field in the 24WSC on DVD I had a burning desire to go and race one. Come November I rocked up to the start line in Forrest determined to see if I could make it. My race plan was to ride until I felt like stopping and hope I could last the full 24 hours. However, when I was told in the wee hours of the night that I was in 2^nd place I buried myself to try to get to first position. That didn’t happen but I walked (hobbled) away wondering how far I could go in this sport as I knew I had much to learn. Unfortunately my body took months to recover and six months later I had knee surgery.

My efforts at Forrest had qualified me to compete in the 24 hours of Adrenaline World Championships held in Canberra in early October. After a hampered six months with little training I put together an eight week program to get ready for the race. A great experience, I walked away from that race vowing never to enter a 24 when I wasn’t ready and there to win, I felt empty knowing I had much more to give. Thankfully that opportunity came in October 2011. Winning the Scott 24 hour was the highlight of what had been a pretty tough year. In February 2011 I was told to take six weeks off exercising as I had tendonitis in my hip. I did as instructed but the problem only got worse. Over the next five months I spent countless days away in Melbourne getting tests to try to figure out why I couldn’t lift my left leg more than 3cm’s off the ground. Unable to walk more than 50m I was prevented from fulfilling my job as a PE teacher and unable to do any physical exercise for most of this time. Physically, mentally and socially the injury took its toll. In July I had surgery on my hip which thankfully rectified the problem. Back on the bike a week after the surgery I made winning the Scott 24 hour my goal and with 12 weeks training that’s what happened.

It is now February 2012 and I am once again off the bike and on crutches. I am in my sixth week of rest and still unsure of when I will be back riding. The amount of training I did in those 12 weeks leading up to the Scott, racing the Scott, then continuing to race afterwards without the right amount of recovery has lead to hip tendonitis. I have been receiving Plasma Rich Platelet Injections to try to speed up the healing process in order to get ready for Italy.

I am 25 years old and cycling is a massive part of my life, I am a cyclist, it’s what I do, live and breathe.  I still want to be riding when I am 75 years old but if I continue down this path of overtraining for endurance races then I won’t be riding when I am 35! After a great deal of thought and talking to close friends and family, and consulting with other trusted health professionals, I know it is the right thing for me to take a break from 24 hour racing. I cannot physically prepare for Italy in this short space of time, and I cannot mentally deal with another injury that would most likely arise from undertaking such a task. I am learning from my past mistakes and I need to wait for my body to heal properly this time.

Mentally I believe I am capable of winning more races I just need to wait for my body to catch up!!  In order for me to achieve great things in this sport, which I believe I can do, I need to get my body right and be patient. Some people have said “why don’t you just go over and do a couple of laps and have a holiday” My response is any 24 hour race I enter from now on I am there to win, I am not there for the ‘experience’, I owe the sport more respect than and I am looking forward to.

A massive thanks to CORC for offering the return tickets to Italy, to HSR Seeds for offering to pay for Al’s airfare, to Ay-Up, Giant and Pure-Sport Nutrition for all their support over the past year or so. A massive thank you!

So for now I will focus on recovering and I honestly feel I am not too far away from that happening. Then I will begin cross training through swimming, running, riding and kayaking with the aim of competing in an ironman distance event or an adventure race at the end of the year. Throughout the year I aim to be competing in shorter distance mountain bike races, triathlons and multisport off-road races.

Thanks for reading!!

TOURING TASMANIA & WILDSIDE ELDERLY STYLE

Ten days ago when I was getting my second lot of plasma injections into my hip for the tendonitis that I’ve carried for the past 12 months, I still held hope that I would be racing in Australia’s most famous stage race Wildside in Tasmania. We had entered back in June before it had sold out and I had been super excited as I had only done one stage race before in Alice Springs and had absolutely loved immersing myself in riding for a week. Stage races are great as all you need to worry about is eating, sleeping and riding. You get to meet some awesome people along the way as well as see some amazing scenery. In those 10 days leading up to Wildside it started to become apparent I wouldn’t be able to race, I thought about not going at all as I am a very poor spectator. If I can’t be a part of a race I don’t want anything to do with it. However as Al was in perfectly good health and had been training for Wildside it would be incredibly rude of me not to be his support crew as he had on many occasions supportive me in races he was unable to compete in. We discussed the fact that I would be a grumpy pain in the ass the whole time and we were better off not going. However the flights had been booked, race entries with no refund paid, hire van booked and my friend Tara had also booked a flight as she was going to be the support crew. I just had to grin and bear it.

I decided it would be character building and would give me more motivation to come back stronger and to not let myself get injured again. I would be spending the time with some great people and be able to visit a place I had never been.

Al and I fly over on Tuesday, 4 days before the race start as we had planned to do some riding beforehand. We picked up a wicked little campervan which has a double bed, single bed, kitchenette and table. It’s rad. The first day we cruised down to Liffey Falls and camped the night. I have been advised to stay off my leg completely which has been a challenge, even trying to cook dinner, step into the van, walk to the toilet etc. aggravates it which is why I have decided to use crutches for the next 2 weeks. My hip has gotten worse since having the injections (apparently that’s suppose to happen it’s all part of the healing process...) This has made travelling through a new place not overlay fun as I can’t even walk through the streets of the new towns we rock into. Tassie is a wicked place, it’s absolutely beautiful and I can’t wait to come back when I’m mobile and do hiking, riding, rafting and all the other wicked activities there are here. I feel like we are one of those retired elderly couples driving around the place. Every road we go on we’re like “how good would it be to cycle-tour here!?!? Hopefully this time next year that’s exactly what we’ll be doing!

The campervan is a manual which means I can’t drive it as that too hurts my hip, so Al whose manual skills are incredibly rusty stalled it 11 times in Launceston. Provided a few laughs and scary moments Launceston is rather hilly and we had to do a number of joint handbrake starts! I’m glad to say he has improved over the last few days however the clutch may need replacing soon!! We found a sushi bar in Launceston and it must have been our lucky day as it was closing the lady gave us 3 boxes of sushi for free!!

Luckily we had a fridge in our campervan and we hoped when we ate them the next arvo they wouldn’t make us crook. We decided to head out of the city and found a lovely camp ground near Liffey Falls. We were next to a gorgeous river and spent the next morning basking in the sunshine by the river drinking coffee and reading Kate Lemmings “Out there and Back” Cycle-touring book which may not be the best idea as it makes me want to go ride around the world tomorrow I was starting to get used to this lazing around doing nothing thing!!

That arvo we drove to Burnie, stopping at the cheese factory and the berry farm along the way. We were aiming for the chocolate factory also however somehow missed the turnoff. Once we arrived in Burnie we found a spot on the beach and ate our remaining sushi, then drove a short while out of town and found spot by the beach for the night. A lovely sun set over the water made me forget about my worries. I was handling this exceptionally well we thought. The next day we headed into the Info centre, found cafe and charged our phones then went to the outdoor pool. The one thing I can do is swim with a pool buoy without kicking so I made the most of my time in there until my shoulder got sore. It seems those many years of tennis also took its toll on my right shoulder so and have been getting treatment for that also. Geez you’d think I was 85 not 25!!!! We then drove to Cradle Mountain and managed to walk into reception at the exact same time as our good friends Beth and Seb who would be riding in Wildside also. A drive around the camp grounds showed an abundance of mountain bikes and all the chatter was about the race, the course and everyone was heading out for a spin after being in the car all day. And that’s when I realised the next 5 days are gonna suck a lot. I am trying to stay upbeat and positive so I don’t ruin this for Al and the others but when all the chat is about the race and bikes it’s hard not to feel totally left out. This is when I have to try to be unselfish and not be a pain in the ass, this is the character building shit I was talking about!!! (I hope....) I think it would be much easier to be sitting at home on the couch not surrounding myself with all this mountain biking stuff but hey there’s heaps worse stuff happening to people so I’ve just got to do my best to support Al!!

Right now I’m focusing on letting my hip heal, get on top of this injury so I can walk down to the beach with my friends, teach PE properly, do what 25 year olds are suppose to be able to do and then I can start think about riding bikes again.

THE DAY BEFORE THE RACE

Hanging out with Beth, Seb, Al, Gail, Graeme and Amy we sat around chatting and drinking coffee. About lunch time everyone went for a run or ride or swim so I sat in the campervan and did some school work. Kinda sucked not being able to do anything but seen as though I had neglected doing any school work for the past 6 weeks t least it forced me to do some!!! That afternoon the crew sat around discussing the race course and what to expect, so I sat in the van sulking pretended to read my book but internally fuming. Once the conversation began to change and I told myself I was being immature I went and joined in. We headed down to race briefing then back to the camp ground to cook dinner and have a delicious birthday cake for Seb.



getting acquinted with the locals at trial harbour



RACE DAY ONE
I helped Al as much as I could this morning to get ready for the race, however he seems to be racing, supporting himself and me as I can’t do much without aggravating my hip. I must say I have noticed a difference in my hip after spending a few days on crutches. It appears all I need to do for at least another 2-3 weeks is just stay off it completely. I have finally accepted it is tendonitis and it will get better. I am reminding myself that in a few weeks I’ll be back into it and just have to stay positive. This has definitely helped my mood. What people don’t realise is it is the stress of not knowing when it’s going to get better. If it was a broken bone I would know that in 8 weeks I would be back training, however with tendons it’s such a long and slow process and there is a fear it’s never going to get better. The pain has been pretty bad that it’s hard to imagine it’s going to get better and that I’ll be riding again. It’s a matter of telling myself there is light at the end of the tunnel!!

Today my good friend Tara arrives to help support and cheer on the riders, can’t wait to hang out with her! It was really hot today, I missed the race start as I couldn’t get a park close enough so instead hung out at the Chateau waiting for Tara. We met the riders after the end of the race stage and then drove to the lunch spot whilst riders “cruised” their way there over some pretty big hills, some CRUISE stage!! We tried to find some shade and eat lunch before riders then raced their way to Tullah. An interesting little town, we had some amazing views up at the mountains.

RACE DAY TWO AND THREE

Riders headed out for the day whilst support crews backed up and drove to the lunch spot. We were in Rosebury and being a Sunday nothing was open. We sat on the side of the road cheering on riders as they came through. Al was having a good race so far and it was pretty funny watching him come flying down the straight on his SS turning the pedals at about 160rpm!! A much nicer lunch spot today we relaxed in the shade before watching the dash for cash around the race track. It appeared perhaps there was a bit of collusion between Adrian Jackson and the Van Der Ploeg brothers as AJ was the leadout man! Riders headed off into the searing sun whilst Tara and I headed to the local pool for a cool off. There were some very hot and exhausted people at the finish line as they welcomed a cool front coming through that night. The next day we woke to a heap of rain and a drop of about 15 degrees in temperature! Riders were rugged up waiting to be called up in pairs for the 6k time trial. Unfortunately we made an error with roads being closed and arrived at Trial Harbour to find a close to hypothermic Al waiting for a change of clothes. Once we had him warmed up a bit riders then headed back up the hill and on towards Zeehan. Al commented that he had been in his element today and absolutely loved the rain whilst others were cursing and swearing through the mud. Logistically this was a tough day for support crew as we covered a lot of kilometres and we had to wait in the campervan the rest of the time as the weather was atrocious.  It was also a very tough day for riders, our friend Amy had a big stack and was unable to finish after being stitched up and it seemed to really take its toll on all riders.

GRIBS BUSTIN OUT OF THE ONESY!

RACE DAY FOUR

We woke up in Strahan and felt like we were back to civilisation somewhat as there were cafe’s, restaurants and loads more people. The wind howled for most of the night and we rugged up to go watch the start. Racers went off in their seeded groups and it became apparent there were many non starters as the treacherous conditions and rough terrain had punished many. Al had a great ride to begin with, getting into a breakaway of 3 however after changing his gear to a lower ratio he was having some issues with his chain, which results in it snapping twice throughout the stage. Whilst he was out riding Tara and I headed to the Laundromat to try to clean and dry his gear so we wouldn’t be over our weight limit getting home on the plane. Unfortunately we couldn’t stay for the lunch, presentations or after party as we had to get back in time for work the next day. We were dreading the trip we were about to embark on and hoped it would go quickly, how wrong we were. We endured a 5 hour trip through some very windy roads on our campervan, I was positioned in the middle seat which is designed for small children so my legs we jammed against the dashboard. Finally making it to Launceston it was great to be out of the car however with our 75kg’s of combine luggage we simply had to occupy our time at the airport. Once on the plane I was hoping to get some sleep so we could drive the 4 ½ hours home to Marlo. However the 2 year old behind me had other ideas. It appeared he did not want I nor the rest of the plane sleep if he couldn’t. Once touched down in Melbourne and located our car we headed for home at 1am. The drive was epic as I was too scared to fall asleep in case Al who was driving fell asleep so we  both stayed awake to keep each other awake!! Al had a couple of V drinks to try to keep himself awake. At a quick stop in Bruthen for another drive change it got the better of him and he spewed up. I was trying my best to be sympathetic but so exhausted at the same time! We rolled into Marlo at 6.15am, set the alarm for 8.05am then rocked into work at 8.30. Pretty sure I didn’t learn much that day and was no doubt somewhat incoherent!!!

2012: THE YEAR OF BEING INJURY FREE......

When I sat down to map out my goals for 2012, there was really only 1 I was focused on. To be injury free for the year. I have devoted myself to cycling now for 3 years (having crossed over from the triathlon world) and have been sidelined for about 10 months of that due to injury. No other goals about winning races or getting stronger would matter if I wasn’t injury free. After the Scott 24hour I spent about 6 weeks just rolling round on my bike not training too hard but still maintaining my fitness, it took me about this long to fully recover from the race. Following this I was starting to find some good form and was feeling strong. I did some tough hilly rides as a way to monitor my fitness and found them much easier than in the past. I was loving life, school was winding down and I was feeling really strong on the bike, what a rad feeling that is. In the back of my mind I was worried of getting injured as in the past a time frame of feeling strong had generally come crushing down with injury. Still, I was training hard keen to get some good k’s in the legs to start building for Italy where I am heading for the 24 hour World Champs in May.  

I haven’t had the best start to 2012 and achieving my goal of being injury free. My hip has been fine with riding, only feeling pain occasionally on the bike. It has been 6 months since my surgery and I was due for my 6 month follow up with the surgeon. We made the trip to Melbourne and he conducted some movement tests. One test in particular resulted in me levitated off the table in pain. I had been having difficulties walking any more than 1km in distance and walking up stairs and hills was still causing pain. I figured it was part of the 12 month recovery the surgeon had advised me of.

Not pleased with the movement test the surgeon sent me across the road for an MRI of my hip. Results came back showing my rectus femoral tendon was pretty inflamed and not too happy. The good news is the hip joint itself is excellent and the original problem that required surgery has gone. I am not sure if the tendon had been that way the whole time and masked by all the other stuff that was wrong in there, or if I came back too early after the surgery.

The surgeon wanted me to begin PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) Injections, which involves taking 20ml of blood out of your arm, which they spin down in a centrifuge to separate the components. The PRP is then harvested and 4ml of PRP is extracted from the centrifuged blood. Under ultrasound guidance they put this into the tendon and the hip joint. As tendons do not have a blood supply the aim of this treatment is to speed up the healing process and hence get me back on the bike quicker!!

I had packed for 1 night only as I was supposed to be heading back to Marlo after the appointment with some friends to do the triathlon down there. Unfortunately the surgeon wanted me to have the injection done as soon as they could fit me in, that Friday. He said I could continue to ride but try not to walk too much. Unfortunately I hadn’t packed any bike gear so couldn’t do any riding, I went to an RPM class one morning which was a good hit out.  Back down to Melbourne on the train for the injection and then I was going to head to Marlo as I still held hopes that I would be able to do the ride part of the triathlon in a team.

The injection was a bit uncomfortable and a tad painful but the pain I felt in my hip for the next day and a half was worse. It soon became apparent I wouldn’t be going back to Marlo for the tri, I couldn’t walk on it let alone get on a bike. I was advised to spend the next 2 days on the couch, then ease back into it for the next 7 days. I could ride in those 7 days, but 50% of my usual volume and on flat courses. We had planned a training camp in Bright next week, where we were going to do a stack of mtb and road riding, pretty shattered I couldn’t make it as it would have been perfect to kick start my training for Italy with long hard hilly rides. I have to go have another injection in 2 weeks and hopefully it will be better after that. I have to keep reminding myself that taking it easy for 3-4 weeks in the scheme of things isn’t that big of a deal. I need to learn from last year that ignoring the problem will only make it worse. This time last year I ignored the pain in my hip and as a result spent 5 months unable to do any exercise. I must learn from this and realise that I will get strong again, that my fitness will return and that 3-4 weeks of easy riding to get over this injury is the best thing to do. Sitting on the sidelines is never an easy thing to do, but I’ve come to accept that if you are an athlete then getting injured, managing these injuries, resting and recovering and listening to your body is even more important than those long rides or smashing yourself on an ergo.  (Well TRYING my best to do this and to not to be a mopey grumpy pain in the ass) Just got to be patient (IM TRYING!!) and accept my time will come as long as I learn from past mistakes!!!

I spent the next few days in Ballarat watching the Road Nationals which has been enjoyable but also very frustrating, as I remember standing on the sidelines declaring I would be racing there in 2012. Things didn’t pan out that way but by getting on top of this injury now should mean I will be at the start line next year. Watching Amanda Spratt in a solo breakaway with 30kms to go was so motivating and inspiring that I can’t wait to get back out there and race. But first it's back to the surgeon's office next week for another injection and then another 10 days taking it easy then hopefully all will be good and I'll be seeing you out on the trails!!!