I am no means an expert but it did occur to me the other day when I was getting myself ready for the first race of this very strange Covid governed season, having not competed in a multi-sport race for almost 12 months and almost forgetting the scale of things you need to remember, that gearing up for your first multi-sport race (triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike – whichever!) can be rather daunting as there is a fair bit to consider across three disciplines – four if you count transitions too! It would be sad if this actually put someone off doing one too, so I thought I would just note some of the key things I and fellow multisport athletes I know (thank you to Catenary and Spa Striders squads for your input) have learnt that others might want to consider to make it that little bit easier. Specific equipment / clothingGet organised - there is nothing worse than disorganisation to add fuel to pre-race nerves, so before you set off for the race, make sure all of your kit is organised. I often write a list of everything I need for each discipline (plus before and after the race, including nutrition and hydration, and even some spares like swim goggles) the night before and lay it all out so I know it is all there and I don’t need to worry about it Footwear / talcum powder – however well you dry your feet after the swim, they will still be damp, which makes putting on socks difficult, so most people opt to go sockless. If you sprinkle talcum powder into your shoes before the race it will save time struggling in transition – you could also do this to your socks if you did want to wear some too. Laces – elastic laces are a great help when trying to get your shoes on as fast as possible during T2 – rather than wasting time tying and tightening laves, you can simply push your feet in and you’re off! Number belts – another great time saver is a number belt. In a tri, you have to wear your number on your back for cycling and then on your front for the run – so rather than swapping number, wearing two numbers or even reversing clothing, with a number belt you can simply swivel your belt around your body in T2 so you are ready to run! Some people even where it under their wetsuits to save time in T1. Just remember to swivel it around to the front before you leave transition onto your final run, as you can get stopped if it isn’t facing the front! Body glide / Vaseline – removing your wetsuit is difficult at the best of times so to help you can apply body glide or Vaseline to areas such as at the ends of your arms and legs to help your triathlon come off. It is also great to help prevent chafing if applied around the neck and armpit regions! Open water goggles – if you can, invest in some open water specific goggles that tend to be a bit larger and are tinted and polarised to help with visibility – particularly helpful if you will be swimming directly into low sunlight in the early hours of the morning! Cold / wet weather – particularly for the spring/autumn events, it can often be pretty chilly, so I would definitely recommend considering additional layers. Depending on what you have available, there are a number of options you could try based on how cold race day will be. For a duathlon, you have the benefit of being able to wear extra layers from the start – so options could be to begin with arm warmers or a base layer under your tri suit and even gloves which can be taken off in T2 if you are too warm. The coldest element will always be the bike, due to the wind chill factor, so you could always consider putting on a jacket or jersey in T1 to go out onto the bike – just try and pick the least baggy one you have to minimise the ‘parachute’ effect! It is definitely worth spending those additional minute(s) in transition getting additional layers on if it is freezing than wasting time out on the bike and run as you can barely move your muscles faster than a snail as you are too cold. The equipment you might need to pack: Swim
Specific training considerationsBack to back / BRICK sessions - These sessions are the best way to train your body to cope with the demands of changing from swimming to cycling, running to cycling or cycling to running. They consist of you completing two disciplines directly after each other and practicing bricks in training will help your body adjust to the changes in discipline come triathlon race day. If you are short on time, the key one to factor in would be bike to run to minimise that ‘jelly leg’ feeling as much as you can! Open water – if your race swim is going to be in open water, definitely try and practice beforehand in a lake or the sea (whichever you will be doing). Open water swimming is very different to pool swimming as your wetsuit, due to its buoyancy, affects your swimming position and there are the other elements thrown in such as reduced visibility and the requirement of sighting to ensure you stay on course! Don’t try anything new on race day – this goes for equipment, clothing and also nutrition. Make sure you practice using all race day kit and nutrition prior to the race – the last thing you want is a wardrobe malfunction or digestive issues during the race! swimStay calm – easier said than done I know. For mass start races, there can be an element of chaos at the beginning when people try and get ahead of each other so if you aren’t confident, don’t be afraid to take your time and hold back to separate yourself from the main pack a little bit – remember it is your race, forget about everyone else. Kick it out – a lot of people, myself included, often feel dizzy and sometimes weak legged getting out of the water, simply due to being horizontal and having reduced blood flow to your legs. To try and overcome this, as you approach the end of the swim, try and kick your legs a little stronger to help get the blood flowing into your legs again. BikeCheck your bike – before the race make sure you check over your bike. Check the tyre pressure and make sure it is in the correct gear to leave transition – have a look at the road following the mount line, if you go straight into a hill you don’t want to be in a super hard gear! Low gear, high cadence cycling – jelly legs on the run following the bike element is a common occurrence within a triathlon and duathlons, but to make the change over easier, in the last mile of the bike course select a lower gear and spin your legs at a higher cadence to help your legs adjust to the running section. It is also important not to cycle in too high a gear for the whole of your bike leg i.e. feeling like you are really grinding the gears at a slow cadence – think about ‘spinning’ and if you can, the optimal cadence is ~90rpm. Energy conservation – sounds simple, but save energy for the run coming up after your bike leg. It is always better to start a little slower, and push harder in the second half of the bike leg if you are feeling strong (effectively doing a ‘negative split’) than realising halfway that you have used up all the fuel in the tank and you have nothing left for the run. Drafting - drafting is when you ride very closely to a cyclist (or motor vehicle) in front giving you an advantage as it cuts down your wind resistance and therefore the energy that you expend. However, for most races (unless stated a draft legal race) this is against the rules and can lead to disqualification or time penalties. Be mindful of this and check the rules of your event as it can the zones can vary depending on the distance of race you are competing in – you will be required to leave a gap between you and the rider in front, and if you need to overtake, you need to do it within a certain amount of time. Generally, for sprint and standard distance events, the drafting zone is 10m and you must overtake within 20 seconds – if you cannot pass then you must drop back. Latest British Triathlon rules are here, but do check as some events have their own more specific rules. RunShort strides – to help with the jelly legs after coming off the bike and onto the run, you can start off with a slightly shorter stride length to normal to get your body adjusted to the new discipline. Once they have loosened off you can return back to normal length Energy conservation in duathlons – as you are running twice, it is always worth trying to hold back a little bit on the first run to save energy for the second run. This is easier said than done when you are excited at the beginning of a race, so I personally try and work out a target pace prior to the race which is slightly slower than my normal 10k or 5k ‘race pace’ depending on the first run distance in the duathlon I am racing in. This also helps you to focus on your own race – don’t be put off by the crazy pace some set off at for the first run – stick to your plan. On the second run, just go for it – generally it will be 5k or less so aim to empty the tank! Transition - the 4th discipline!Transition times count too, so consider the following to try and make them as smooth and swift as you can: Transition practice – make sure you include transition practice into your training leading up to the race – by having a strategy in your head you can save a lot of time and stress during the race (often can be minutes). This is definitely an easier way to save time than on the bike or the run! This can simply be in your garden, practicing getting in and out of your wetsuit (to save time, you can undo it and get it down to your waist as you run from the lake/sea before you even get to transition) and then into your bike gear, and then into your run gear - with it all laid out as it would be in transition. Practice running in your cycling shoes too if you aren’t doing ‘flying mounts or dismounts’ – sometimes there is quite a distance from the mount/dismount line and cycling shoes can be pretty slippy to run in! Visually ‘marking’ your bike - Finding your bike amongst what could be hundreds of others when you’re n a hurry can be pretty tricky and you can easily lose valuable time if you end up down the wrong aisle. Physically marking your bike is against the rules, so the best thing you can do is when racking up before the race, take note of any landmarks/objects/aisle numbers close to your bike to make it easier to find in the mayhem of the race itself. Transition route – before the race, walk through transition, focussing on the entrance and exit to transition (swim in, bike in and out, run out) so you know exactly where you going in both T1 and T2. Knowing the route can save wrong turns and wasted time. As part of this, also walk out to the mount and dismount line. It is really useful to know where they are as you can’t get on your bike until you have crossed the mount line, and similarly you must be off your bike before crossing the dismount line on your way back into transition – and you can receive penalties if you do not do this! Preparing in transition – when racking your bike, make sure you carefully lay out your kit in the order that you will be putting it on, so that changing is easy when you’re rushing between disciplines. I personally leave my helmet so it is one of the first things I will touch as you can be disqualified for touching your bike and taking it off the rack before putting it on. Finally - enjoy it!Don’t forget to just embrace your first race and enjoy it. Don’t let the other participants put you off with their fancy bikes and kit – focus on your own race and remember everyone started somewhere and there will be plenty of people in your exact position racing alongside you. An absolutely lovely example showcasing that everyone starts somewhere, is from fellow Catenary Coaching athlete Amie Buttle who kindly shared her story (thank you!): “I did my first triathlon on a mountain bike with trainers (makes for a super quick T2!). it was also a pool swim which they tend to put the faster swimmers last. I ended up last out on the course with the sweeper bike having a chat (no surprises there!) and waving enthusiastically to my family as I cycled past them (still happens now, photo evidence below!). Multiple triathlons like this I never saw anyone else on the bike, except the sweeper! But I still went back for more!! I now get super excited on any bike leg that I overtake people on” Amie has since qualified for the GB age group triathlon team! I hope you have found this useful! Do let me know how you get on if you are racing your first triathlon/duathlons!
Hels x
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Last year me and Ellie just did one of the Canicross Midlands series races as a little taster to see what it was all about - fair to say we both loved it and so I decided we would join the club for the 20/21 season and try to race the full series.
The series itself is made up of 6 weekends across 6 different venues, with a race on both the Saturday and Sunday. You gain points based on your finishing position at each race, and to qualify for the series you need to complete 8 races in the same class (we do the 5k single dog one). This weekend was the first of the 20/21 series at Marston Lodge, and as soon as we arrived you could see just how excited Ellie was to be back racing (I think this has been exaggerated by a lack of park runs too!) The course at Marston Lodge was mainly on gravel tracks, weaving their way through a forest and up and down some pretty steep climbs (not that we knew this before we set off!). Just before your start time you make your way over to the start line and line up (socially distanced of course atm) and this point you realise just how much the dogs love it - the sound of dogs barking and howling is mad, and Ellie of course decided to join in (sounding like some crazy deranged dinosaur...). You then get set off in 30 second intervals so you always have someone in the distance to try and track down - which is great for Ellie as she is so competitive (out on training runs she often stops pulling as I don't think she can see the point, whereas she doesn't stop pulling when we are chasing down our competitors during a race!) The first day went really well, Ellie ran brilliantly and we finished in 8th position behind some super quick (and big) dogs, some of which race for the GB canicross team! She was enthusiastic the entire way, except up the giant hill when she actually turned around mid run as if to be saying 'are you being serious'... The second day was on the exact same course, so we had the benefit of knowing the route, and where to push hard. As a result, I knew that the final 1km was all downhill to the finish, so if I could expend the majority of my energy getting up to the highest point on the course I could then just use gravity to get me back to the finish line (in theory anyway!). I set off with this in mind, and I was surprised at how well Ellie remembered the course - I didn't need to direct her at all which meant we had much quicker turns and she was generally more confident throughout. Considering we both had tired legs from the previous day, my race plans must have worked as we managed to finish 50 seconds quicker on the second day! Ellie was a super star. Sadly that didn't bring us up in the finishers placings, but we still finished a solid 8th in our race. Can't wait for the next one! Hels (and Ellie) x Box End Triathlon (standard distance), run by Active Training World, the first (and probably last) triathlon of the very strange season we have found ourselves in this year! I only entered the race a few weeks ago as a few other Catenary team mates had entered, and I had a severe case of FOMO and a massive need to race having been consistently training throughout the summer following my elbow injury but having every race to date cancelled. I was really lucky to get a last-minute place after contacting the race organisers – thank you Active Training World! In line with the Covid-19 guidelines, the race was being run in a socially distanced TT format with little spectators, no prize giving, and all participants encouraged to not hang around after they had finished the race – so it was certainly going to have a very different look and feel to a normal race but I was just super excited to get back racing regardless. Registration and TransitionAside from having to bring your own pen to write on your race number onto your hand, and the obvious social distancing rules applied around the event, registration didn’t feel too different to normal. In transition we had more space than normal between bikes on the racks which was good! SwimFor the swim we had to wait in a holding pen just outside of transition and were gradually called over to queue to enter the lake. We were then set off in 20-30 second intervals, fastest to slowest, based on our predicted times we gave when we entered. I personally loved this – it meant there wasn’t a washing machine start or any fighting to get around the buoys on the turns. I guess the only downside is you do lose the ability to draft and potentially get a faster swim time. The lake itself was lovely – crystal clear water which also tasted nice! Due to the TT format, the distance had been shortened so we only had to do one lap, which suited me with my wonky elbow! Overall, I was fairly pleased with my swim and came out 3rd in my AG going into T2 (although obviously didn’t know this at the time due to the staggered start) – good wonky elbow behaved! BikeThe bike course was quite technical with lots of turns, junctions, roundabouts and little lumps and bumps so it was quite hard to get the speed and power up and frustratingly I got stuck behind dawdling cars at a mini roundabout on both laps. Overall I was about 20w off my target average power, which at the time I was a bit disappointed with, but talking to other athletes it sounds as though that was fairly common due to the route profile and conditions. But regardless of that, the bike is always my favourite part of a triathlon and it felt so good to be back out whizzing around the roads chasing people down. Coming off the bike and going into the run I had moved up to 1st in my age group and 6th overall – this is where the staggered start format is possibly not so great as a participant as I had no idea that this was the case as I set off on my merry way onto the run. RunPrior to the race I knew the run was going to be slightly harder than any other triathlon run I have done before, as I had been pre-warned that it was all on grass and wiggled through a little wood at the end of the lake. Normally, I love off road runs and do prefer to train out on bridleways and footpaths as I find them much more interesting than plodding along on tarmac. However, I am not so sure I love off road running on jelly triathlon have not raced for almost 12 months! It was hard. The thick grass sapped any energy I had left, and each hill felt as though it was pushing me closer and closer to calf and hamstring cramp. Definitely not my fastest 10k and frustratingly it pushed me down to 4th overall in my AG and 14th overall. OverallWould I have pushed faster had I known I was in 1st place coming off the bike… who knows... hindsight is a wonderful thing. But to be honest, with such a strange year so far, I wasn’t really expecting to get in a race at all in 2020 so I am just super grateful to have been given the opportunity and I probably should remind myself that at the beginning of the year I couldn’t even bend my elbow let alone do a triathlon and finish 4th in my AG.
The cherry on top of the cake today was being able to see my fellow Catenary athletes smash their races too, with Megan and Emily finishing 4th and 6th overall respectively, plus coach Tim supporting throughout! All in all, an ace day out! Last Tuesday was the final time we had K11/10D course on the season calendar - the dreaded hill climb one!
Although I got a course PB 2 weeks ago on this same route, my pacing wasn't so amazing so I was keen this time around to nail that element and see if it helped me go even quicker. Having had a lovely cycle over in the sunshine (it was another warm night, but thankfully not quite as warm as Sundays TT where I almost melted!), I knew it could be a quick night. Pre race my coach Tim (Catenary Coaching) had given me some pace top tips - essentially not to go full beans up the first half of the hill, and then immediately regret that decision, resulting in crawling back to the finish line along the latter flat section of the course with zero energy left. So the plan was to stick to my target power on the flatter section leading up to the climb, then keep a steady constant power approx. 20watts above my target power up the hill to make up for the potential power lost coming down the hill on the way back, and then finally push back towards the finish line at target power or beyond if I had the energy left! Well I tried to stick to it and it worked - 30secs course PB! I still felt sick at the top of the hill... But less so compared to last week so at least I could push on back to the finish line! Maybe borrowing Jade's go faster aero socks helped too! Hels x This year I am really lucky to be supported once again by Jade Mottley (Sports Scientist, MSc Human Nutrition Student & Precision Nutrition Coach), and she has kindly written a guest post which I think you will find super useful! Nutrition for Fitness The fitness enthusiasts and athletes amongst us are always looking for ways to improve both their performance and achieve their goals1. Does this sound like you? Good nutrition can help your body perform better and recover faster after each workout1. Before we begin, what are your current training goals? Are you exercising for general health and fitness with modest goals or are you exercising for competition or like some of my current clients do you have more scaled up goals like a 100-mile challenge? If you are exercising for general health, you probably do not need a particular nutrition plan for your fitness. If you are a healthy person who exercises regularly by eating a healthy, well-considered meal 1-2 hours before exercise and one 1-2 hours after exercise, most people can meet their needs without adding anything else1. If you are in this camp then take a look at my blog on “What Is Good Nutrition and Why Is It Important?”2 for information’ it includes recommendations from the World Health Organisation3 on what a day to day healthy diet should contain. However, athletes have special needs when it comes to nutrition for fitness1. Let’s explore.. What are Macros?
There are two different types of nutrients that the body needs for correct functioning: micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals and macronutrients such as protein, carbohydrates and fat4. These macronutrients are major sources of energy4 and vital nutrition for fitness and training. For those that have done macro counting or calorie counting they will be aware of the role that macros play and that when you are looking to shed weight or gain muscle mass calorie counting can be beneficial to your various health goals4. What are the main roles of each macro in exercise?
Pre-workout Nutrition for fitness Eating a complete meal containing carbohydrates, protein and fat 2-3 hours before you exercise will help maximise the results of your training. For meals 45-60 minutes pre workout choose foods that are simple to digest and mainly contain carbs and protein. Fat can be beneficial to a workout but consume 2 hours before your workout5. For more information on your pre-workout nutrition head over to my blog: “How To Improve Your Pre-Workout Nutrition”6 When selecting a pre-workout meal focus on7:
Post-workout Nutrition for fitness Once your workout is complete have a whole food meal within an hour or two. The nutrients that you eat after your workouts can improve your body composition, performance and recovery so it is important to get these nutrients in immediately and within 2 hours after your workout8. Choosing easily digested foods will promote faster nutrient absorption: for a list of foods and meal examples after you workout click here9. Jade's support I had the honour of sponsoring Helene with her sports nutrition for the European Duathlon Championships in Ibiza when she represented GB as an age group athlete. Since Helene’s recent elbow injury, I have been supporting her rehabilitation program with sponsored access to our Gold membership coaching plan. This includes unlimited access to over 70 pre-recorded workouts to improve both strength and cardio as well as access to our weekly live timetable for group fitness classes. I am super excited to work with Helene for another season and can’t wait to see her come back fitter and stronger! If you want to join Helene and our other members on a free trial class get in touch here. Author: Jade Mottley - Sports Scientist, MSc Human Nutrition Student & Precision Nutrition Coach Research: Compiled by Jade Mottley and Della Humphries (Nutrition Intern at Jade Mottley Coaching) Have you found this article beneficial? I would love to hear your feedback and fitness journey, find me on my socials @Jademottley References
RLSCC 10m TT (04/08/20)Tuesday night was pretty windy to say the least and the course was the quick one that's net downhill, starting at the top of a hill which you never go back up! I set off with the aim of trying to beat my average power from last time on this course, and it all started well until I got speed up on the descent and then cross winds started to come in, shooting my bike sideways. Since my accident my confidence isn't brilliant yet, so this did scare me a bit and so I stopped pedaling and went up onto the base bars for more stability - not where you want to be when you're trying to be fast! Once I was back on the flat and I had calmed down a bit I knew I had some serious time to make up so pushed on fairly hard. I got back and I was slightly disappointed as I finished 2s slower than last time and my average power was also lower... However, what I didn't realise until I got home was that I had actually managed to get myself a new 20min power PB (from the section of the course after the downhill)! So ignoring the downhill disaster, it actually turned out to be pretty good! I just hope it isn't windy next time! COVENTRY CC OPEN 10M TT (08/04/20)Sunday was my first ever open TT and even though it was local, it wasn't a course I had done before, only elements of it so I was looking forward to a change - having done the same 2 courses on a Tuesday for the last few weeks!
To say it was warm though, is an understatement - I was melting before I even got onto my bike in the car park! Having suffered previously from a lack of electrolytes competing in the heat, I made sure that in the lead up to the race I topped them up and didn't make the mistake of over hydrating as I seem to have a habit of doing! The course itself was a simple out and back with a downhill first half and uphill second half. Funnily enough, everyone after asking friends how they thought it had gone when they had finished had the exact same answer - the first half was great, the second was horrendous.... same here! A combination of the descent and a slight tailwind, meant the first half was really quick - looking down at my Garmin I was thinking wow this could be a new 10m PB if I keep this up! But no, as soon as I turned around at the roundabout and hit the climb I could see my average speed begin to drop and there was nothing I could do about it - the heat was unbearable to push any harder. No time or power PBs today, but much to our surprise (considering it was an extremely competitive event, with the National Time Trial Champ present and many other speedy ladies) we won the team competition! So a big shout out to RLSCC ladies Jade Anstis and Francis Lammyman! I think what this means is I need more heat training - anyone want to send me to Majorca or Lanzarote for a heat training camp :) Hels x On Tuesday (14th July) some form of racing returned (wahoo) - with my local club RLSCC hosting the first 10mile TT (Time Trial) of the year. I was ultra nervous as it was my first race back post elbow injury and I had no idea how I was going to do mentally as on recent outdoor rides I have been petrified at any moment that felt unsafe - speed, gravel, turns... So it could have gone one way or the other! I knew physically I was in good shape, so I just had to control my brain!
The route this week was my least favourite as it is essentially a hill climb, turnaround at a roundabout, and then smash back down the hill to where we started. I remember setting off and initially feeling awesome, a combination of race adrenaline (which I have missed a lot!) and a tailwind, I felt like I was flying. I was still so nervous though, my heart felt like it was going to come through my chest! Coming back down the hill was the part I was most fearful of before the race, due to the speeds you can reach there, but race adrenaline must have completely taken over and my elbow or fear didn't once enter my mind and I managed to finish with a 1 minute course PB which I was super chuffed with! Catenary training sessions definitely paying off! It was also great to catch up with fellow Team Catenary athlete Francis, who absolutely smashed it and took the ladies win with a new course PB too! Looking forward to next week where we start at the top of the hill and never have to go back up it! Speedy! Hopefully if I can get my nerves under control a little bit more, I can be even quicker next time! Hels x We have all been doing it - coming up with random projects to work on during lockdown to keep us occupied! Well, this is one of mine. The idea came from a combination of my t shirt blanket project (which I am still working on but will share a blog of how I made it once complete), and a panic I found myself in one evening when I couldn't find a clean sweatband before a turbo session (and anyone who has completed sweaty turbo sessions in the garage will know how crucial these are to prevent your eyes stinging when sweat begins to go in them.. gross). So this is a way I could make more sweatbands using old t-shirts that weren't going into the blanket! Step 1 - SuppliesYou will need the following:
Step 2 - cut your fabricTake your t-shirt and cut out 5 strips about 5cm wide and 90cm long. It is better to be slightly longer than too short, as you can always cut it shorter at the end. You don't need to be too precious about neatness - they don't need to be perfect straight lines as they will eventually be within the braid. Step 3 - Sew the PIECES togetherPlace all of your 5 pieces on top of each other and sew them all together about 2.5cm in from the end. This will eventually be hidden, so again you don't need to be super neat. Step 4 - Braid the piecesFirstly using a weight of some kind, temporarily secure your pieces to the table (I used a couple of stone coasters). Now onto the braiding - this isn't your standard 3 piece plait so might take a bit of time to get right. Imagine that the pieces are labelled 1-5 from left to right....
Now repeat the pattern above with the remaining pieces until the full length of the pieces are braided. Make sure you pull it all tight from the very beginning otherwise it won't work very well. Keeping tightly hold of the lose end, just check the length around your head. If it is a little tight, don't panic it will stretch. If it is too big, unravel the braid to just under the desired length. Step 5 - sew endsOnce you have your desired length of braided fabric, sew the other end about 0.5cm away from the edge of the braiding, to keep the braid from unraveling. Trim off any excess fabric but leaving enough to allow you to sew the end together. Now take the two sewn ends and sew them together. Again, this will eventually hidden so it doesn't need to be super neat. Step 6 - add coverFirstly, cut a 5cm by 20cm strip of the same fabric. Wrap this strip around the seams tightly, finishing with the end of the strip on the inside of the headband. Finally, sew the fabric strip closed. Step 7 - wear!Let me know if you make your own versions of this! I might attempt a multi-coloured one next time!
I don't know whether it is just me, but I am really struggling to get my hands on any normal flour at the moment (particularly when I need gluten free flour!) So this recipe is one I put together using ground oats as that is all I had in the cupboard! It turned out to be one of my favourite cookie recipes so far, so I hope you enjoy them too!
Ingredients
Method
Enjoy! x My Journey Post FractureMost people who have broken a bone(s) whilst out cycling usually have a pretty cool story to go with it to explain how it happened – like maybe descending down a beautiful mountain in Majorca and taking a turn too quickly, or getting caught up in a crash out racing... but that isn’t the case for me, and to this day I can’t fully recall exactly what did happen! All I can remember is I was on an easy social ride on 30th December with some friends and cycling in a straight line up a very mild gradient, going fairly slowly along a dry country lane. The next thing I know I am on my side in the middle of the road with my bike still attached – explain that one! Although a few people have said that your brain can actually erase your memories from the time of trauma, so you don’t remember how bad it actually was to protect yourself… I was swiftly taken to Warwick A&E (via a lovely passing van man, as the ambulance was going to be up to an hour before it could get to us!) and later x-rayed and informed I had fractured and displaced my distal humerus, which required open reduction and internal fixation, and damaged my shoulder and wrist. In non-fancy terms, I had essentially sheared off the end of my humerus, managed to flip it upwards 90° which needed repositioning and reattaching with screws) – lovely! But I guess in the world of cycling, a pretty minor injury compared to the likes of Chris Froome etc. But still hurt! On my list of most painful experiences during this, the first night following the accident is probably second – not much sleep (attempting to sleep upright with a travel pillow around my neck and my cast on my pillow), lots of co-codamol and just resorting to watching Netflix on my phone. Strangely the accident itself does not take the top spot, possibly as I went into shock almost immediately. Although the journey to the hospital was pretty bad as I didn’t have any painkillers and felt every tiny bump in the road – the only downside of not being in an ambulance! The top spot is actually my first night post-surgery – I guess a lot of internal interfering made it more tender! Morphine was my friend back then that’s for sure! My first physio session is probably up there too as I almost blacked out from the pain – doh! As an elbow fracture is slightly more complicated, I had to wait 10 days for a specialist surgeon to be available. So, in the meantime I was placed in a cast and sling and Netflix became my best friend and I embarked upon a new challenge of completing One Tree Hill (one of my childhood faves) - 9 seasons with ~20 episodes each – and I am still not finished (they now accompany me on my longer weekend endurance turbo sessions)! What was a new experience was just before surgery they froze the nerves in my arm to act as a painkiller for when I woke up from the anaesthetic, rather than dosing me up on morphine. So, I woke up with a completely numb arm as if I had been laid on it or something. Such a strange feeling! One thing the surgeon explained to me during my pre-op consultation was that one of the biggest potential side effects of an elbow fracture is a risk of loss of mobility if it isn’t managed effectively, due to the complicated bone structures in the elbow itself that control various movements (a lot of wrist action comes from your elbow which I never knew before!). Because of this, post-surgery I was only given a bandage around the elbow, sling and splint for my wrist – and was told I needed to get it moving ASAP. Even so it really did surprise me just how quickly you actually do lose strength and mobility. I only had the cast on for 10 days, and then begin proper mobility and rehab work with my physio 2 weeks post-surgery. The sensation of trying to move it for the first time, not long after surgery, I can only describe as like when you have been laying on your arm in a funny position for too long resulting in a dead arm that doesn’t feel like your own and you have no control over it. I could barely lift it off a cushion on my lap and certainly couldn’t bend the elbow. The most infuriating thing was not being able to do the basics such as tie up my own hair or spread butter on my toast. Fortunately, my fantastic partner was on hand to basically be my carer until I had built up enough strength and mobility to begin doing everyday tasks with two arms again (thanks Clive!) 2 weeks post-surgery, when the pain had died down a little, I started back on the turbo trainer (one armed in a sling) with the aim of completing Tour de Zwift – great timing! For the first couple of weeks, as my body was in recovery mode, I made sure I kept the HR low to try and not negatively impact any healing. But as I was meant to be competing at the ETU age group Aquabike Championships (1.9km swim, 90km bike) in Walchsee, Austria at the end of June I was keen to not lose too much fitness! Not long after, I received confirmation that I had been accepted onto the Catenary Cycling Coaching sponsorship programme, so I was really lucky that coach Tim was going to be able to assist in getting me back to where I needed to be. After about 2 months post-surgery I was able to weight bear and as my elbow quite liked being at a 90° angle, I was able to start properly training on the turbo trainer using my TT bike with additional bubble wrap on the pads. So between now and then, persistent physio exercises and lots of time in the garage has meant I am almost back to pre-accident cycle fitness, according to my recent FTP test. Running wise, it took a little longer to get back to and I wasn’t allowed to start again until 8th Feb, a month post-surgery. To begin with it was just really easy short jogs with a tubigrip supporting my elbow, with my first run back being parkrun – I was so happy to be back running, it was an amazing feeling even if I did feel super unfit and slow! One thing that got me going was a Strava/AfterShokz 'Be Passionate' challenge - to complete 15km in 7 days. It doesn't sound like much now as I am running at least double that in a week, but at the time this was a much needed mini challenge to keep me motivated when I felt so unfit and running was just hard work! I was then 1 of the lucky 100 finishers to win a medal! About a month later I then began to incorporate more fitness related work in and since then I have been slowly building back my mileage and intensity. I am still not back to my pre-injury running fitness, but I am happy with the progress I have made so far. Currently, my elbow is only a few degrees off fully straightening, I can almost touch my shoulder with my fingers again and almost fully weight bear! Shame my A race has been cancelled due to the current situation…(sad face)! But hopefully we will be able to race later on in the year.
So moral of the story, wear elbow pads even when out road cycling lol. But on a serious note, one thing I did find to be really beneficial throughout this was to set myself mini goals to keep me focused and motivated. In the early days this was as simple as setting myself the goal of being able to tie up my own hair over the next week, ditching my sling for everyday activities, or eating with my right hand. Eventually this moved onto being able to do turbo sessions on the TT bike and gentle runs. They kept me on track and allowed me to see progression, even if a major goal such as competing at the Aquabike Championships felt out of reach at the time. Little goals are just as important as the main one. Hels x |
AuthorAn everyday girl with a love of competition (and nut butter) Archives
October 2021
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