Dealing with my Injury

Stay positive time will pass!
Nobody especially an athlete wants to be injured. I took for granted that for the last five or so years of racing and training I never experienced and “significant” injury. I raced for years in a tremendous amount of pain from the clubfoot but it has never really stopped me dead in my tracks like my shoulder.
Last week my MRI results came back showing a tear in my right shoulder Labrum. I was not expecting the bad news. I suspected it was nothing more than a sprain and with light work outs I would be able to finish of the season and glide into the offseason with no problem. Wrong! I am now officially in my off season. I decided for the sake of my career and goals for next year to pull the plug on the remainder of this season.

What went wrong?
I can beat myself up over what went wrong and how I allowed myself to get injured but I won’t. It sucks not be able to perform now at the level I was at. I was involved in two bike crashes a couple months apart and never fully recovered from my injuries. On top of daily training and ignoring the pain I am now facing the consequences of my personality. Pushing through pain is what I have been accustomed to but ignoring injury is not wise. I never really took a break after Ironman Arizona and entered this season with lots of races on my calendar. I love racing however, this season and experience taught me that racing to much can have consequences.

Reflections of a season past
I spent very little time recovering from Ironman Arizona and started training for Ironman 70.3 Oceanside and Wildflower long course way to early. I pushed through like I always do but I was not smart about my recovery. I took very little time for myself as a person. With work, kids and a heavy training schedule I should have practiced my recovery strategies better. I filled my race calendar with too many back to back races and a few to many “A” races. I ignored potential injuries and focused too much on completing prescribed workouts. Lessons learned!

What’s next?
Well, I am taking about 17 weeks of for recovery, rehab and base training. I cannot swim for at least 6-8 weeks as I cannot lift my shoulder above my head. I am glad I can still run and cycle. I plan on working with my coach this off season to get me back in shape and strong for next season.
My eyes are still on the National and World paratriathlon championships and a possible shot at the Ironman World Championships depending what’s best for me. There are many weeks ahead of rehab and relaxation coming my way. Sometimes I can’t help but wonder if my injury is a blessing in disguise. I am excited to return stronger and welcome this time off as it will only make me more competitive and stronger athlete next season.
 It’s time to heal this body. I raced and trained hard this year. I raced for all my clubfoot suffers and set an example for children with clubfoot that anything is possible with that in mind my season was a success!

2 comments:

  1. This is definitely a story worth sharing! As you said, winning against clubfoot, with your injury to top if off, can inspire everyone, especially those who are going through the same situation as you. I'm glad to hear that you didn't let these stop you. However, as success-driven as you are, I hope you'd take your injuries, as little as they might be, into consideration and stop shrugging them off. Our bodies need rest too. And at the most important of times, they need healing. All the best!
    Kelly @ US Health Works

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