Progressing Past Hurdles

The past 4 months since my last post have been stuffed full of all sorts of stuff, mostly good, some not so good. All life.

One of the caveats to being in recovery and not training as much as usual is that you can work more. The bum side to that is now that I'm back in action, more work is not conducive to training. I'm having to find balance all over again, and it's tough.

The number one goal I set this year was to get healthy and strong so I can kick butt racing again next year, which is exactly what I needed to make sure I didn't push too soon to race, risking injury. However, since there are no races on the schedule until mid-September, the drive to train isn't really that strong. It has been a nice mental break though, and I welcome a summer of playing in my sport instead of racing every other weekend in it. The work is also a well-needed problem to have and because of the extra freelance load I've been able to take on during recovery, I've managed to pay off 99% of my surgery-related bills before June.

As the summer draws closer, and the load my body can handle increases, it's easier to get out and put some time in to regaining fitness - I've already noticed a significant increase in my strength and endurance, especially cardiovascular. Of course, just when I start to think it will never happen, I have a good day that makes all the work worth it, like kicking my boyfriend's butt up Barr Trail this past weekend (sorry John).

Speaking of noticing progress, I'm so thankful for Hammer Nutrition for supporting me through my recovery journey - what a great full-spectrum of products! I love knowing that what I'm fueling and nourishing myself with makes a difference - one I can see, feel and pass on to others. I've been honored to represent them at a few ladies' nights in town and love sharing the benefits of such a great company and product line. That is another huge motivation to continue on my path to regaining fitness!

The best thing about being active again: stress relief. What a great remedy endorphins are for life's drama! As my friend and mentor Mimi always says, "blow a bubble and move on"... well, I blow a lot of bubbles on my swims, bikes and runs - without those sessions, the bubbles would be hard to blow without a major amount of brain damage.

In a few weeks I will go back for my 24-week post op and hopefully not have any issues requiring my surgeon in the future. It's been a long road - completely different than any other I've been on - but it's been a good experience. If I've learned anything, it's to appreciate what you have when you have it and that patience is definitely a virtue.

Oh, and in case you're wondering... the butt cheeks are shrinking. More slowly than I would like, but that's progress in a nutshell!

Forks in the Road

As many of us know, just when we think we're gaining ground and figuring things out, there's always that fork in the road (as my dear friend Hannah knows) that makes you falter, change direction, land flat on your face, etc.

After my last entry post-worlds, I did in fact take some time off, saw a physical therapist, took more time off, all with no improvement. After some drilling down, we decided symptoms were pointing to something other than a torn/pulled adductor and an MRI was necessary. As it happened, I had a torn hip labrum that was the sole cause of my discomfort all season and the only road to repair and recovery was surgery.

I went under the knife December 30th, which was the first major surgery in my life and I was extremely nervous, but ready at the same time because I FINALLY knew why I wasn't getting better and this was the answer!

The first week post-op was unexpectedly easy. I didn't have to work, was on pain killers and muscle relaxers for the better part of it, and for the first time in months, my hip didn't hurt! The past 4 weeks since then have just been a test of patience. I was 50% weigh-bearing right off the anesthesia but on crutches. If there were anything ever so obnoxiously invasive of daily life, crutches take it. Enough said; I finally ditched those puppies last week and haven't missed them one bit.

While I can't really work out yet, I can do bridges on an exercise ball and flex my ever-growing butt cheeks. Oh, and sidestep with a little more resistance. From what I understand, at 6 weeks I'll be permitted to do more fun movements, but for now I must endure the pain in my chest like an adolescent girl and watch my boobs grow larger so my butt doesn't feel so bad. Now, by any stretch no one would consider me fat, but as an out-of-shape athlete unable to be an athlete in the sense we all know it, this is the hardest challenge I've met thus far in my active endeavors.

The light at the end of my tunnel is knowing the rest and recovery time I'm giving my body will eventually pay off. By summer, this blog post will seem light-years in the past and I'll be playing on the trails and wheels once again. The path from here to there is not entirely clear cut, and there is a long way to go before I'm feeling normal again, but the thought of a run/bike/swim/anything without the pain and discomfort I felt all last summer is exhilarating! In the meantime, I have a great support system that has been there for me through thick and thin, including my significant other John Haney, and my homes-away-from-home, The Colorado Running Company and Cafe Velo.

If I've learned anything else in the past several weeks, it's that recovery isn't just about following doc's orders. Nutrition and giving your body the nutrients it needs to heal is imperative. Thanks to Hammer Nutrition, I have a complete supplement support regiment and attribute much of my healing progress and success to their products. I don't think there is a more complete system out there and I am not only honored to represent them, but the 2 other local companies above as well.

Looking forward to 2014, my racing season won't be nearly as full as the past several years, but I am excited to 'play' this summer, building my fitness again and participating in some fun fall races. It's been a long time since I've been able to feel comfortable taking a weekend to go explore the mountains and not feel guilty about missing a 3 hour bike or 2 hour run, or both together...

My surgeon has told me I could continue to improve up to 2 years post-surgery - a daunting yet exciting possibility. While I don't ever want to see my surgeon after this for anything other than skiing and happy hour, he is -in my opinion - the best one I could have chosen for my surgery and I'd recommend him in a heartbeat. Thank you, Geoff Doner for helping me get my groove back.

This recovery will be long and challenging, so I will be posting more often than this blog boasts so far. Next time I hope to write about butt-cheek shrinkage.