Physio

So I found out today what exactly happened during my operation. I had a 'plica' removed, which has basically been present in my knee since birth. I had the the Cartilage tear pierced to help regeneration, and then stitched to the bone, to stop it moving. Where the tear had been rubbing against the bottom of my femur cartilage it has caused some damage, that had to be smoothed over..... Anyway once the healing process is complete my knee should be stronger than ever, as the area of the tear should heal well. I can't wait to have some discomfort free runs and rides......

Further developments....

Hey all,

Welcome to the latest edition of my blog. So what has been going on with me recently. Well I am (was - i'll come to that in a minute) at 8 weeks into my training plan.  things have been progressing along nicely, and i have been building a good level of fitness and strength.

As previously mentioned I have been going through the TT versus new wheels debate. I finally opted for a Planet X Stealth rival with carbon clinchers. I went off to Rotherham to pick up the bike and have a retul bike fit. I found the Planet X guys really helpful and the fit was definitely worth the travel.

I took the bike out for a run on the weekend and adopted a policy of 5 mins in aero and a coupe not. I managed to get in a 33 mile ride in a couple of hours. Not particularly fast but the ride was more about getting used to the bike. The chainring set up is 53/39 on a 10 speed rear cog. The bike is clearly powerful and once I have got used to it i am sure I will fly. I must admit to feeling battered after my first ride but to be expected using those new muscles. The Stealth is a really light bike and felt responsive, albeit I only have my Defy 2 to compare against. All in all, i am very happy.......

Right so onto the more pertinent issue I have had recently which has been my knee. After  few weeks of to'ing and fro'ing between the Nuffield and my immunologist (I have a blood disorder that gets doctors worried as they know little about it) in Birmingham I finally had the date for my knee operation, 28th Feb. A few weeks later than I had hoped, but according to the plan 4 weeks out, minor op, should be ok for IMUK. Gotta keep thinking positive.....

So I turned up on Thursday, and got told off by the nurse as I didn't bring a dressing gown or slippers. Must remember to read those books they give you. In my defence though it was my first op.......

After some more to'ing and fro'ing, this time from the Anaesthetist checking up on me, asking whether I wanted a general or a spinal (General please.......) I was whisked off to theatre.

It didn't take long for the general to kick in and the next thing I realise I am being woken up. The operation was successful, and there were no complications from my blood disorder (which could have been additional swelling around the knee or throat from the tube inserted).......

........But I have a small tear in my meniscus which I knew about previously but wasn't going to be operated on. Upon further investigation during the op the surgeon decided to pierce the area multiple times to get blood flowing and put a stitch in, as it wasn't healing very well.

I have been bitten by a vampire.....

This means extra time off, so 6 weeks now, on very light duties, with no swimming, biking or running.
He also advised that I had to cancel the IM for this year as the tear was quite bad and needed time to heal correctly. I have a poorly rotating hip which is putting extra load onto my knee which is a concern and needs sorting.

So no Wombourne Tri, no Plymouth Half marathon race against my nephew, No Bala Middle, and no Ironman, for this year (I am gutted not to be able to see this through with a great bunch of people entering this year)......... Time to move on and focus on getting better, and back to fitness, hopefully stronger and fitter. It's not the end of the world....... but these 6 weeks will seem like an eternity i'm sure. I've just got to make sure that i'm not too much of a pain in the arse to those around me! I'm bad enough normally ;) oh and mustn't put too much weight on!

I have spoken to the rotary foundation and they will carry forward my IMUK fundraising to next year too so that is a bonus.

Anyway I will sign off now. Good luck to you all over the next few months and hopefully i'll see you out on a bike, or running up Haughmond soon enough but i'll certainly be out supporting here and there....

This is going to be one long Ironman Journey...........

Paul

A slight Hiccup!

Hi all,

I thought it was about time I updated my blog. It has been a somewhat turbulent couple of weeks since my last post with an unforeseen "challenge" coming my way.

I am now in week 6 of my training plan, and I have hit a significant milestone of swimming 2.5k without stopping. My previous training has consisted of doing technique work and intervals so I must admit I wondered if I would be able to swim that far without stopping or doing breaststroke.
It is also quite hard to know how to approach that session too so I broke it down into 10 minute stints. It was actually quite relaxing and I enjoyed it more than I envisaged. I can imagine that technique of breaking down the event or task into bite size chunks will come in handy for the IM.

I have attempted to teach myself to tumble turn too as I am wearing away the ends of my fingertips touching the end of the pool on every turn!
I nearly drowned so I may have to pop along to a Sunday session with SYtri if someone will teach me?????

My biking is definitely getting stronger too so the time spent on the turbo seems to be paying off. I must admit however that after a couple of months of bad weather the first sign of rain or sun and I am outside on my bike. I just wish this snow would do one!

After a couple of months of discussion I finally made a decision about TT bike versus new wheels....... I went for a TT bike in the end........I pick up my Planet X Stealth Carbon on Friday. After speaking to many people I believe Bolton to be a more TT "friendly" course so I went for that. I know I am going to have to put some hours and miles in on it but I am prepared to do that. I went for a wheel upgrade to Carbon clinchers too.... Planet X seem to be pretty well priced so I am really looking forward to testing it out...... I am getting a Retul bike fit too when i pick the bike up so I have that to look forward to.....

Anyway onto the more serious stuff. Sometime ago I had been getting some discomfort in my knee. Before Christmas I thought I better get it looked at by a doctor to check all was ok. I assumed I may need a bit of Physiotherapy........ I saw a specialist at the Nuffield who examined me and said he thought all was ok but would carry out an MRI and X Ray just to make sure.

Off i went for the MRI.......

I went back to see the Orthopaedic surgeon and he said that I had nothing major wrong but there was some fatty tissue build up from a previous injury that he wanted to remove. He prescribed a Therapeutic Arthropscopy. I was obviously concerned about Bolton, as this meant 5 days on crutches and 4 weeks with no training or driving, and approximately 4 weeks to get back to current fitness level.

I decided to leave it and see how it goes....... (That lasted for 24 hours and one club ride later thinking was it going to go). There was no way I could go through my training with that mindset and also risk it becoming worse or even having to pull out of the IM with 2 weeks to go or worse still during the event.

I sought counsel with some close peers and family, and decided to have op now. I'll be positive and see how things go but it means my IM training plan will be 19 weeks long plus my current preparation of 7 weeks training before the operation. Hopefully it'll be ok.

I am gutted though as i will miss the Cheshire Cat so I may go and watch the Sytri lads climb those hills instead. This also means the Spinathon is postponed for the moment too, but I will look to re-arrange for sometime in May all being well.

The op is on the 23rd Feb and fingers crossed from here........ This was going to be hard enough without a further obstacle to overcome, but I guess this goes with the territory. I am looking forward to not having a knee discomfort every time I ride or run though!

Anyway thanks for reading, and thanks for the advice recently everyone and see you all soon.

Paul

MY FUNDRAISING PAGE HERE

Hello everybody, and welcome to 2013!  

Its been a while since my last blog, but I thought I would post as i am now a week into my official training.

Over the last few months I have been reading books, Paul Rudd's  24 weeks to an Ironman, Joe Friel's Going Long, Newsome and Young's Swim Smooth, and last but not least, Fink's Ironfit.

Swimsmooth has definitely helped me no end. I was averaging 2:15 per 100m over a 1800m swim set on Oct, and now I am down to 2:06 average over a set of 2500m. I definitely feel a stronger swimmer with a bit more technique, which is pleasing. I will try and get to some masters swimming sessions at some point over the next couple of months. I had read Total Immersion previously and found it quite a difficult book to implement the training techniques, but Swimsmooth is much easier to read with some decent exercises to practice.

Now for the big question.......which training plan should I follow....... After much deliberation I am going for Fink's. Again as with Swimsmooth it is an easy read, with clear instructions, good training plans, and focuses on fitting in what you can on limited time. I have a wife and 3 children and must be able to fit in a sensible but effective training strategy at minimal disruption to Amy and the kids.

The Snowdonia Slateman Swim - Lyn Padarn, May 2012 - the water was 11 degrees! 

Before Christmas a peer from SYtri, James Moon (James' blog) set up a V02 max Cycling session which was really good. A number of SYtri members took part over 2 day's. My visit produced the following results; Max wattage 270, FTP (Functional threshold power) 225. My weight was 86.9kg when I did the test, and what is clear is that if I drop my weight my FTP would increase, A clear goal to be had! Compared with someone else on test who was 69kg's and with a Max Wattage of 300, i have a lot of work to do!

Bradley Wiggin's weigh's 69kg and can hold 450 watts for an hour! Go Wiggo the machine! 

I have now gone 12 days without Chocolate, crisps and alcohol, and the weight is coming off. 84kg's currently but that needs to be closer to 78/79 I think. I am certainly motivated at the moment, but recognise I need to maintain this motivation for another 7.5 months. I am sure days will come when I will want to cave in, but i'm on this for the long haul! I don't want to let anybody down, Family, Friends, & club members alike., My Dad Pete who i am raising money in memory of.  I am representing you all......

Last year I did not do enough Bike work. I know this for sure and relied mainly on my running fitness to get me through a triathlon so i am looking forward to the in-roads I should be able to make with some focused bike work. A controversial point which has sparked many a debate amongst IM distance triathletes is whether to go and get a TT bike or go with a road bike. I am still undecided but edging towards a TT bike I think.......

Ok, so one week into my IM training and Fink's plan seems to be easing me in. It is quite hard to train in HR Zones 1 & 2 when you are used to training in Z3 & Z4 most of the time. If you imaging cycling or running slow, then run slower, you have Z1 & 2 :). It's all about base training & improving technique for the next 10 weeks. Build a solid base then move on from there.......

I now have a venue sorted for the Spinathon i am arranging on March 16th thanks to Danni,  Matt & Fitness to Improve in Ellesmere. We have 9 spin bikes and are selling slots so please message me if you want to buy a slot. £5 per hour. The slots are filling up so please get in contact soon. This is in support of the rotary foundation - PJ's Ironman Fundraiser.

Anyway, thanks for reading, I must get on as the children are waiting for me to take them swimming!

I will post again soon....

Paul

Shrewsbury Triathlon, Sept 2012

PJ's IMUK Blog 05.10.12

Hey everyone!

I thought I would write a blog so people can share the next 10 months of training, highs and low's as I embark on a mission to complete an Ironman.

I will be taking part in IMUK in Bolton, and travelling a distance of 140.6 miles, made up of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run.

As I contemplate muttering those words " I am in training for an Ironman", I get in that "last packet of crisps or that last beer session" I find myself thinking about my achilles heel, so rightly pointed out by my wife today, which is crisps, chocolate, Pizza & Beer.
Amy went on to say that she has no doubt I will do the required training but she doubts whether I can ditch the bad habits that seem to taint my bid to be a better runner, or a better triathlete.
I have it set in my mind what I need to do, I have read the nutrition books, and the training plans, I know I need to eat wholemeal grains, sweet potato, broccoli and veg etc, and we do, but I keep getting drawn back to the beer, crisps & Pizza. That drinking session that means I don't train for 3 days.
These are habits that need to be contained, so I have made the decision, whilst my pre ironman training  is starting now the real kick will come in the new year as I make sacrifices never before made....

Iromnan becomes a way of life, you have to get your life right for it, which means plenty of sleep, eating lots of food of the desired quality, not missing training for 3 days, if it's raining, still getting on that bike and cycling for 5 hours. Getting up at half 4 or 5 am to get in the training before the kids wake up and I head off to work.

This is going to be one hell of a ride, and a challenge second to none and I can't wait to get the ball rolling. So that is it for now.

I am racing on behalf of the Rotary foundation and I will be arranging some charity events along the way too, the first of which will be a 12 hour Spinathon in January, with details to be released shortly of the date and venue. I have secured the talents of good friend Matt Wedderkop to drive us through the 12 hours and I will be inviting all my friends, colleagues triathletes, runners, mothers and fathers to come and join us for an hour slot to help support this cause. I would also like to thank all of you who have pledged so far, with Justgiving and my work swearbox I have raised circa £130 already so that's excellent.