Injury. Broken. Humpty Dumpty time...

Friends and Family, thanks for checking in! It has been awhile since I posted mostly because I have been struggling with a thesis. I think I found one, so here it goes.

Injury: Harm or damage that is done or sustained

Old: Far advanced in the years of ones life

Athlete: A person gifted or trained in exercises involving agility or stamina

I am learning these past 2 weeks what attention to detail in my physical pursuits really requires for someone advanced in the years of ones ATHLETIC life. I am not old in the sense of a life span but I am old in the sense of athletic shelf life. 41 in 3 months means I need to be better at paying attention to body signs that, 5 years ago only meant "get a massage". Now those signs mean I need to back off, I need to stretch, I need to think about more strength work, AND, I need a massage.

Since I started sport in I have had the following injuries (that I can remember) in no particular order. None put me out for more than 6 weeks and all felt "fixable". 

• IT Band left leg at knee resulting in lock knee
• patella femoral syndrome right knee
• strained/pulled whatever you want to call it, rotator cuff in left shoulder
• pulled hamstring
• 2 broken hands 
• 1 broken nose
• 1 broken toe (that hurt the most)
• stress fracture left shin
• stress fractures (plural) left foot
• 10 stitches left elbow from bike crash
• severely pulled/pinched left groin area (can't remember exact muscle!) from bike crash
• Bicep femoris left leg pulled
• right knee muscle sheath torn 

Today, I have the first injury that feels like there is no end in sight. The tunnel remains dark. That my time as an athlete may be running to an end. 

Sciatica nerve in left butt caused, we think, by S1 lower lumbar disc issue. The consequence is severe pain in the left butt and lower back that makes walking painful.  I can swim and that it is.

My mind is made up. This is not how I finish my deeply committed pursuits to kick ass. I will not go out like this. 

My new mantra:

BECOME HUMPTY DUMPTY

I am committed to putting myself back together. To fixing the root causes of this injury. To being a complete athlete, not just an athlete that trains then races. To an athlete that adapts, adjusts, listens, to pull out of himself what is possible. 

Step 1: at least 7 days completely off exercise. Let the body exhale; relax; breath.

Step 2: expert advice and support

Step 3: ease back into training

Step 4: core and resistance training with stretching YEAR ROUND

Step 5: race when ready, not when available

Step 6: race to win

Tomorrow it's acupuncture from Sports Performance Centres with some killer Athletic Release Treatment. Early next week some more great massage from Helen at Athletic Edge Sports Medicine and hopefully by mid next week I can start to ride some. I suspect running to start April 1st. That would be full 30 days off running; truly sub optimal but such is Humpty Dumpty. Piece myself back together piece by piece by piece.

I will not go out this way. 

Visualize

Believe

Execute

DO THE WORK.

thanks for checking in.