As many of our Osteohealth regulars will remember, in the middle of May last year I badly damaged my ankle whilst playing football. This is a snapshot from that time until 10 months later competing in a half Ironman!
At the time of the injury I knew I was in a bad way and that more than likely, the football season was done for me. This left me with a big void in my life. It was at this time I decided I needed a goal to aspire to, so I decided on the Geelong half Ironman.
I spent 6 weeks in a moon boot, not knowing if I would require surgery or not as I opted for an initial conservative management of my injury. It was during this time I was able to sympathise with all of our patients as the shoe was on the other foot! Over the next 3-4 months I spent most of the day wondering if my ankle was right. Every little ache/pain was playing on my mind, not knowing if it would ever be the same again.
During the recovery I certainly had my ups and downs. I vividly remember a cold rainy night up at Lavington where I pushed too hard too soon. This set myself back 3 weeks and had me wondering if I would ever be able to run pain free again let alone play football! Thankfully after listening to my own advice, I managed to return to the footy field for the finals and my ankle held up OK.
In the weeks following, my ankle continued to play on my mind. Was it fully healed, will I have arthritis in the future, will my flexibility return? The joys of a chronic long term injury!
However, once November hit I was back to my old self. Having full confidence in my body, I was able to launch into my training for the goal I had set myself some months earlier. After countless laps in the pool, a sore backside from the bike and numerous hours spent pounding the pavement, I was ready to race.
Last Sunday was the culmination of months of hard work and apart from the weather, I couldn’t have pictured a better day! I was not only able to finish but exceeded all expectations I had placed upon myself, all the while completing it with my idol and best friend, my father! Not bad for his first ever triathlon, let alone being 60!
