Karen writes: Last weeks news

Last weekend's injury drama is starting to look like just that, last weeks news.  Saw the physio again today, the arm is a bit weak, but the range of motion is almost back to normal, and that horrible pain is pretty much gone, raising the questions as to what on earth it was in the first place?  It was most likely to have been some sort of rotator cuff damage, but to recover so quickly from being so debilitated...strange.

It is possible that the 40-odd thousand arm swings from the marathon a week before, and the 12km run the morning of the injury might have made the muscles a bit vulnerable.  I was also told I have some over-development of arm and shoulder muscles at the front, and need to build up the strength at the back to balance things out.  Such an imbalance is apparently easy to get and makes you more at risk of injury.  So obviously I keep learning, keep making mistakes...and it looks like will continue to do so.

But what a relief.  I had visions of months of recovery, the worst case scenario of frozen shoulder could take years to repair, and here I am feeling like I could swim tomorrow!  I'm not going to though, I shall do the light exercises recommended (no pushups, yaaaay), and even turn up for the next physio appointment next week.  My neck is going to get some more attention then, imagine that, if I could increase my turning range I would be coming out of treatment better than before I got injured...

I think back over the succession of problems and injuries both me and Kate have had in recent years, any one of which could have put us off because they all seemed pretty much insurmountable at the time.    It can seem to be one thing after another, but you do your research, sort the problem out as best you can, and then forget about it... until something else comes along.   I remember the first full cycle ride around Lake Taupo back in 2007, I wore an elbow brace my arm was so sore and weak.  In other years I have distant memories of terribly tender hands from handlebars making training a misery, shooting pains up fingers from all the gear changing on the bike, a bottom too sore to sit on, a succession of upset necks and backs, saddle sores, plus the odd scrape or bump from falling.  Then the running distances increased and the focus changed to sore calves, dodgy Achilles tendons, blisters, black toenails, chafing, knee pain, breathing problems, cramps and stomach issues.  Swimming brought it's own challenges with leg cramps, ear infections, bruises from misjudging the end of the pool and headaches.  At times when the workload increased up to another level we caught one cold after another, and the occasional dragging tiredness which just couldn't be worked through was there too.  And we say we enjoy it and have never been healthier?

Actually, I really, really, really enjoy it, and I have never been healthier. I guess what I was saying in that gloomy last paragraph was that there isn't much you cant work through with the right advice, some sensible trial and error and just plain persevering. I'm pretty sure Kate can't imagine not doing what we do either.   So this latest injury scare is hopefully like all the others and can eventually be relegated to history, in spite of the nagging doubt that it could come back, at least until something else comes along to be hypochondriacal about!

And Kate, the race is back ON (no competition here of course).

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