Post injury, still injured, Christmas ramblings

5 weeks ago (yesterday) I was in great running shape, good off season bike shape and good swim shape and then I fell hard , really hard running down hill. again this is why I was a swimmer #nocoordination. For 2 weeks I was in a world of hurt with a  knee 3x it's normal size, a numb/tingly spot on the top of my shin (hairline fracture) and a swollen bruised hemotoma and 11 cuts on my hands of which 7 required  yes 7 I had to change them 2-3 x a day. Last count over 50 bandaids used in my healing  band-aids to prevent from bleeding all over.  Add crutches for 2 weeks because my knee/leg hurt that badly and daily I would break open a  cut or 2 on my hands from the pressure of the crutches.  Cuts on hands + crutches add to the adventure!

Timing was awesome as I had my kids + the rest of my family coming for Christmas.  12-16 people for dinner at our house the 22-26th - no problem.  Me on crutches and in pain.

So, it took a village, a lot of help  and chardonnay to pull off amazing holidays!  6 cousins together, my siblings and me +  our parents together for the first time ever over Christmas.  Considering we (the Dunkle/Braman's)  don't do Christmas, this was big for us-  Tree, lights, ornaments, red table cloth and even Christmas music.  I may have worn a few red sweaters, but no santa sweaters.

Family, food, fun and love!  Blessed to have such an amazing family! 

So the family slowly left and I was left with my knee/leg issue.  The elation of learning it was not my ACL lasted 11 seconds when I learned about the fracture. But I got to ditch the crutches, hit the pool and upper body work in the gym. Super excited for another 11 seconds then realizing I was still not running or biking.   The swimming was lame at first, 1 leg, no flip turns but it progressed fast to sorry ass turns and I was back in my lane, at the rear, but in my happy pool place.  At 2.5 weeks I was spinning on the trainer at 50% of normal power but I was happy to be moving for 11 seconds and then depressed about how my power sucked.  By 3.5 weeks I was able to ride hard and was logging some good trainer workouts.   Look at me LOVING the trainer.  Zwifting daily and slowly upgrading my kids.  At 4 weeks I cleared to do all my regular gym work- lunges, squats etc. So I picked up where I left off 4 weeks ago and last Thur knocked out a great session, it's Monday and I am still sore.   Oops- ease back into it?

I was also cleared to ride outside!  Boom -2 hours on the coast Saturday was awesome.  So logically taking advantage of the holiday today and riding Great Western Loop made total sense or was really not the smartest comeback ride.   No paid in my knee but OMG it was slow and the power was low as planned  sucked for another 11 seconds for so.

I finished the ride and reached out to Mike.

ME:  Fck I am out of shape
Mike: What month is is?
ME:   Yea yea I get it not really but that seem the appropriate response

Here is where being a coach and an athlete sometimes is like having 2 personalities.
My coaches hat on says " its January,  I have been out for a month, ease back into it. It's about building back.  You have a long season, this is where you should be. Not a big deal.

Me the neurotic athlete: I have lost ALL my fitness, I am out of shape and slow and will never be fit again.

If I dared look up my emails to Mike about this season I would recall saying... "no pressure early in the season, lets build up and have a killer late season"  that being said I should be fine, but I not :)  I want to be fit and fast  now, although not realistic.     I know that but I don't want that.  Gosh I am glad I am not my own coach.

Whats next?  Hopefully running soon :)  Once that happens (painfree) we can chat races. For now- ZERO races on the books.

100 x 100

The whole crew (note HB at 7mos preggars and knocked out 10k) 

It's a NY Eve, Birthday Swim, psycho swim kinda thing... I have done it many times, at one point in my life I did it weekly, but I was young and did not have a choice, but now I do. This bat shit crazy swim on 12/31 was my idea!  I challenged my athletes to it and I am beyond impressed at how many rose to the challenge, took it on and knocked it out.  Go D3

I planned our session here at our pool. 7am Sunday!  In the water 7:15 and go!

D3 crew pre swim

We had 12 crazies!  7 are my athletes and did not really have a choice but they came willingly and then added a few loyal  friends.  We took 4 lanes and teamed up by swim speed and GO!  Our lane did 1000: 15 x 100 - 4 times through.   Others did 100 x100 and the rest modified as they wanted.

My Boulder athleteAlison rallied other D3 athletes to join her, Jen knocked it out in Seattle and Sarah nearly did it in Kona in an unheated pool and Abby logged over 5K in the DR in a kidney shaped pool!  Can I tell you how excited I am that they toed the line and went for it!   The virgin 10kers are awesome!  Way to Go.

We had a ton of fun, ate heartily after and devoured a foodsensenow amazing birthday cake for Alexis!  Good friends, big swim, great year end!

We ate a LOT of that cake 

2018 is going to be epic for the Dunkle D3 Athletes!!  #doepicshit18 #gobigorgohome #jointheD3Dunklecrew

And it's 2018...and I am broken

I realize now I have 3 unfinished blog's in my draft folder..... and my last blog was 10.19/17.

So much to catch up on but I am going  to glaze over it all for your sakes and mine. I embraced the off season well with increased alcohol, dietary changes that included increased sugar, processed food and loads of "off limits" eating.   It was necessary and glorious but it's time to clean it up!  30 days- no alcohol, sugar, dairy or grains.  Day 1 - success!  I did this last year for 3 weeks and the first week is the hardest, then it becomes habit.  I will do my best to be militant for 30 days and then be moderate. 

As for training .... I took a few weeks off after Kona but then resumed training at my own will and it was random.   For me the key to an off season is no mandatory anything, but I keep moving every day.  Lots of short runs with dog, some swimming and biking was off and one.   I hit the gym regularly and  pretty hard.  Notice the past tense there.....well this all came to an end on 12/19.   My running was going well and 12/15 I asked coach if I should run the Carlsbad 1/2- he says yes.  We laid out a  few long runs with the first being that weekend.   My plan was run the 2 hours and decide if I should register.   I ran in the PQ Canyon with Alex and the dogs, Alex turned around a bit early to make a shorter run, WHY did I not turn with her!  Ugh,  I was feeling great and decided to make it a 13 miler.  Around mile 10 after the sketch downhill where I was super conservative I had a bit more to go and relaxed and just ran.  I have not idea what happened but it was right knee slam, left knee graze and both hands sliding down hill.  It was a seeing stars, screaming Fck, holy sh&t kind of fall.  Dazed, teary eyed and laying on the trial , the dogs went crazy, licking and crying and worried. I knew something bad happened.   I just laid there and finally got up and tried to shake it off.   I was able to get walking but was literally dragging my right leg.  I weighed my options and there were none, I was 2 miles from the car on a trail that cars cannot access.

I called John, I just needed to talk to someone.  My plan was to tell him I fell but am okay, instead I burst into tears.  50 minutes later we make it to the car and I so relieved and I think I am okay.  I chew down 2 Aleve and get in car, bloody and likely a bit in shock.  My warped brain decides we should stop at Whole Foods and go Christmas Food shopping and then hit Starbucks.  I park and step out of the car and fall into the bushes- I cannot bear weight on my right knee/shin.   Houston we have a problem!

But I am still damned determined for coffee, so I order a mobile order and go through a drive through only to get home and realize I cannot walk.  I am crawling along the floor pushing my coffee.  WTH... meanwhile Alex is on her way, TG!  and we are off to Direct Orthopedic Care , urgent care for bones.   2 hours later I have crutches, a brace and a heap of pain and no pain killers and really no anwers.   But this is not good.  Let's just say the next  7 days were pain filled, immobile and no fun for anyone in this house.   I had an MRI and then had to wait.  I don't recommend getting injured around the holidays, plan it better, as Dr's are gone, places are closed.  In any case the final word is a proximal tibial fracture ( hairline top of the tibia near the knee) and torn meniscus.  Can I say FCK!! again and again!   Okay we were all worried it was my ACL, thank goodness it was not, but that elation lasted about 11 seconds only to realize I am out for some time.  Really- why am I so bloody uncoordinated. 

Mind you I also have 16 people coming for Christmas and I still don't have any real pain killers.  Let's just say the off season alcohol consumption doubled.  There is a lot of heart ache and pain between then and now but here we are Jan 1 and I am MUCH better than I was on 12/19 but I am not running!  I am on the trainer and swimming :)  But no clue on when I can run....thus the early season race plans are on hold.    In the big scheme it's not a big deal, I did not have any big early season race plans, but seriously, what a pain in the arse!   

More on Christmas later....it was awesome - yes I said Christmas  and awesome on the same sentence. 

So that is my health update on Jan 1, 2018!   NO NEW YEARS DAY run for me -  Blah!