Year 2: July Update

*Left: 19 months*   *Right: 14 months*

What a whirlwind of a month June was.  It was great getting to travel internationally, twice!  The bad part was landing late at night coming back from London and going straight to teaching summer school the next morning.  I've never taught summer school before and I realized that teaching two lectures a day, every day of the week for a solid month is exhausting!  I think it is a great experience for the students because they can focus all their attention on a tough class and don't have enough time to forget things between exams.  Really rough from the faculty side because what you normally teach in 4 months, you have to cram into a month.

Not only did I teach a summer class this month, I also had to get back on my training plan to prepare for my next race- a sprint triathlon with an open water lake swim and trail run (Race Report- Sprint Triathlon #2)- moved from a swanky downtown apartment to a townhome in the suburbs and I got a puppy!!!  Lovely little black and white cocker spaniel named Dr. Pepper. Yes, my dog has a puppy doctorate.  I sacrificed 7 years of my life in the pursuit of higher education and knew I didn't have the time to take care of a dog.  After getting settled into my faculty position this year, I decided it was time to take the plunge and get her.

Race Report- Sprint Triathlon #2

Sprint Triathlon #2

Date: July 26th, 2014
Event: Sprint Triathlon (750m lake swim,15 mile bike, 5k run)
Time: 2:14:46
(Swim: 23:56, T1: 2:07, Bike: 1:04:53, T2: 1:29, Run: 42:22)
Age Group Place (25-29): Last...6/6

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The Swim- 750m Lake Swim (23:56)

Average Pace: 3:11 per 100m

FIRST EVER OPEN WATER LAKE SWIM!!!!

All I can say is chocolate milk.  Chocolate Milk! That's all you could see through the goggles in this lake.

They called my group- the ones with the pink swim caps- up to the water to find our starting positions.  I lined up somewhere around the middle and waited for the gun to go off.  I ended up being next to a little girl, no older than 13-14 and thought I would be ok at the start.  Little did I know that this not so innocent little girl was clearly an experienced open water swimmer and actually smacked and kicked me several times at the start.  It wasn't just her it was everyone around me too!  I felt like I was in a swarm of bees or a washing machine.  I didn't know which way was up or forward.  I had to slow up to let most of the swimmers go around me because I didn't feel comfortable swimming in a pack like that.  Once I got some open water, I made my way to the first buoy just fine.  The swim got interesting after that because it was a oval course and swimming circular is hard!  I'm used to chasing the black line in the bottom of the pool...which is straight!  How the heck am I supposed to make myself curve while swimming? Needless to say, I kept getting off course.  I didn't think it took me as long as it did until I got out and checked my stop watch.  I was happy with my actual swimming, I just need to get more comfortable with the bunch start and sighting in open water.


The Bike- 15 miles (1:04:53)

Average Speed: 13.9 mph

This bike course was mostly flat with only a few major climbs.  I know I have some work to do to get my average speed up because people were passing me left and right, but mostly on the climbs.  There was one funny story from the course.  This woman with a really nice and expensive triathlon specific bike (I race on an intermediate quality road bike) yelled, ON YOUR LEFT! Of course, her intentions were to pass me.  The mistake she made was passing me on a flat just before a massive downhill.  I'm a great descender, mostly because I am an avid Tour de France rider...and absolutely love Peter Sagan! He's a sprinter, but also a bike handling specialist and gets in a full on tuck off of his saddle in the most aero position he can while descending.  I don't go as extreme as he does, but I'm much faster than most on the downhills.  I zoomed past her and then fought like hell to climb the subsequent hill and told myself that I can't let her pass me again.  She got close on one of the other climbs, but couldn't seal the deal.  I held her off for the rest of the race.  After the race, she came up to me and told me how great of a rider I was!  Too funny.  The little joys in life :)

The Run-5k (42:22)

Average Pace: 13:38 min/mile, Average Speed: 4.4 mph

2 loop trail run.  Exposed roots, dirt, and gravel, and hills!!!!  I had to throw my intervals out the window and just do my best to jog the flats and walk up the hills.  I quite like the trail part, it was really fun "running" through the woods.  Best part- in the days after the race, I had NO PAIN in my feet after this tri.  Takeaway-> if you do want to run again, pick trails for training and racing.  They lighten the impact significantly.

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Reflection

I feel AMAZING to have finished another triathlon and for finally getting to wear my trisuit from my college tri team.  Due to my surgeries, I never got my chance, but now I have!!! I got complements on it the whole time and even met fellow alumni that came up to me.  Very cool because I live states away from my college town now.  This was the longest in distance and hardest triathlon to date, but I made it!!!

Year 2: June Update

*Left: 18 months*   *Right: 13 months*

In June, my 1 year anniversary of my right ankle reconstruction passed, I traveled to Europe for the first time...and the second time in my life, and participated in some faculty development workshops in between.

Portugal Trip- International Scholar Status
My university allowed faculty to travel to up to 3 conferences with unlimited funding this year, so I took full advantage.  I submitted an abstract for a conference in Portugal, it was accepted and I was granted funding, so everything fell into place for me to go.  I was there for a full week.  The major highlight of this trip was that I became an international scholar by presenting my research at this conference...less than a year after earning my PhD. This was also my first trip to Europe and I enjoyed every minute of it.  It was quite interesting from the conference standpoint, because even though there was a detailed hour by hour schedule, the organizers didn't seem to mind how long each session took, so we got well behind schedule each day.  The Portuguese way is a little more relaxed than the hustle and bustle here in America.  Also, I got to see the eastern most tip of Europe, hike up to and through a castle, and a palace!  It was also really cool that they had free bikes for anyone to rent and dedicated bike roads next to the main road.  I rented one on my last day and rode about 10 miles up the hilly and very windy coast of Portugal on a cruiser bike with no gears!

Here are my favorite photos:

London Trip
I was home just long enough to get my bag unpacked and packed up again for another European adventure, another conference...and another trans-atlantic flight.  The flights were my least favorite parts of both trips. My arrival to London wasn't as smooth as Portugal.  They closed down a key section of a major highway and it took well over 2 hours by cab to get to the hotel (for what should have been a 30 min trip), and cost approximately 120 British pounds, which is over 200 American dollars.

The most surprising thing about London for me was that it reminded me of any other major American city.  There was a lot of traffic, a lot of people rushing around, and similar fashion.  The most difficult thing to get used to was learning to look the opposite way as we do in America before crossing the street, since they drive on opposite sides of the road.

My favorite thing that I did on this trip was visit the London 2012 Olympic Park.  I am an olympics junkie.  I LOVE THE OLYMPICS!!! Near the end of the trip, I was able to reserve a spot to swim in the 50m competition pool...the ones that the olympic champions swam in! I wish someone was there to capture the girly grin on my face when I walked in to the aquatic center and saw THE pool that I had seen on tv during the olympics. When I got in the water, it was as if I forgot how to swim.  I was so enamored by where I was, that I was hardly focused on completing my workout set.  I tried my best to just take it all in and not worry about the quality of the workout.  After I left the aquatic center, I walked around the park to view the other venues.  When I got to the velodrome and cycling complex (road bike circuit course, moutain bike course, and bmx courses), I found out that I could rent a road bike and ride it on the 1 mile competition circuit course.  The funny thing about renting a bike there, was that I told the bike fitters with confidence that I ride a 51"....of course that is 51 inches, so the first thing they asked is, "What is that in cm?" Metric system...we are such dumb Americans to have our own system.  I am glad I am a scientist because I didn't have much trouble converting to metric on either of my trips.  Once I got going, the first thing I noticed is how much lighter the bike was than my road bike.  Mine is not too shabby, but I think this was a full carbon fiber frame. The next was that it had an automatic electronic shifter!  All you had to do was press a button and the gears would automatically shift.  I rode for about an hour...which is all I could manage after swimming and being ill prepared nutritionally and equipment wise for a 2 hour brick workout. It was on a whim that I even thought of trying to make the ~1 hour trek by the tube (subway system in London) to the olympic park, and I am so glad I did.  Just walking around the olympic park and getting to try out two of the venues made me feel the olympic spirit, the won't stop, can't stop, never quit attitude that the olympic athletes have.

Also snuck in a visit to King's Cross Station...any Harry Potter fans?

The most devastating part about my trip was that I left 2 days...2 days before the Tour de France came through London for the first time. So, I was tortured by the signs and other biking related tidbits around town the whole trip. I did score a TDF sprinter's green jersey from the Olympic Park Cycling Store.

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Reflection

I intentionally took this month off from racing because the hardest part of going to 3 conferences, practically back to back, counting the one at the end of May and the two this month, was keeping up with my training.  I averaged 25-30,000 steps per day on foot on my trips and cycled in both Portugal and London, and also swam in London.  It was tough as usual to manage all those steps with these feet, but they didn't hold me back.  I had such a great time!  I am simply amazed by how extraordinary my life has been thus far, and through the thick of all I have been through with my feet, I know that I am not only back on track, but excelling again.  

This quote that I photographed from the Winston Churchill War Museum in London sums it up:

1 year anniversary- Right

*Right: 1 year surgery anniversary*

June 4th, 2014

So, my right foot is 1 years old.  As much as I anticipated the 1 year anniversary since my left foot surgery, this day came and went like any other day.  This is a major sign of progress, because it means that I am not counting my days one by one any more.  I am just living my life. I didn't realize that the anniversary had passed until a full day later.  Truthfully, having less surgery on my right foot has really made it maintain its position as my stronger foot, even though it is 5 months "younger" in terms of days since its surgery.  The left one is the one that I have to watch out for still.  

At this point I can jog, I have become a great swimmer and am becoming a legit cyclist, and I can wear normal shoes. I just have to be careful with how often I wear wedges and other non-orthopedic/feet friendly shoes.  In addition, I still haven't been able to get back into even a low pair of traditional heels.  My inner fashionista cries sometimes, but it's ok that I can't wear heels, because I don't need to do anymore damage to my feet...and I have the best excuse ever not to have to deal with that pain. Every woman can agree that no heels are completely comfortable, some just hurt less than others.
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Reflection

As far as I can report, both surgeries were a success, my life has been left better because of them, and I continue to get stronger every day.

Year 2: May Update

*Left: 17 months*   *Right: 12 months*

May was a pretty great month.

The ups were that I was able to get my first pedicure since my surgeries (even though the nail lady was quite alarmed by all of my scars), completed a sprint triathlon, my first race since my surgeries, and finished my first year as a college professor with a bang.

The downs came at the end of the month.  I traveled to the major conference in my field, and by the time I finished flying, got checked into the hotel, and met up with my colleagues, my feet were screaming!  At a conference, there is so much walking, and on top of that all of the restaurants were a mile or more away from the hotel.  The first night I had to stop and rest on the side of the road while my group waited for me.  I told them to go ahead and that I would catch up with them later, but they refused to go.  As much as I know they were trying to support me, it made me feel terrible because I felt like a second class citizen again.  One that can't keep up with basic activities of daily living.  After my feet were so inflamed and painful the first day, it was hard to get them back to a happy place with all the walking that was ahead of me in the following days at the conference.  Not to mention having to stand for close to 2 hours in front of the scientific poster that I presented.

The trip did end on a high note with a visit to Disney. With the help of my ankle braces and tennis shoes, I did close to 30,000 steps and conquered Magic Kingdom just fine.

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Reflection

I'll never be able to snap my fingers and say that my recovery is over, that my feet are perfect again, that I won't be held back by them at all.  What I do need to do is continue to stay positive and focused on moving through the struggles instead of getting caught in clouds of doubt and worry.

Race Day!!! 1st since surgeries...

Sprint Triathlon #1
I did it! I have officially returned to racing!!!

Date: May 17th, 2014
Event: Sprint Triathlon (300m pool swim,12.1 mile bike, 5k run)
Time: 1:45:27 
(Swim: 7:59, T1: 1:38, Bike: 51:35, T2: 2:23, Run: 41:51)
Age Group Place (25-29): Last...8/8

Days since last race: 615= 1 year, 8 months, and 8 days

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Now that you have the stats, here is the story:

Yesterday, I went to pick up my race packet (race number, bike markings, swim cap, race day info).  It was surreal going to a packet pick up again. It has been nearly 2 years since I have raced, and a small part of me thought that this day would never come.  Luckily, most of me knew that I wouldn't accept that I would never race again.  Every race before this one, I have felt a mix of emotions from nervousness to excitement, but never fear, like today.  Fear that I would re-injure my feet, fear that I wouldn't be able to finish the race, fear that I am not an athlete who can conquer amazing feats anymore.  When I got home, I arranged all of my gear, ate an early and "clean" dinner and got to bed.  My parents came up for the race, so it was nice to have them there to support me.  I tried to get the best night of rest that I could, but I spent most of the night entertaining my fears and playing the race through my head over and over again to make sure that I was ready.

Putting on my timing chip

On race day, I got up, got dressed, gathered my things, and took off. When I got to the race, I unpacked my things and set up my transition area, went and got my body markings, and timing chip, all the usual pre-race rituals.

Since this was a pool swim triathlon, athletes were started one by one.  I had over an hour wait before my start time based on my seed time of 2:00 min for 100yds at my 300m pace.  For reasons unbeknownst to me, the race directors started the super fast people first as expected, and then let the ultra beginners go next.  Some of them were running, literally aqua jogging through the pool instead of swimming.  I was happy to see so many beginners out there, everyone has to start somewhere, but having to watch each and every one of them go before I could start my race....before passing them on the bike course was less than ideal.

The Swim- 300m Pool Swim (7:59 including exiting the pool and running to transition)

Average Pace: 2:39 per 100m

Heading towards the exit!

This leg was the one that I was the most confident about pre-race.  I have been swimming with a Master's swim team since January, and have improved so much.  Based on my training, I should have swam faster, but my race didn't go exactly as planned.  First, the water was freezing.  It was technically wet suit legal, with the water in the low 70s.  When I got in for my warm-up swim, I felt all of my body just lock up.  I did as much swimming as I could in the small warm-up area, and got back in my place to start the race.  Before I knew it, the race director said you're up....and shortly after...GO! The moment I have been waiting for is finally here!!! Swimming at race pace was just as bad as the warmup, I ended up gasping for air, feeling semi-asthmatic with how cold the pool was. Second, A guy was started just 15 seconds in front of me.  I was really scared of possibly running into him, so I swam with my head in a more upright poisition than I should have, which comprimised quite of bit of the swimming technique that I gained and took a bite out of my speed.  Third, I have to learn to be more assertive in tri swimming.  I slowed my pace throughout most of the race to stay behind him because I felt it rude to pass him.  But then...I got my chance!  He paused at a wall to take a breath about halfway through the swim, and I took that opportunity to do an open turn under the lane line over to the next lane, and ahead of him to complete the pass.  I was laughing in my head when I completed the pass, because I knew my swim coach would get a kick out of how I used the turn technique he taught me to get ahead.  I quickened my pace over the last 100m and opened up at least a 3 body length gap between the guy I passed and those that were catching up behind him (someone entered a too fast seed time, but I am not pointing any fingers).  The funniest part of this story was watching the video footage that my parents captured of this.  We noticed that the guy I passed gave me a double-take astonished look when he realized how much room I had opened up between us when I went to do my last 50.  Absolutely hilarious!  All in all, my swim time was closer to 7 mins for the 300m. The rest of the time went to exiting the pool and making it to my bike in the transition area.

As glad as I was to get out of that cold pool, having to "run" with wet, bare feet to my bike in the transition area was scary.  Tennis shoes give me wings...much needed support for my feet that help me cover much more distance with less stress to my feet.  I've talked about this in my blog before, but anyone with any kind of foot/ankle problems can relate.  All in all I made it, changed into my bike gear and headed out of transition.

The Bike- 12.1 miles (51:35)

Average Speed: 14.07 mph

This portion of the race was almost over before it began.  Not even 5 feet from the mount line, just when I clipped in and started my first few pedal strokes, a golden retriever decided that it was a great idea to cross right in front of my bike.  I screamed to the top of my lungs and focused on hitting the breaks enough to avoid it, but not so much that I would go flying over the handlebars.  I just missed the dog and then had to find my composure to keep my bike moving forward and had to get my head back focused on the race.  Of course I had a tricky descent and subsequent climb, plus a few turns to make right out of transition, so I didn't really catch my breath and regain my composure until I was a couple of miles in and to a flatter portion of the race.  For a few minutes, I was just thinking, who would bring that dog to the tri?  Why wasn't it on a leash? And how was I the one that it nearly caused to crash? Me?!?!? Haven't I been through enough? Does this dog know how long I have waited and how hard I have fought in recovery for this day to come?!?!? 

Anyways...the rest of the bike course was uneventful until the last few miles, when a thought popped in my head that I didn't expect at all.   It first started with me questioning my excitement for transitioning to the run portion of the course.  I had an overwhelming feeling that I didn't want to do it.  Then I asked myself, why?  And then I came to my big realization, it is because I don't love running anymore.  All of this time spent so laser focused on being able to run again, and now I no longer love it. Running comes with great risk and discomfort for my feet now.  The benefits no longer outweigh the consequences.  I also decided that beyond the occasional 5k, I don't have a reason to do running specific races anymore.  The running that comes with triathlon is more than enough.

When I got back to the transition area, as soon as I racked my bike, my left calf started to cramp.  Not a little cramp, like completely locked up.  I was helpless, I had to just wait there until it passed before putting on my running shoes and heading out to the run course.  My transition time was one of the slowest out of all the racers (2:23), but that cramp wasn't going to let me move any faster.

I reminded myself leaving transition that this race isn't about racing the clock, it is about finishing.

The Run-5k (41:51)

Average Pace: 13:28 min/mile, Average Speed: 4.45 mph

"Sprinting" to the finish

As I regained my composure out of the transition, I settled into my pace and focused on putting one foot in front of the other.  I went with intervals, :45 jogging and 1:30 speed walking.  I later found out that my race plan wouldn't exactly work and had to adjust the intervals according to the terrain.  It was a pretty hilly course and my feet are no match for hills.  I used the downhills to my advantage and jogged faster through those.  As I closed in on the last 400m, the emotions started to hit me.  I could see the finish line ahead of me and I "sprinted" (which is a medium jog at my absolute top speed) the whole way without stopping.  When I laid eyes on my dad just before the finish line and saw his emotion, I nearly lost it.  He was video taping and all I could manage to say is that "I DID IT!"  My mom was just past the finish line and I later found out that she told the announcer about my story.  As I was crossing the finish line, I heard," ...she has survived two ankle reconstruction surgeries, was told she would never run again, and here she is crossing the finish line of a sprint triathlon!"

With that, I felt the weight of what I have been through lift from me and I felt as free as ever.  I felt that anything is possible again. 

After the race I found out that I finished last in my age group, who cares after what I have been through, but overall ahead of quite a few other racers. Lower than I normally fall, but I couldn't be more proud of what I accomplished today.  I also set a huge PR on my 5k time, beating my previous best at this distance by more than 10 minutes, set in January.

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Reflection

The long wait to return to racing is over, the heavy weight of all my doubts has been lifted, and I am excited to see what the future holds.  I'm no longer a victim of this tragedy...

Year 2: April Update

*Left: 16 months*   *Right: 11 months*

April started off rough for me.

Ankle Pain

I felt the familiar tingling pain in my posterior tibial tendons of my ankles that I felt before both of them failed and led to me getting my surgeries.  It was really unexplainable because I have been paying such great attention to how my feet feel during and after every workout to make sure that I am not pushing myself too far.  In this moment of terror over some of the pain returning, my mind came up with a million "What if?" scenarios.  Around the same time, I happened to watch a random movie that had a firefighter coming back from an injury.  His motto was to stay off the What If? Bus.  When my friends and colleagues commented on the fact that I was limping again and my spirit was breaking, that is how I responded when they asked me what this return in pain meant for my road to recovery.


Repeat after me:  We are NOT going to take a ride on the What If? Bus.

The only What if? I entertained was: What if this will pass as quickly as it came on?

Only one choice ------------------------->



The Plague

I later found out that my ankle pain may have been an early warning signal that I was getting sick.  A few days later, I came down with a high fever, body aches, nausea, vertigo, a cough....just to name a few of my symptoms.  I rarely get sick, as in 1 bad time every few years and nothing but 1-2 day colds/viruses in between.  I took to my normal regimen of NyQuil and DayQuil cold and flu, which contain a nice cocktail of drugs that fight almost any illness.  It was a Tuesday when I first realized I was coming down with something.  By Wednesday morning, I was full fledged sick, so sick that I had to cancel my classes and take the day off from work.  The next two days, I had things that I couldn't miss with my students, so I came in just for teaching and went straight home after that.  By the time I realized how sick I was, I had already missed the window that going to the doctor and getting some kind of prescription would help me.  So ultimately, I ended up on literal bed rest for an entire week.  No workouts.  Bare minimum work.  It took the whole next week to get back into my normal routine.

The only perk of getting sick-> Forced rest for my feet.  It wasn't nearly as hard to take a week off of training since I was too sick to train anyways.  By the time my body felt better, my feet did too.  Crisis averted.

TRI Training

My swimming continues to improve.  I'm sub 6 mins at the 300m distance now, despite missing 3 practices due to my illness.

In terms of biking, now that the weather is warmer, I'm biking outside a few times a week.  My handling and overall riding skills are improving.  My biggest weakness is climbing hills.  My lower body power and calf strength took a huge hit with all that non and partial weight bearing time.  I'm working on my leg strength in my gym workouts but it will take more time to get back to my pre-surgery power.

Running- well, we know I can't quite do that yet.  I have developed an awesome power/race walk technique.  I am technically walking (one foot is always on the ground), but at more of a jog rhythm.  I do walk/jog intervals fairly well by alternating this type of walking with more traditional jogging.  It has brought my mile time down considerably, now hovering between 12 and 13 mins per mile.  Speedy!!!!

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014- The most AMAZING Day!

5:00 am- Alarm

5:05 am- Win #1: Checked email and saw that I had received the top rankings possible in my first peer faculty evaluation (Another faculty member observed my teaching and wrote an evaluation)

5:45-7:15 am- Win #2: Swim practice, another great workout

9:00 am- Win #3: Found out that my local bike shop opened early enough for me to drop my bike off before going to work.  After a near crash on the Sunday prior to this day, I needed to get the gears checked out and routine maintenance performed.

10:25 am- Win #4: Received a phone call from a neighboring university telling me that I was selected for a prestigious research fellowship to be completed alongside my faculty position at my university

10:30 am- Win #5: As I was on the phone with the previous person, I received a call from one of my research mentors giving me the opportunity to join her in writing a grant.

11:15 am- Win #6: As I was teaching, I received a call from a company rep telling me that an expensive piece of equipment I ordered is due to be shipped (after a few months of jumping through hoops for approval from my university)

4:30 pm- Win #7: The health statistics course I created finally got formally approved to be added to our curriculum after almost 4 months stuck in the approval process.

5:30 pm- Win #8: I went to pick up my bike and they returned my bike with the gear problems fixed and the tune-up performed...all FREE of charge!  My bike is fixed meaning I can get back out on the road AND it didn't cost me anything??? So cool.

After picking up my bike, I went home, ate dinner, showered, and jumped in my bed.  I stayed up past midnight reflecting on what an amazing day it was.  I didn't want it to end.  In one day I had achieved so much greatness professionally and physically.   I guess I have built up a lot of good Karma with everything that I have been through.

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Reflection

I stayed positive and dodged a major bullet with my feet.  They weren't really re-injured.  I fought trough my sickness and got my life back on track to set up for one of the best days of my life.  After a short sick leave break, I continued to stick to my training.  My first race since my surgeries, a sprint triathlon (300m pool swim/12 mile bike/5k run) is in a few weeks.  Physically, I feel ready. Mentally....not sure, that is another battle I will have to fight.  The pieces of my life continue to fall back into place.  I am learning day by day just how strong I am and was to make it through these surgeries to present, a place where I am excelling again in all areas of my life.

And...classes have ended for the spring semester.  Just finals to go before completing my first year as a college professor!