Convict 100 km mountain bike race - yet another stage in my recovery

I knew that the attrition of age group sport from about 50 on was huge; but things are getting ridiculous now that I am in my 60's.  Its getting to be very lonely!  Read on....

The following is a brief pictorial of my latest venture, the gruelling Convict 100 mountain bike  (MTB) race.  The convict 100 is the NSW round of the Australian MTB marathon championships, attracting around 1500 riders, including the Australia's best open and age group riders.

I finished the 100km in 5hrs 4 min, just over an hour ahead of the next rider in my 60+ age category and over 2 hours ahead of 3rd place.  I was 63 rd overall.  To date, I have not lost an age group race in Australia.

There is also an analysis of what I did wrong and what can be done to do even better next time.  My goal is to be the 2016 60 years-plus MTB world champion.  I am back on track to achieve this lofty goal.

It was not long ago that I was lying on my back with what could have been a career-ending ankle injury.

Here's more about my ankle injury, if you are curious:

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/01/first-aid-treatment-for-severe-ankle.html

While I still have some trouble walking, things are on the improve daily and function is now about 90%.  Cycling is not a problem and I have even been riding A Grade Cyclocross races that involve some running on very rough terrain while carrying a bike and there are many unplanned dismounts!

Stripped off: Bug-Eyes is ready to get the show on the road!  I'm feeling very confident despite the distance and terrain to come.

Guess who is leading?  Old guys are supposed to be slow at getting going, so what's he doing in the lead!  I slowed shortly after, then seamlessly slotted into the peloton as it whirred past.  Off to the perfect start!

Coming into the finish, feeling really stuffed!  Missed out on breaking 5hrs for 100 km by just a couple of minutes - darn!

No, I did not fall off my bike but I worried I might once I stopped.  A few minutes of restful meditation and I was up and about.  The blood is not from falls during the race; they're from hitting saplings and bushes while hurtling along narrow, overgrown trails.

There was a 3rd placegetter but he was still out on the course, over 2 hrs behind me.  By the way, never once has it been announced by the MC that I am from New Zealand, while on the podium in Australia.  So I could not resist yelling "Go the All Blacks!"  Pity they lost.

What a nice brother Gordon is to hire a limo to chauffeur me all the way from Shellharbour to Sydney Airport.

This is one way to celebrate a victory.  Now where's the bubbly?

An analysis of how I rode the race

Here are a couple of graphs recorded during the race using my Suunto watch.

Heart rate: What you can see here is I peaked at 172 beats per minute early in the race.  I was working way too hard because I had my gearing wrong for the very steep climbs.  These peaks coincided with the first of the big hills and, later, some tricky technical and rocky climbs up sandstone terracing.  It was at about 2 1/2 hours that I began to tire and slow considerably.

Note, for later, that my average pulse for the race was 141 beats per minute for the 5 hours.

The graph above shows that my energy consumption steadily reduced as the race proceeded.

In the first half hour there was a very steep hill that had me almost at a standstill and then there was a river crossing.  Both can be seen as the "stops" on the graph above.  At about 2:40 I had to stop and take a toilet stop.  You'll note that from 3:30 through to 4:30, my pace up hills dropped right off as I struggled with the gearing set up on my bike.  The final sections of the race were pretty flat and this shows in the consistent pace.

This graphically shows even better how I tired quite steadily from about the halfway mark of the race.

Lessons from the race:

I could have gone quite a lot faster.

Take a full suspension bike

I took a light hardtail to Australia.  It is a rocket in a straight line but not suited for the very rough and rocky terrain of the Blue Mountains.  The constant pounding of the rocks wore me out and gave me a raw bum.  As much as studying Youtube videos of last year's race and writing to the organisers is helpful, it can never replace actually riding the course.  The fact is the course was much rougher than I thought it would be.  All future races will have a full suspension bike as the default pony.  I reckon the bike choice might have cost me a good ten minutes.

Be conservative with the bike gearing

I got the tyre selection perfect, along with tyre pressures - Yes!  However, I chose my gearing on the basis that the average speed was going to be a brisk 20 km per hour.  What I did not know was there were numerous short pinches, including stone terraces, that required the lowest gearing possible and I had the opposite!  This meant wasted energy, with strain on the legs and excessive heart rates, especially in the first half of the race that cost me dearly later. I lost a lot of time over the last 1/3 of the race as a result of having to work to hard up the hills earlier on.

Keep heart rate to 140 beats per minute

This means dropping back more within the field for the first half, having better gearing for hills and avoiding the temptation to keep with any over-the-top surges by others.  I think this means making about 150 beats the maximum for a race of that duration.  

In case you are wondering lack of energy intake and fluid were not factors.  I ate well and was hydrated (too hydrated actually!).

Get in more training kilometers or else choose shorter races

Gearing and bike selection aside: Its pretty obvious from the results that I am currently only fit enough to go hard for about 2-3 hours - not 5.  I think I will choose to do shorter races for the time-being.  I am too busy with other things to spend all day training.  The other factor, is the World Champs are July/August next year and I have yet to decide if I will contest the short course or marathon distances, or both.  There is little point in going hard out with big training with still a year to go.

Hey - no complaints at all really!  After all I won my category by a whopping hour-plus and this is after starting the year thinking my sporting days were well and truly over.

An astonishing example of a successful programme to minimise postoperative scarring

Get your reading glasses on folks, you're going to need them!

Seven weeks ago my ankle was sliced and diced with enough metal and screws inserted to hold down a Wellington roof!  One of my concerns was excessive scar formation, not just to the skin, but to the tissues such as the ligaments and tendons.  

Scar is necessary for knitting together damaged structures and providing a scaffold for healthy new tissue to grow. Scar formation is essential; but there is a Goldilocks zone - not to much and not too little - just right!  Too much and you end up with thickened, ugly tissue that has ongoing strictures and adhesions that limit function.  Scar tissue tends to shrink and harden over the year or so following injury and this can further bind down joints and tendons.

Post-operation, if the tissues swell too much, and the wound may open a little, stretching the stitches.   This is a frequent issue. The end result can be a broad, purple scar which can be quite unsightly.  My main concerns about visible scar are not cosmetic but to ensure that I restore to 100% strength and function.  This includes ensuring "healthy" scar and its timely removal once its job has been done.  This might sound like a fanciful goal that we have no influence over; but we actually do.  We know well the way scar is formed and modified over time and how this can be influenced by balancing minerals such as zinc and copper, the role of vitamin C in collagen formation and we now have systemic enzymes that soften scar and remove old scar.  Amazing and exciting! 

I began a programme of supplementing with special nutraceuticals that help to regulate scar formation and for aiding the removal of old scar and replacement with healthy new tissue.  I also took a number of things to control inflammation without interfering with healing.  The other thing I did for several weeks while in the plaster cast is keep my leg elevated most of the time other than when hopping from A to B.

Did it work?  Here are some photos of the scarring at 6.5 weeks.  You be the judge.

Spot the scar: Its a long slice along the medial malleolus of the tibia where the surgeon peeled the flesh back to insert some expensive hardware.

Can you see the scar over the ankle joint where the surgeon opened me up to reduce the dislocation and to insert some hardware?  Remind yourself that these are just 6 weeks old.

More visible than the other scars, this one is over where the most hardware was inserted to repair the shattered fibula.  Not bad eh?

Previous articles:

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/01/first-aid-treatment-for-severe-ankle.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/01/my-ankle-fracture-dislocation-two-weeks.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/02/sleep-deprivation-following-severe-leg.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/02/my-ankle-fracture-six-weeks-on.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/02/my-ankle-fracture-dislocation-week.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/01/ankle-fracture-how-to-speed-bone.html

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

My ankle fracture-dislocation: week seven - getting moving

Its Monday morning, just coming into five days after having the plaster removed, and I must admit to feeling shattered right now.  This is because of the chronic lack of sleep, constant pain and possibly because I have been shifting a lot of stagnant fluid about and this can cause flu-like symptoms.

The foot hurts constantly, the skin is very sensitive and any pressure on the ankle is almost unbearable, especially when trying to sleep.  I have not had a full night of sleep for seven weeks now.  It makes no difference whether I take painkillers or not.  The best I can do is put the headphones on and listen to some music while I lie in bed tossing and turning.  Having said this, rest assured that I am in good spirits and delighted with the progress being made.

This is my foot three days after having the plaster off.  Very stiff, weak, sore and swollen - bearing in mind that I my ankles are normally very skinny.

Now, how's that for a spectacular and delightful reduction in swelling!  You will note, as well, that there is a little muscle coming back already.  This photo was taken yesterday. This spectacular improvement has been achieved by:

• Effleurage massage with coconut oil once a day.  The body's tissues are very sponge-like and it is astonishing how easily fluid can be shifted/drained with the aid of an expert therapist (in this case my partner, Alofa).
• Massaging in a non-drugs form of anti-inflammatory cream.  This settles and soothes any inflammation while not in any way interfering with the healing processes.  NSAID drugs interfere with healing and should not be used in all but the most exceptional cases of inflammation.  http://blog.garymoller.com/2012/06/does-taking-anti-inflammatory-drugs.html
• Hot bath once a day soaking in Epsom Salts.  Epsom Salts are Magnesium Sulphate which aid with tissue circulation and detoxification.  Sweating in a hot bath is also an excellent way to remove water and toxins directly from the leg while giving the liver and kidneys a well-earned rest.
• Keeping the leg elevated all the time, other than when shuffling about the house (movement encourages blood and lymphatic flow; whereas standing and sitting does the opposite).

Today is definitely a rest day, keeping the leg elevated and compressed.  I'm going to avoid any stress on it.  It is telling me that it needs a break from any weight bearing and other stresses today.  Hot bath and gentle massage will be about the lot.  

The leg still hurts and the constant lack of sleep means I still need to rest and nap often during the day. While this may seem an idyllic way to spend one's time, I can tell you that I am well and truly over it.  I have been hanging around the house for seven weeks apart from a couple of excursions downtown and the occasional hop around the suburbs on crutches.

All that aside, it was a nasty injury and I am truly delighted with my progress; but still eager to get back on my bike - oh - and back to full and unimpeded work.  Those are not far off.

I think my next update will be about resuming exercise and improving strength and mobility of the leg.

Previous articles:

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/01/first-aid-treatment-for-severe-ankle.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/01/my-ankle-fracture-dislocation-two-weeks.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/02/sleep-deprivation-following-severe-leg.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/02/my-ankle-fracture-six-weeks-on.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/01/ankle-fracture-how-to-speed-bone.html

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

My ankle fracture six weeks on

The original damage: enough hardware to secure a Wellington roof.  Praises be to the surgeon and his team for doing a wonderful job of screwing me back together.  If I was in a 3rd World country I would probably now be on a street corner with a foot facing the wrong way and holding up a begging bowl.

Plaster coming off - thank goodness!  But in for a quite a shock.... My days of leisure are now coming to an end...

Is there more to meet the eye than the expected?  There sure is...

Oh dear - and I thought I had small ankles!  The foot is very swollen, sore and with little range of motion.  It feels like it is detached from the leg which is a most disconcerting feeling.  While not unexpected, the severity after 6 weeks is still surprising.

The good news is that the follow up xrays show the bones are very nicely knitted.  The surgeon has done well.

The nutrition and other strategies to ensure good healing must have also helped - no harm for sure.

Anyone feel like mushrooms for dinner?  The result of six weeks in a sweaty cast in the middle of a historic heat wave.  The sight and the smell were quite shock.  Very smelly and not at all pleasant to look at.

My partner, Alofa, was given the unenviable job of thoroughly washing the foot before the long taxi drive home.  The windows were kept open - phew!

My ankle a few days later.  Swollen and painful.

The 7th to 8th week will be devoted to getting the swelling under control along with carefully increasing the range of movement.  Right now, the foot is still very sore and feels like it is about to fall off.  Range of movement is very limited and crutches are required to get around.  Sleep is fitful even with painkillers.

Note the calf muscle loss as compared to the very muscular and toned right leg.  Swelling is being steadily reduced by the use of compression bandaging from the toes to the top of the calf (It is important that compression for swelling covers the entire limb part and not just the swollen region).  The leg is also elevated at all times other than walking (shuffling).  I'm in no hurry to push the walking - "One small step for Gary....", if you get the drift.

Leg elevated while typing this article using a special leg support on loan from ACC.  While its a little awkward, the benefit is improving hamstring flexibility.  I'm also getting effleurage massage once a day, with coconut oil, to shift the fluid out of the leg.  It is interesting that I have felt a little ill over the last two days.  I wonder if this is due to the increase in toxic fluids now being shifted into the circulation.  This may be the cause of the flu-like symptoms.  I have stepped up liver support.

Related articles:

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/01/first-aid-treatment-for-severe-ankle.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/01/my-ankle-fracture-dislocation-two-weeks.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/02/sleep-deprivation-following-severe-leg.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/02/my-ankle-fracture-six-weeks-on.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/02/my-ankle-fracture-dislocation-week.html

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/01/ankle-fracture-how-to-speed-bone.html

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

Sleep deprivation following a severe leg injury

I have one day to go before the plaster is removed from my leg - yeeha!  Once its off the real work begins with the gradual process of restoring full strength and function.  I have done everything right so far; but I do not expect the road ahead to be easy.

I have been advised that I will need another operation to remove the plate and screws securing the medial malleolus.  I agree because it has been bothering me for the last six weeks - and that's while immobilised in a plaster cast!

One of the worst things about carrying a heavy brick around in my leg, especially on warm and humid nights, is my inability to sleep well.  This has been driving me nuts at times and I have felt sorry for my very patient partner, Alofa, who never once complained.  Many a time I expected her to call me a tosser in bed, but she has not.

My sleep has been recorded since the beginning of February using a Fitbit HR (refer image left).  The results are an interesting record of my struggles with sleep - or the lack of.  What you can see is that I have had as little as a few hours of unbroken sleep.  The good trend is that I have been steadily getting more and more sleep but this has been punctuated by more tossing and turning as the hours of sleep have gone up.  While I may now be getting up to eight hours of sleep, the quality remains very poor indeed.

With the plaster coming off tomorrow, it will be interesting to see if the quality improves to match the quantity.

The long screw you can see on the right of the image above, that looks like it came from the local hardware store, might be what can be felt to be digging into the flesh, causing constant discomfort and interfering with sleep.

Earlier articles about my leg injury can be found here:

http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/01/first-aid-treatment-for-severe-ankle.html

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!