Head Injury Week 5 and 6: getting there?

It wasn’t till I reflected on the past few weeks that I remembered and realised that there have been more small improvements. There are still a string of frustrating side effects though: I am now at the point that I tend to forget that some things could still be related to the head injury.

Beijing (the world championships) is now frighteningly close, only just over a week away. I feel completely unprepared. I have to work hard to focus on the fact that my targets and goals are very much changed from their original, and that I am still in fact lucky to be alive. I am still going on my reverse pacing plan, start easy, finish up running for my life, so to speak!

The new athlete eating plan week 5: Eat pizza and lose weight!!

Well, not really, but in actual fact, coupled with the correct outlook and methodology, it’s true.

I’m getting the hang of this athlete diet from Martin MacDonald. I am not saying that means it gets easier, but I am getting the hang of it. I understand now, through doing it wrong last week as well as doing it right, that my body needs the correct fuel mix to perform. I have stuck strictly to the plan this week. I do find it tough still at times, I still haven’t shaken off my sugar addiction completely!

UNIQUE CAPTURE: who knew photos could be so much fun!!

I had the pleasure of meeting Chris from Unique Capture per chance when I stood in for someone at a local business meeting. He mentioned he was a photographer, and had cool business cards, so I decided to have a chat (not being that shy of a camera myself!)

They said they hadn't had a triathlete in their studios and invited me over to have some shots taken. Don't mind if I do... ;) I was told to bring over the bike, turbo trainer, trisuit, wet suit, and any other gismos, and was informed that it was ok, he had a paddling pool and they could get me all wet! (jeez I thought, what am I getting myself into here hahahah)

Powerbreathe trial week 9: ramping up the intensity!

still recovering from the head injury, so I feel all behind with my preparations. Still, nothing I can do about that i guess. 

 

The problem I currently have is related to change of pace and oxygen demand, so starting and stopping is hard work. I have upped the intensity of the training  a little this week, to introduce intervals and track sprints.

The new athlete eating plan week 4

Still quite a lot of pace change related dizziness this week from the head injury, so the injection of pace is limited.

The new way of thinking is still proving to be quite hard, although I have trained myself to reach for cashew nuts instead of cakes! It is tough though, when hubby is still eating whatever he wants to, whenever he wants to!!

Powerbreathe trial week 8: Learning to hurt again!

With the good progress following last week’s race, coach and I decided that it was perhaps safe to increase the intensity of the training somewhat. I have also been giving the World championships some serious thought, and have come up with a set of weekly goals to help me decide. I only have a few weeks left…

I WILL go to Beijing!

I have had a tough ride these past few weeks, mostly mentally, may I add. Dealing with a head injury has proved much more of a challenge than I could ever have imagined. Imagine all training and fitness ability is removed from you in an instant, only 6 weeks before the most important race of the season: the World Championships. It's very hard not to spiral into a downward depression realising all your season goals have just been taken away from you.


NLP has taught me a few valuable lessons though. You need to deal with the now. What's the point of fretting about yesterday? Or tomorrow? Or what everyone else thinks? I have not found this easy though. I simply couldn't work out the value and purpose of going to a race where I knew I would pull out a sub par performance. I reached the point where I was investigating how much of the money I could claim back and where I might find a consultant willing to write the letter.

The New athlete eating plan week 3

I have to record my weight every morning. This makes me all too aware how I am doing – like a slap in the face! I felt terrible at the end of last week, like I let Martin my nutritionist down. He was taking longer to reply to me so I knew he was cross. I had better do something.

Someone once said to me ‘you are always in control of what you put in your mouth’. That is so right. So I decided to try harder. I still find the new rules very tough, but I need to get a grip on this. I have never had a good relationship with food, so come on Mel, in reality this was never going to be a walk in the park now, was it??

Thoughts this week:

The New athlete eating plan week 2

Oh dear oh dear. I am finding this rather tough. It is a drastic change, very drastic. I complained to my husband about how impossible it was, how it was NEVER going to work, I could NEVER keep this up... his response has been ringing in my ears ever since.

He asked me why, when I was so disciplined with the training my coaches gave me to do (which I always do without failure and without question) was I not applying the same logic to this? Eating different was a new discipline, and I just simply had to learn it.

That told me didn’t it.

Things I am finding hard:

Head injury week 3 and 4: Project regain fitness begins

I have come to realise that a head injury is a little known and little appreciated thing. Why? Because I wish I had £5 for each person that has said to me this week ‘oh, gosh I am glad to see you have fully recovered now’.

I spoke to another head injury victim today. He was not a cyclist, it was completely different circumstances. However there were similarities. Natural assumptions. The problem with a head injury is all the symptoms are inside my head so how do YOU know how well I am? You don’t. You aren’t expected to. Therefore you assume. We all do.

The current symptoms:

Coping with Injury

The physical side of coping with injury is easy, right? You can’t physically do it, so that’s that... yes? No!

After my recent head injury, it wasn’t the lack of training that was worrying me, after all, I couldn’t even stand up, let alone swim, bike or run. It was the games that my mind was playing with me that was the issue.

How did I cope with the mental strain of injury?

Desford Sprint Triathlon: the head tester!

This was a pool based sprint triathlon held by Race Time Events in rural Leicestershire. For me it was a rehab exercise, and rather ambitious too, only 3 weeks post head injury, so I intended to enjoy it. It was a lovely sunny day, if not a little windy. I simply wanted to see if I could complete it without mishaps.

It was based in a village community college, ample parking, easy enough to find, and even warm showers afterwards (ok, I was in the first wave, so by the time the last competitor finished, maybe they weren’t still warm!)

Powerbreathe trial week 7: Project regain fitness commences!

SCAT concussion test round 3 started my week, and I am pleased to report that I was declared 'almost back to normal' whatever that means!

The dizzy spells are intermittent and getting more so, which is a good sign. All that remains, symptom wise, is that I am still unable to tilt my head or bend over to reach low down objects, which is a little irritating but MILES better than it has been. 

Pwerbreathe trial week 6: up and running, Kinda!

The forced go slow and new scatter brain that I seem to have developed is becoming very frustrating. I just can’t think or do as fast as I used to be able to do. Its like a need a pause button while my brain processes stuff. The number of times that I have had the ‘well?’ kind of looks from my husband – its getting quite regular.