Well, rehab has officially begun…

“How can I go forward when I don’t know which way I’m facing?
How can I go forward when I don’t know which way to turn?
How can I go forward into something I’m not sure of?”
-John Lennon

Everything is pretty restricted. I am allowed to swim 500-1000 only 3x/week. I am running 10 x 80m 3x/week, working on my *new* run form. I am also allowed to cycle for 30:00 starting next week, but only a couple times.
Stretching and range of motion exercises every day.

Heat & ice, every day. Constantly.

This is the plan for the next 15 days.

If all seems improved after this block, then I get to double the above for another 15-day block. This is all so humbling…
I’m not feeling frustrated, really. It just is what it is.

Chuck thinks I may be able to do a Sprint by...

Guru from Hell

Chuck has been great. He tolerates my personality well and seems to find me pretty funny. He is a complete straight-shooter, pushes me and gets in my face when needed, tells me like it is but is quick to follow up with something encouraging, and makes me laugh. Professionally I have great respect for his knowledge, but personally, I like him, too.

Every day he has called to ask, “Do you feel your butt today?” By this he is asking if my gluts are sore from the exercises intended to recruit the muscle, but this has become the deliberate phrase used to evoke witty response. On cue I respond, “I love when men ask me this!” We both laugh into the phone. Every time.

It’s been pretty amazing to be in his clinic for the last week, not just the privilege of working with Chuck, but seeing the array of amazing athletes who come through its door as if its revolving. I have been there every day and have seen all kinds:...

Biomechanical Guru

To say Chuck Wolf is a “biomechanical guru” is like saying a lit match in a gasoline refinery could cause disaster. Uh, heck yeah!

After discussing my history for over an hour, I began what would be a 2.5 hour physical assessment. The start to this illuminated everything that was to come. With his clipboard in hand, Chuck told me to walk about 10 meters and turn around. As I was walking back towards him, the expression on his face was as if I had 6 heads. ?
“What? What’s wrong”, I asked.
“Is that seriously how you walk?”, Chuck asked.
I thought he was just taunting me.
“Yea”, I said.
Chuck’s expression then looked as if I had told him I was planning to live on fried pork rinds forever, and he scribbled vigorously onto his notepad.

Uh-oh.

For more than 2 hours I went through endless motion tests, and Chuck was amazingly thorough. I did various...

I saw this today:

“Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.”

- Orison Swett Marden -

April Showers Bring Paolina Flowers… :)

Every year when spring hits I hear my mother’s voice in my head cheerfully saying in 2 octaves higher, “April showers bring May flowers…” No, it’s not spring yet, but this morning I received a GREAT email from Paolina (Allan) which has me now eagerly anticipating spring.

She started with (I copied & pasted from her email: Are you looking forward to the Timex camp? Who are you rooming with, can you believe this I actually feel quite jealous that you will be rooming with someone else, sharing a room, telling stories…”

Polly was my roommate last year at team camp but this year will be in Scotland getting married during camp weekend. I will miss her, for sure. I know Hager and I will miss her during our morning 1-mile walk to Starbucks – last year they were ritual for the three of us and we would chat our mouths off!

So… Polly then asks if she can come and stay with me in April...