As the title suggests this blog will primarily be about the details of my injury that has plagued me for the last 10 weeks. Using my very limited medical knowledge I will try and inform (without boring) you of my injury demons which led me to pull out of Worthing Triathlon. This blog will also be more bloggy and less visual as I think most of you won't want pictures of my knees and glutes. But as always, I will start with update.
UPDATE
If you read my last blog you will be aware that in August I went on a training camp to St Moritz run by the one and only Brett Sutton. It was here where I had the privilege to train alongside many Pros including Nicola Spirig whilst she was just 1 week out from the Olympics. She went on to win silver after igniting the race, essentially leading the whole 40k of the bike and seriously challenging the formidable runner that is Gwen Jorgensen. It was a real insight and possibly a once in a lifetime experience to witness her incredible mental resilience and some of her crazy training sessions whilst on 'taper' for the games. Amid this, all the Pros at the Trisutto camp were exceptionally kind and welcoming towards me, what a great atmosphere is was and a week I will never forget.
I was picked up from St Moritz by my parents and we then drove to the Oztal valley in Austria where we would stay for another week. On the second day I woke up at 5:30 in an attempt to ride my first HC and make it back for breakfast in time. HC, for those who don't know, means a mountain that your car would struggle getting up. This particular climb was only 6 miles long but an average gradient of near 11% with a 2 mile section at 14% meant for a very slow morning ride. Whilst I was riding as easy as possible it still took me 1 hour to cover the 6 miles, and for those who are less mathematically inclined I will help you out, that equates to an average speed of 6 miles per hour AKA disgustingly slow!
Besides training, we were enjoying the summer in the Alps and all it has to offer, what an amazing place it is. But before we knew it we were back on a plane to the UK and fast forward 2 weeks to present day as I writing this, now back at school, post-holiday blues spring to mind.
INJURY DEMONS
Back to the chase. As I have mentioned in a previous blog I have had some minor knee pain when running and cycling. After being plagued by this annoyance for 2 months we realized this wasn't something that will just 'go away'. By this point I had already seen a few physios but to no avail, time to step up and take this more seriously. My dad had knee problems in the past so we were aware of a great specialist in Windsor. It was him whom I went to and following an MRI and a couple of X-rays he diagnosed me with medial Plica syndrome. Which sounds very serious but in reality it is simply inflammation of some useless tissue (fold in lining of knee joint) However, despite the actual source of pain being minor, it is what causes the Plica to become inflamed which is where my problem lies. This problem was presented very visually for me by a physio who drew a small tracking line on either kneecap. I then stood in front of a mirror and jogged on the spot, my right leg and knee tracked almost vertical which is normal, my left....not so normal. the leg internally rotates and the knee bends inwards.
UPDATE
If you read my last blog you will be aware that in August I went on a training camp to St Moritz run by the one and only Brett Sutton. It was here where I had the privilege to train alongside many Pros including Nicola Spirig whilst she was just 1 week out from the Olympics. She went on to win silver after igniting the race, essentially leading the whole 40k of the bike and seriously challenging the formidable runner that is Gwen Jorgensen. It was a real insight and possibly a once in a lifetime experience to witness her incredible mental resilience and some of her crazy training sessions whilst on 'taper' for the games. Amid this, all the Pros at the Trisutto camp were exceptionally kind and welcoming towards me, what a great atmosphere is was and a week I will never forget.
I was picked up from St Moritz by my parents and we then drove to the Oztal valley in Austria where we would stay for another week. On the second day I woke up at 5:30 in an attempt to ride my first HC and make it back for breakfast in time. HC, for those who don't know, means a mountain that your car would struggle getting up. This particular climb was only 6 miles long but an average gradient of near 11% with a 2 mile section at 14% meant for a very slow morning ride. Whilst I was riding as easy as possible it still took me 1 hour to cover the 6 miles, and for those who are less mathematically inclined I will help you out, that equates to an average speed of 6 miles per hour AKA disgustingly slow!
Besides training, we were enjoying the summer in the Alps and all it has to offer, what an amazing place it is. But before we knew it we were back on a plane to the UK and fast forward 2 weeks to present day as I writing this, now back at school, post-holiday blues spring to mind.
INJURY DEMONS
Back to the chase. As I have mentioned in a previous blog I have had some minor knee pain when running and cycling. After being plagued by this annoyance for 2 months we realized this wasn't something that will just 'go away'. By this point I had already seen a few physios but to no avail, time to step up and take this more seriously. My dad had knee problems in the past so we were aware of a great specialist in Windsor. It was him whom I went to and following an MRI and a couple of X-rays he diagnosed me with medial Plica syndrome. Which sounds very serious but in reality it is simply inflammation of some useless tissue (fold in lining of knee joint) However, despite the actual source of pain being minor, it is what causes the Plica to become inflamed which is where my problem lies. This problem was presented very visually for me by a physio who drew a small tracking line on either kneecap. I then stood in front of a mirror and jogged on the spot, my right leg and knee tracked almost vertical which is normal, my left....not so normal. the leg internally rotates and the knee bends inwards.
This is happening every time I bend my left leg, every run, every stride, every cycle, every pedal stroke. Furthermore I have multiple other small issues which have not yet caused pain but nevertheless are present. Here is my all inclusive injury tally:
-Medial Plica Syndrome
-Fat Pad inflammation
-ITB friction
-Weak left VMO
So yes, my leg is pretty messed up. But the next question.... how do I fix my broken body? The fix is something 99% of the population could do with improving: GLUTES!! the muscles which were meant for Humans' stability and control but in modern life have turned into overqualified cushions. In my case specifically the gluteus medius and minimus which are in control of abducting the leg.
Thankfully I finally know what's causing the pain, I also know what is causing the cause of the pain and I know how to fix what is causing the cause of the pain. Simples. I now have been given a barrage of arse aching exercises to cure me of my lopsidedness, so for the next 6 weeks sitting down is going to be rather painful.
Before I end I must say for an injury like this to come around it's timing was impeccable. I have achieved all I wanted to achieve this season, It has not affected any major races and it means I will hopefully be firing on all cylinders to start winter training on time. Thank You fate. I want to also thank everyone who has helped my knee and I get back on track. Pun intended. Every person I have seen has been very helpful and has played a part in curing my wonkiness. Including PEDAL POTENTIAL whose support has helped me fix this problem quickly. A small road bump in our quest of world domination.
The very exciting thought in this saga is that if I can race the way I have raced this season with only 1 functional leg, I wonder what I can do if both are working properly...... we will find out in 9 months, stay tuned!
-Medial Plica Syndrome
-Fat Pad inflammation
-ITB friction
-Weak left VMO
So yes, my leg is pretty messed up. But the next question.... how do I fix my broken body? The fix is something 99% of the population could do with improving: GLUTES!! the muscles which were meant for Humans' stability and control but in modern life have turned into overqualified cushions. In my case specifically the gluteus medius and minimus which are in control of abducting the leg.
Thankfully I finally know what's causing the pain, I also know what is causing the cause of the pain and I know how to fix what is causing the cause of the pain. Simples. I now have been given a barrage of arse aching exercises to cure me of my lopsidedness, so for the next 6 weeks sitting down is going to be rather painful.
Before I end I must say for an injury like this to come around it's timing was impeccable. I have achieved all I wanted to achieve this season, It has not affected any major races and it means I will hopefully be firing on all cylinders to start winter training on time. Thank You fate. I want to also thank everyone who has helped my knee and I get back on track. Pun intended. Every person I have seen has been very helpful and has played a part in curing my wonkiness. Including PEDAL POTENTIAL whose support has helped me fix this problem quickly. A small road bump in our quest of world domination.
The very exciting thought in this saga is that if I can race the way I have raced this season with only 1 functional leg, I wonder what I can do if both are working properly...... we will find out in 9 months, stay tuned!