A few years ago, I was watching a reality show about mixed martial arts fighters. It was a "Survivor" type show but with the twist that the participants actually fought each other to see who would had to leave the show. During one of the episodes, one of the fighters was nursing an injured shoulder and wasn't sure if he could get in the ring. He asked one of the coaches for advice and was told something that has stuck with me ever since. The coach said, "No one ever gets in the ring feeling 100%. Fighting at 100% is a myth. There is always going to be something bothering you and equally important there will be something bothering your opponent too."
This resonated with me because I don't think I've ever been 100% over a triathlon season. There has always been something affecting my workout regimen--whether it be plantar fasciitis, shin splints, a sore shoulder, an upper respiratory infection, etc. At times I would be uncertain if that particularly injury was going to heal in time for that season's key race. In 2003, while driving to Ironman CDA, I came down with a mysterious flu-like illness that didn't clear up until just a few days before the race. I was so sick that I was unsure that I'd be well enough to even start. In 2005, back problems almost completely derailed my season until an epidural 90 days before Ironman Arizona put me back on track. Just before I received the injection, I was wondering how in the world I was going to be able to recover in time to allow for enough training to be able to do the race. But it did and I had a good race.
It has happened so many times that I have gotten pretty good at not stressing out when an injury occurs. Without knowing how, I have this feeling that everything will all turn out okay in the end. That was before this last injury however. First off, it is a new injury. I have been blessed with healthy knees so having pain in that critical area is new to me. Second, unlike previous injuries, this one is affecting not only my ability to run but also to bike. Swimming is a great exercise but it hardly prepares the body to ride 112 miles or run 26. Worst of all, however is the time. It happened the very week that I was going to start my big ramp up for Ironman China. While some people have said in so many words that it is good that it happened now, before I've put in a lot of time running and biking. I'm thinking the opposite. I wish I had a better base of bike/running to fall back on. That way when my knee gets better I would be just dealing with trying to get back to where I was.
I saw a knee specialist last week and then got my MRI this week. When I called the doctor to find out what they found he said "good news, you don't need surgery." I said, "No, 'good news' would be that you want me to immediately start running." My rehabilitation is going to be physical therapy--basically strengthening the muscles around the knee. I will leave it for another column what the exact prognosis, but suffice to say that 4-5 hour bike rides do not appear to be in my immediate future.
I'm not ready to yet throw in the towel and pull out of China and have given myself a few more weeks before I have to make that decision. Due to the logistics of traveling across the planet it is a decision that can't wait until the last minute. But I would like to give PT a shot for a week or two before I pull the plug.
There is some upside to this however. Since I can't run or bike, I've been putting all of my energy into my swimming. I have been regularly doing double Masters swim workouts and have moved up 2 lanes in the past 4 weeks. This morning Mark Spitz (former world record swimmer and winner of 9 gold medals for swimming) was in my lane--following me! This would have never happened if I was also having to bike and run. While it is a very small victory in comparison to doing Ironman China, when you have a throbbing knee you take your victories where you can get them.
By the way, I want to thank everyone who emailed me about my predicament . I'm going to use a few of those as the basis of my next posting. In fact, I want to still cover the China race even if I am not able to go. The best way to do that is via your experiences since I won't be having any of my own. If you are training for Ironman China or are having a knee problem, or in fact have anything else that is relevant that you want to share, then please email me at my Hotmail.com address, which starts with Pacifico555.