Not part of the plan...

Unfortunately my big plan to try and get back into racing shape is on hold for the time being. 
Training was going well and I was out in the forest for a weekend ride and loving it when things turned slightly pear shaped. 
I had another fall over the bars and what I thought was a good crash with no damage, was not as I soon found out the next day. 
I have since spent a month in a neck brace due to ligament damage. 
I am not sure yet as to how long I will be out of riding for but just taking it one day at a time for now. Fingers crossed it is not much longer :)

Sweet New Ride!

THANK YOU MERIDA!
The new Ninety Nine has been out testing the trails this week and I am glad to say that it is one magic bike. 
I was a bit sceptical at first with the new suspension set up especially since the Merida 96 was just my dream bike, but they definitely know what they are doing when they design these things. 
The bike is more upright with a shorter head tube that climbs like a dream and the new suspension set up means the bike is designed to respond to those bumps and go downhill FAST! 

New Merida Ninety Nine 

The summer season was awesome fun and looking back at where I started and with where I am now, is definitely motivating to get in those hours training over the winter. 
I began my National  Mountain Bike Series Calendar on the side line as the course was too steep and by the top of the climb my legs were no longer responding. Next race was a goer, a wicked fun trail in Christchurch where stopping in the race to stretch and try to relax and get my back muscles to release was a very real and annoying factor to slow me down. 

Feeling the hurt but still loving it.
This is why I ride my bike :)

Winning the Senior Women's race...
Bonus!

A few weeks later and some good recovery and training meant the next race in Napier was a good race to set a goal of not having to stop mid-race.... And that I did, achieving a huge milestone in my rehab/ recovery. I raced, and raced hard till the end. Feeling stronger and really being able to get that burn in the legs on the last lap to finish, which I so miss! 
The recovery following racing was getting better and better, involving a good stretch and some lying down and a good sit meant my back muscles could release and the pain really not be an issue a few hours latter. 

Getting ready
 I forget about the nerves
 I DON"T miss them...

Going too fast for the camera, hehe.

The last major race for the summer season was the Oceania's in Rotorua, home trails... Yus!
There was a good solid goal that I was aiming for and aiming high is better than not aiming at all, so that is what I did. So turns out I have made that much progress. I am now the 2012 Opens Women's Oceania Champion!
I was pretty impressed :) What a feeling, it was such an awesome course, I didn't have to stop and the pain was managed as it came on through the second lap. That in itself, managing the pain, is huge progress and the better I get at it and the better my body gets at riding a bike again, hopefully that 'managing' part will be no more and I can JUST ride my bike again. 

Last half of the last lap and still loving it!

This new bike is going to be my new race machine over the winter and I am looking forward to testing it, as well as me on all the trails, and pushing those boundaries to get better and better. 

South Island Adventure

Along the East Coast heading to Kaikoura 

Training has been going well and the recovery is getting better and better. I have now ventured down the South Island on a road trip to race and watch the South Island Mountain Bike Cup and be part of the action at Challenge Wanaka.

The first of the South Island cups were in Dunedin and so far the racing was a no go. The track was brutally steep and on a practice lap, it was a quick and sure decision not to race. I got maybe half way up the one and only steep climb and already NEEDED to stop, have a break and stretch to try and release the tension in my back and get the legs feeling again. Only the tension was there for a solid few hours after only that one cruisy lap.
I didn't want a repeat of the Tauranga North Island Cup last year and this race be the end of me for another year. And with a positive feel for the Christchurch course having ridden it a few times on the way down to Dunedin with no issues training, I am looking forward to having a hit out in that race.

Looking down at the race HQ in Dunedin. Standing up
the climb only a fraction of the way up. 

The plan in Christchurch is to take it easy as it is my first race since my last attempt and try have some fun without the added pressure to perform that top level racing puts out.
Now Dunedin is done, everyone makes their way to Christchurch for the next battle. Huge congratulations to Anton Cooper, Carl Jones and Karen Hanlen, super performances!

Some of the Elite Women
heading up the climb.

But for this week, till Saturday afternoon, I am in Wanaka with Olly Shaw where he is preparing for a different kind of battle in a half Ironman at Challenge Wanaka. For me, it is training and play time in the sun and wicked trails to keep improving and moving forward towards Christchurch on Sunday morning.

Recovery Update

Everything has sort of been a bit of a roller-coaster lately with the recovery and rehab programme but I am making progress.
I have days that are good and days that are not so great, depending majority of the time how I push myself on those days I feel good. I am still learning to be patient and understand that this will not be fixed or fixable and that my body will need plenty of time to adapt.
The progress... as much as I love the gym programmes... (not really at all) they are helping a lot and my stability and support has improved significantly since the beginning. We are progressing at least on a monthly basis with this and the riding is going slowly but happening. The running has come to a complete halt, I tried and it didn't go to plan as my body can't take the impact and sets me back too far. So walking fast is the substitute again. Fun fun.
I am working hard- definitely in a different way than I am used to but it is paying off. This may be a long road but I know what it feels like to be fit, functioning properly and the feeling of getting lost in our wonderful trails for hours. One small step at a time.

Start Again

The Specialist appointment last week involved assessing my latest MRI scan and was full of good news in the sense that 2 of the 3 disks have healed and I can start training and building up again. But the not so good news, the bottom L5-S1 disk is now compressed with no fluid inside the disk. 

The Orthopedic surgeon thinks the injury is as healed as it can be and does not believe it will get worse so it will be a case of managing the injury. Showing his confidence and knowledge he also believes I can make it back to where I was and better if I manage the injury carefully. I am now allowed to slowly begin building up with training again. He stresses to me the importance of listening to my body as I do not want to destroy the scar tissue that is in place of the fluid. It could be a fast build up or a slow build up depending on what my body will allow me to do. The running as part of my Xterra racing may cause issues with the impact on the compressed disk but I am super excited to get back into training even if it mean focusing on mountain biking and swimming for a while. 

I have learnt a valuable lesson from my injury and that is how much I actually enjoy my sport. It is hard and sometimes it is easy to get lost in why you do it and training soon becomes a chore, I never want to feel like that. So many things I took for granted. I was unable to walk for a short period of time, that happened twice, once from trying to get back into it too early and over doing it big-time. 

I now appreciate what I can do and make the most of it. I am looking forward to getting back into it and being honest with myself in listening to my body- another lesson I yet to learn, but I am learning.

Better Picture

I am collecting all of my x-rays and my MRI scan to go back for another MRI to look at where I am now at and if there is any improvement. 
I am hoping for a better outcome than the previous MRI but at least I will know what is going on and working with an orthopedic surgeon, I am sure we will come up with a wicked plan. 
Day to day living is going sweet and I have no trouble, it is just hard to not get carried away with exercise and have expectations of what I SHOULD be able to do. I am getting better and recovering, it is just taking its sweet time. 
MRI results to come....

A wee mishap...

Things were looking good and progress was a happening thing all until I pushed it a tad too far.
It is so hard to gage how hard I can push myself, as it turned out the race and then testing and training, not allowing enough down time meant 3 days following a run lactate test I was in hospital.
Laying in the hospital being unable to stand or walk on my own and being on intense pain killers and a muscle relaxant for 10 days was a huge wake up call. One I do not want to repeat at all.

The specialist tells me its a 'blip' and it happens. 
Now the plan is for few weeks down time and slow build up again to training, and then no more rushing the comeback from injury. Another reminder from the specialist that surgery is not an option. That if I don't get it right I will continue to have issues and it will become a case of managing the injury instead of allowing it to heal and then move forward, was a reality check.

For the rest of the year it will be a slow and managed recovery process to allow more time without rushing. Playing it safe seems to be a good idea.