The Girl With the Crazy Hair

I am officially "that" person. The type we all chuckle at in our heads. The one who power-hikes with a cast and sling that is strapped to her torso. The one who walks everywhere at top speed (power-walk commuting, as I like to call it). The one who wears the same yoga pants and zip top everyday (easy to pull on/off). The one who rides the trainer with the two aerobars sticking straight up, wearing a bandeau bra, HR strap and headband (the blinds remain CLOSED during these workouts!). Oh, and I'm the one with the crazy frizz hair. Yes, I have given up on ponytails (torturing Adam with this task was too cruel). And today, I was the girl in the deep tank of the pool, with no swim cap, hair floating everywhere, goggles, flippers, one arm strapped to my side and the other (casted) attempting a one-arm stroke. The lifeguards were on call and probably came close to a rescue. But, thanks to the fins, I actually turned out to be a good fit for the "moderate" lap lane.

I've been doing my best to make the most of this crappy situation. I've been staying as active as possible but refusing to put myself in situations where I could make silly decisions. I remember with my elbow fracture from a couple of years ago, I would constantly aggravate it by carrying grocery bags, chopping food, etc. Thanks to wonderful hubby, Adam and mother-in-law extraordinare, Wendy, I have been VERY well taken care of. I sure am one lucky crazy-haired girl.

If anyone has any collarbone or other broken bone healing stories, I'd love to hear them!

Back in the saddle

I didn't expect to be back on the bike 5 days post-crash, especially after a sleepless, frustrating night. But, I woke up this morning and declared that I would be training today (yikes!). So, I met up with Bill Fry at the Trek shop. Bill is an excellent bike fitter and passionate about all things on two wheels so I thought he might like the challenge of setting me up in a reasonably comfy position. Right away he had this huge grin on his face and starts pulling out all of these aerobars from the 80's. No joke, these were HUGE! Ok, they were likely from the 90's as they resembled modern aerobars more than ski poles, but you get the jist...they were OLD! We played around with a few different dorky positions before we settled on a combo of a different aerobar for each arm. The broken clavicle side gets the longer "non-drafting" length and the broken wrist side gets the "ITU" bar. My bike officially looks ridiculous. We were laughing all the way out of the shop and I think both Adam and I were slightly embarrassed to walk this bike home, passing through the neighbourhood skate park.


I think the handlebar mounted waterbottle cage/remote control holder really completes the look.

I rode for 45 minutes tonight. I can't say it felt incredible (there were a few tears), but it sure did feel good to crank out a sweat again! It's a start, I guess.

DORK ALERT!!!!!

New cast!

Today is Day 3 since the injury and I think I can safely say I am on the mend. Yesterday I experienced "rock bottom" in terms of pain and fatigue, especially after the travel. It sure was a nice feeling to get home and finally take a shower. I know this probably sounds quite gross, but I was still wearing my sports bra from the bike ride when I arrived in Vic. I had no way to get it off after the crash and I still couldn't manage to squeeze it off when I got home. So, Adam got out the scissors and I said a final goodbye before it was snipped to pieces.

The big news of the day was my new cast on my wrist. I had a temporary monster of a cast put on at the hospital. It was extremely awkward but very supportive as I never felt any pain in that wrist until today when I had it removed. The new cast is much smaller and allows for more movement which is not necessarily a good thing as I am already trying to do more with that hand. I can't forget that there is still a broken bone in there! But the new splint is custom, removable and designed to allow me to rest it on the handlebars and also to use in the water. I'm not sure I am ready to hop on the trainer just yet, but I am getting closer. I walked around town a bit this afternoon and plan to do an official "training" walk tomorrow. Who knows, I might even wear my RUN clothes ;)

Enjoying a brownie in Maui, still wearing the monster cast and THE sports bra.

Getting fitted for the new splint today. Notice my lovely pony-tail/headband combo (care of hairstylist Adam).

I begged to get the "paddle" splint....

oh dear...

So it turns out the Maui camp wasn't meant to be for me this year.

I crashed on the bike during our first long ride, fracturing my left clavicle and right wrist. How it happened is a bit of a blur, but from what I remember something flew out of a jersey onto the road during a technical descent, resulting in some reactive breaking. The good news is that the injuries weren't worse, and both bones will heal up nicely, especially under the care of our fantastic support staff. The unfortunate news is that hubby, Adam will be taking on the role as hairdresser, esthetician, chauffeur, chef, and chick-flick renter as both arms are currently out of commission. I trust his cooking skills but I have a feeling I will be opting for a buzz cut in the near future...

It was sad to leave the camp as we were just getting rolling. We really have a great group of dedicated, hard-working, and positive athletes and coaches this year and it was inspiring to train with them, even if it was just a few days. I already look forward to joining the gang when they return to Vic and hopefully in Tucson next month.

A special thanks to Kirsten and Paula for taking such good care of me. Washing my hair in the sink, feeding me brownies, brushing my teeth, fixing my ponytail every two minutes, and even waking up to see how I was in the night. And to Brent for packing my bike as I just sat there like a princess (honestly I wanted to help...).

This has all been typed with one finger so I am going to take a rest now. More on the recovery soon.

Daily shop at Mana Foods

lauren at mana foods (yippie heaven) from swhitfield on Vimeo.

Thanks to Simon for another fun video.

And, yes, I am a total yuppie...

thats how its done. from swhitfield on Vimeo.

Intuition

I am not writing this from Maui where I should be if all had gone according to plan. I am still in BC, but at least now am confident with how things are going...and finally en route to Hawaii!

I've struggled with some tightness in one leg for a few weeks but it wasn't until last Monday that I realized, OK, this is more than just tightness. It eventually became a sore spot in my knee and if past experiences have taught me anything, I know NOT to mess around with knees. Obviously training through pain (the bad kind) is never a good idea so I was careful to get right on recovery and treatment. I started to see improvement quickly and by the weekend I was able to do a shorter run. But, the soreness was still there....a bit..... and I hoped so very much that it would settle down in time for our flight on Monday. But, you can't give your healing body a deadline.... It was definitely better, but my gut was telling me not to get on that plane. I needed another day to let the body heal before the trip and the start of the camp. This was not an easy decision though and many thanks to Adam, Patrick and Kirsten who were at the airport check-in to offer support (yes, this decision was VERY last minute). It was bizarre to drive away from the airport, with the car full of luggage, amidst a rain and wind storm, after begging the check-in lady NOT to put me on that plane to Maui. YES, crazy I know, but you've got to follow your intuition sometimes.

Finding the cause of the knee troubles has been a tricky process. I am usually a believer of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy, and maybe even more so now...

On a happier note, I am the proud owner of my first ever garden! It's on our rooftop and is waiting for some TLC once I return next month. The goal is to grow some edible veggies this summer, but if my developing green thumb lets me down, at least I can have some fun playing in the dirt!

New Year, New Name, New Blog

This is a new year and I have a new name and with that comes a NEW blog, one that will be updated on more of a regular basis (because I know everyone out there is dying to hear about the little dogs I saw, the tasty treats I enjoyed or the latest sea (or pool) creatures I've encountered). I am currently setting up the new blog and will post the link to Lauren Campbell's adventures in the coming days.

This winter has been nothing other than amazing. From the training, to family time over the holidays, to spending our first Christmas in Victoria in the new apartment, to the wedding, it is one that will stick with us forever. The wedding was incredible. Honestly, I don't think I can describe it any other way than to say it was perfect. It was very "us" which was exactly what we wanted. There were probably just as many tears as there were smiles and laughs which was unexpected for Adam and I as we've had the last 9 years to build this bond. I guess I had thought of this as more of a celebration than anything else. Geeze, was I ever wrong... weddings are emotional! The waterworks started as soon as we looked at each other and continued right through the end of the vows. It was an incredibly special day and we felt so lucky to be able to share it with our closest friends and family.


The honeymoon consisted of a swim at Commonwealth Pool with bridesmaid Sarah "Saucey" Groff. Adam was off for a run (swimming is not his thing these days) so as you can see, married life has been same old, same old right from the start. And, that's not a bad thing as I wouldn't change this life for anything in the world.

Next up is the Maui training camp. We are off on Monday for three weeks of hard work in the sunshine and I cannot wait. I feel as though I've set up a really strong foundation this winter but now it's time to get some power in the legs. I know one certain volcano that should do just the trick...