I know, I know.... it's been almost a year! Let me help catch you up!!
So - my training wasn't the best last year on reflection, that I know! I mean, an exercise bike parked infront of your tv and a few spin classes doesn't equate to a 'training regime' but it helped me out! I know I should have done more road work in preparation for my cycle, but I didn't! Sue Me!
But - I did make it to Malin Head! On one leg - so to speak!
When we were heading from Westport to Sligo, everything was rosy! I was after figuring out my flow, I was able to keep up with the lead car for the most part - then we stopped about 19km outside Crossmolina, lack of water on one of the hottest days of the year is not the safest thing to have while cycling. So, after topping up on water, we carry on - myself, Fionnbar, Paddy and a few others whose names now evade me.
I start feeling a pain in my left knee, thinking nothing much about it other than it was uncomfortable and that I'll be able to massage it out in Ballina on lunch break. Paddy asks how I'm holding up - myself, himself and Fionnbar are in a little trio for a few kms at this point - 'I'm starting to feel a pain in my knee, Paddy', I remember myself telling him, to which he offered a reply of support to keep me going. I could feel myself starting to flag behind them not long afterwards...
About 3km outside of Crossmolina, I remember hitting a bump and the pain shoots through my knee - FCUKING HELL!!! Tears flow out of my eyes, I pull up to a house to try and 'stretch it out', the van pulling up beside me. Im crying in pain now, not able to stretch it out as I thought and have to accept the lift in the van to where the rest of the peloton are. A quick chat with the medic leads to me heading into Ballina in the van, to see if a rest will help my knee. Needless to say, in Ballina I couldn't pedal around the little court in which we were dining. I had to sit in the lead car from Ballina to Sligo and watch the rest of my peloton from the car. I was down, but not out. Or so I thought...
After taking a half day the following day, and getting a lift to Donegal to meet the rest of the team with one of the physios, I ask for my bike, feeling a bit confident that I'll be able to join in with them from Donegal to Letterkenny! I'll test it out in the Diamond, I remember saying to myself! One push down on the pedal with my left knee, the pain shot through in, the tears start again and then I realise 'Shit, I can't cycle!!" I was heartbroken! Richard, one of my fellow cyclists and a former Munster/Ireland/Lions rugby player, spots me and comes over to me to ask me what has me upset! I nearly break down in telling him that I've hurt my knee and that I can't cycle with it, and that 'Now I know how you guys feel when you get injured!' He helps console me, tells me Im better off in taking the rest of the day off and not to beat myself up about it! A couple of other cyclists spot me in the lunch hall and query why I'm upset, and i explain what happened and why I was in the Diamond with Rich, 'Yes, we saw you two chatting alright and we were wondering why you were so upset!'
It killed me having to go to Letterkenny in the lead car! At the dinner that night, while I was chatting to some other cyclists, Richard came up to me to see how I was feeling after that chat at lunch... It really touched me the way he thought to seek me out to ask how I was feeling - His wife is one extremely lucky woman to have a man so kind to love her! All in all, I had to take another half day on the final day when we were en route to Malin Head! I could only cycle the flat surfaces - and that was hard enough when you have taken 2 anti inflammatories to numb the pain but could only really cycle with one leg! I walked up Malin Head hill with my bike at my side, but I made it - not the way I wished to make it, but I made it there!
So, 4 months later, I was able to get back on a spinning bike with no pain while pedalling! The feeling was amazing! Im still a bit weary but I just take a break if I feel that my knee could risk getting hurt again! But, the glutton for punishment that I am - signed back up for the same cycle again!! But I'm doing this year what I should have done last year - training properly with plenty of weights, spinning and road practice, working up to long distance cycling to help get myself accustomed to the distances once again! I am also watching my diet, if only all the goods from christmas time were gone out of the house, it might be a bit easier to do that part! :P
