Tuberosity and Chafing

Posted on July 17, 2010. Filed under: cycle, run, swim, triathlon |

Since I started training Saturday morning has always been the time for my long run or ride. However, this morning I woke up just before 7 ready to head out and discovered I still have a bit of a sensitive injury from Thursday night’s very wet brick (http://august-challenge.blogspot.com/2010/07/4-weeks-to-go.html). What no-one tells you when you start this kind of stuff is that you can tear muscles, break bones etc but real pain comes from chafing and friction injuries. As a larger and hairier athletic specimen I seem to suffer more than most and in the last 18months I have gone through more vaseline than a pharmacist would think was reasonable. The consequences of not lubing liberally are significant and in terms of performance I can only assume that the old hi-viz wifie got in front of me because I was weakened by the loss of blood!

So today instead of my 4.5hour ride I will go for a shorter training day with a 2 hour ride and a 1 hour run. My chafing limit is somewhere within those time limits and hopefully I will recover enough to take the more sensitive abrasions out tomorrow.

I mentioned the injury in the previous post so here is the full story. On the 10th Jun I was biking down to the borders and was about 10k from the end when the Sultry Temptress (the new wheels, also known by the less kind as Jezebel. You can see her here http://www.justgiving.com/Daft-Dougie) decided that I just wasn’t good enough for her and bucked me. She stopped serenely at the side of the road and after a brief glide through the air I made contact with tarmac and travelled on my left hand side for a couple of meters down the road. My legs looked a bit like uncooked mince but the good news was the lycra held together and I didn’t have to bare my bruised and scabby ass to the good people of Hawick.

The bad news was that my shoulder was a wee bit sore – being a sensible kind of lad I withdrew from the Lochore Triathlon and today’s Gullane Triathlon to ensure I could blitz the swim at Aberfeldy. However, fast forward to Wednesday night and I met a jolly fine chap called Mr Robinson who moved me into impossible positions with very cold hands and then sent me off to see the equally nice radiologist lady who took my photo and then gave me one of those pitying looks. Back to Frosty Hands and he revealed that I have a Greater Tuberosity Fracture and probably had a dislocation which is apparently quite sore but there isn’t much he can do about it. I have now concluded that I have a very high pain threshold because I found it a wee bit nippy but not as sore as everyone tells me it should be. And all this leaves me wondering if 30 years of swimming training leaves me with the ability to swim one-armed for these distances. Perhaps more worrying – can I get my gimp-suit off after the swim or do I have to wear it for a 90km cycle and a half-marathon terrifying the locals of Kenmore and Aberfeldy and causing the wise, old sheep of Loch Rannoch to raise an eyebrow as I puggle past them?

Before the Rome Marathon I lived like a monk and didn’t touch a drop of alcohol for 6 weeks including when Scotland beat Ireland the night before. I have been slightly less disciplined this time around sipping on a G&T while circulating my JustGiving page last night and heading to a wedding tonight where abstaining is just not an option (Congratulations to the Laughlins!!). And on the eve of my challenge I am going out with my old team to celebrate the old days and look forward to the new – my aim that night is damage limitation and trying to avoid botulism from a donner at the Cappadoccia!

I am taking my broken shoulder (not sure if I have mentioned that before – and it doesn’t really hurt very much) out on the water to raise money for the Anaphylaxis campaign. The statistics are shocking and in my humble opinion not enough is being done to protect this vunerable group. Life can be traumatic and uncertain for people living with severe allergy, with an emergency dash to hospital an ever present possibility, every day of the year. Research suggests that around one in 70 children across the UK are allergic to peanuts, however, this is now thought to be as high as one in 50 – a quarter of a million children. International comparisons show that the UK population has the highest prevalence of allergy in Europe and ranks among the highest in the world. Disease frequencies of the more serious and systemic allergies, e.g. anaphylaxis, drug and food allergy, are increasing fast and, sadly, there is evidence that anaphylaxis causes some 10 to 20 deaths per year.

Even a little can help a lot. Please take a moment to visit my Just Giving site.
http://www.justgiving.com/Daft-Dougie

Make a Comment

3 Responses to “Tuberosity and Chafing”

RSS Feed for ironman39 Comments RSS Feed

I think the 48+ hours of solid drinking in the days after you fell off your bike probably helped the healing process!!

LikeLike

LSW - Long Suffering Wife
July 17, 2010

I am so proud of you uncle Dus! i CANT believe your are doing all this for me. It still scares me the thought of having to use my epipen again. We going to the US on Wednesday and i hope i am safe on the flight. I know how you feel Isaiah jumped on my foot and broke my bone in my foot and everyone said there was nothing wrong until a week later mom took me to hospital and got a xray, And do you no what. the stuff they plastered my foot in. I was allergic to it too. Mom is going to try and take us to see your open water swim. I love you very much and i am so happy you are putting yourself through this PAIN for a little boy whos life depends on other people! LOVE AMOZ XXX

LikeLike

Anonymous
July 17, 2010

[…] FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BLEEDING NIPPLES AND BROKEN BONES […]

LikeLike

It’s been far too long. « ironman39
June 15, 2011