Rehab Update

Last Monday I got the cast off my lower leg and I was able to get around in a walking boot using crutches. The mobility that I had in my ankle was extremely small. I could not bring my foot up even to a neutral 90 degree position. Since beginning physical therapy at Plaza Phyiscal Therapy with Kevin Swanson I've been improving each day much more than I ever expected. I got rid of the crutches on Tuesday and by Friday I had retired the boot. I have no pain walking in shoes. I was able to begin biking on Wednesday with a 20 minute ride. We've increased that time through the week and yesterday I went outside for the first time for a 20 mile ride. I've had no pain at all while biking so I'm hoping to get the green light to begin interval work sometime this week. Through this entire process I thought swimming would be the first thing I'd be doing in my rehab workouts but that has not been the case. One of the two incisions from the surgery was not sealing shut and with that left open I would have been at a high risk of infection in the water. The good news is that it closed over the weekend and I hope to get the okay today at PT to head straight to the pool. I'm really excited about the progress that I'm making with the recovery. I enjoyed having the transition clinic on Saturday and would like to thank the poor souls who braved the terrible conditions to attend. It was nearly 40 degrees and the wind was blasting about 20 mph. Hopefully all of them were able to pick up something useful to help them reduce time in transition.

I recently had the opportunity to do a "Pro on Pro" interview arranged through journalist John Paul Severin. I interviewed fellow pro Andrew Starykowicz and he interviewed me. Andrew is a very well established pro who is an incredible rider. Last year at the 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater, FL Andrew biked a world record 56 mile split in 1 hour 58 minutes. He has had the lead in that race coming off the bike each of the last two years. The interview is at www.evotri.com if you're interested. As for my early season race schedule it has definitely taken a hit. I will not be able to race in Galena in 2 weeks, and frustratingly enough they will not allow me to transfer that entry to next year's race even though I have a documented injury. Those are the kinds of things that make me not want to go back to a race like Galena in the future. I understand not allowing transfers to someone who just didn't train and decides they don't want to race but I think a documented injury is different. I had originally planned to make my pro debut in Kansas on June 6 but that will no longer happen. My new target pro debut is July 18 in Racine, Wisconsin. That leaves me with a target race date of June 19 at the Quad City Triathlon. That will only happen if I get 2 weeks of pain free running in prior to the race. I like the way things are coming along and the "glass is 1/2 full" when I think about the summer. Thanks for reading. DREAM BIG!