Take 2

The new look TBB squad is having its annual pre season camp starting in a few weeks back in Krabi (Thailand) before we all head to Europe for the majority of our race season starting in late May.
Hopefully this trip will be a bit more of a success than my last trip up that way and get me back into some sort of race shape.
At the camp we get fitted out with all our new kit and equipment from the team sponsors including our new bikes from Cervelo so I'm looking forward to that.
If all goes really well and I can twist Sutto's arm enough I might still have a chance of racing in Singapore 70.3 mid March and a couple of smaller races around Oz after that.
Its been hard to get back into training again the past few weeks, after losing so much fittness. Mentally my brain thinks its training as normal but physiaclly I just carn't do what I could nine weeks ago and its going to take qiute a while to get back to that level. I tend to be a bit impatient and want to be back where I was right away.
I got back on the bike last week and have just been getting some easy km done. I've even started some easy jogging so the recovery is well on the way!

Aaron.

Back to the start

Recovery from the knee injury has gone better than expected and after a meeting with the specialist yesterday I am back into some light training over all three disiplines.
Made it through my first bike and run for seven weeks successfully and without pain.
From here its back to the start again with some really easy aerobic stuff for the next few weeks to get some fittness back then into another training camp with TBB in Thailand late February. So hopefully racing again in late March/April leading into the European season.
The past week I spent back in the workshop getting some hours done and coin in the bank. Was great to just get back and be able to do something constructive again after being immobile for those few weeks but now the journey begins to get back the fittness and beyond!

Aaron

Tylers first Christmas!

While my family heads off to Tamworth for christmas this year we decided to stay in Canberra and celebrate it with the Broughton side, so last weekend was Tylers first road trip out to meet mum and dad and have some premeture christmas celebrations on the farm at Peak Hill.
Our whole family turned up on the Saturday night and we had a great dinner, much like Christmas day we all ate way to much! Pictured above is my side of the family.
Sunday was the trip back to the capital and Monday was a real reality check for me. Because I started walking again and I'm not allowed to train with the blood clots I figured I may as well be doing some work, so well before the sun rose I made my way in there and knocked out my first day of work since early November. After being laid up on the couch not being able to do anything it was great to be mobile and have something else to focus on for a few days.
The injury is coming along really well and I am expecting to get back into some light training over the next few weeks. I am able to walk without crutches now and without pain but will have to keep the brace on for the next week. From there I will keep on with the physiotherapy and blood thinners and ease into some training.
Next race is looking like it might be late March or April depending on the recovery process.

Hope everyone has a great Christmas!

Closer?

Another week on the crutches being the patient but hopefully on the raod to recovery. This week I started physio on the leg and some easy movement in the pool with some water running so that was a major step forward. If all goes well I should be able to have the brace off in four weeks and be back on my feet into some sort of training.

Was dissapointing to miss Busselton last week but was good to see an upset in the pro race to make it interesting. Busso was the race that began Berkels great run so it will be interesting to see what Courtney Odgen can do from here,even though he is one of the older guys.

Getting over it!

The last week has been full of doctors appointments and trips in and out of hospitals and specialists but finally we have a good idea of what is wrong with my leg and what needs to be done to get it back to how it should be.
The MRI scan last week showed that there was a fracture in my leg, previously not shown in the Xrays that I had in Thailand and some ligament damage in my knee, on top of a couple of large blood clots caused from the impact of the accident.
The first thing the doctors started work on was clearing the blood clots to minimise the risk of them spreading to the lungs and causing bigger problems so I started with daily injections, blood thinning tablets and blood tests every second day... until now needles have probably been my biggest fear but I think, finally I am overcoming it! I still wasn't able to give myself the injections like they wanted but I didn't fear them as much each time the nurse turned up.
With a bit of luck I will be able to walk again in about five weeks and hopefully back into a bit of easy training while I wait for the blood clots to clear, at the moment I can do very little but wait for the body to do its work.
So unfortunatly I will miss Busselton this weekend but if all goes well I will get to do a couple of races here in Australia before a big European season starts in May.

Aaron.

Hero to Zero

Well, not even a week into my first trip to Thailand and I have been taken out by a car! On our way to a bike session a car pulled out and nailed me.
So now three weeks out from Ironman I am on crutches praying that nothing to serious has happened under all the swelling and that somehow I might still be able to race. Apart from that little incident our camp has been going along well with athletes coming and going constantly and lots of km getting done. We have been living on rice almost three meals a day but when it only cost $2 for dinner its hardly an inconveniance, the people have been lovely and everyone seems a little interested in what we are doing.
My plan was to stay here up untill the 24th leading into Busselton but now looks like it might be cut short and I'll be home to try and recover as quickly as possible if there isn't much improvement in the next couple of days.
Its a bit of a bugger having this incident but the idea of the camp was to start to change the direction of my next few years in triathlon not just about the next race, so looking at the big picture it was worth the trip and I think it will help me into the future.
But I will still hang in hope for busso!

Aaron.

                                        Sutto about to smack me over the head with my crutches!

Change of plans!

Well its back on the road again and this time I am up in Thailand at a place called Krabi for a training camp with Team TBB and their coach Brett Sutton. I flew in on Wednesday and after breifly meeting the rest of the team we got right into the training, today is my first easier day and my first opportunity to let everyone know what is happening for the next season.
I have joined the team for at least the next 12 months with my main focus on long course racing throught Australia, Asia and Europe.
Joining the team means I get alot more support than I have had previously allowing me to focus as much attention to my training as I need and access to the most successful coach in triathlon while in a team enviroment. So this camp is basically just an orientation, meet and greet some of the team along with giving Brett a look at what I need to be improving with my training.
So far Thailand has been great, the people have been very friendly, country side is awsome and everything is cheap! Our meals have been about $2 and our hotel which is quite good costs about $15 a night.
I will stay in the camp untill the 24th of Nov before heading home then on to Busselton which is a little different to what I had planned but should work out alright.
If I survive the next few days training I will try and get some photos on my blog!

Aaron.