It's almost eight years ago that my running days came to a sudden and painful halt when I suffered a catastrophic ankle injury. Being familiar with these kinds of injuries from my work in rehabilitation, I didn't dispute the surgeon when he said I'd have an arthritic ankle, given the damage to its cartilage and tendons, plus my age.
You may read about it here:
http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/01/first-aid-treatment-for-severe-ankle.html
http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/01/my-ankle-fracture-dislocation-two-weeks.html
http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/02/sleep-deprivation-following-severe-leg.html
http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/02/my-ankle-fracture-six-weeks-on.html
http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/02/my-ankle-fracture-dislocation-week.html
http://blog.garymoller.com/2015/01/ankle-fracture-how-to-speed-bone.html
While accepting what he said, it still didn't mean I wouldn't do everything I could to get the maximum recovery possible, and having no care for how many years it might take. When it comes to healing after a severe injury like this one, patience and being very smart pays off, and it sure has for me!
Thankfully, I was able to ride a bike without compromising the lengthy healing process for tissues like cartilage, although taking great care with how I fall off!
So, here I am, almost eight years on, and I can now declare my ankle joint and tendons 100 percent! To celebrate this remarkable recovery, I've entered the Crazyman Duathlon, which takes place in ther Hutt Valley this coming Sunday (refer video below).
I've been doing this kind of racing, be they duathlons or multisports races, since the first of their kind in 1978, and I'm back and, hopefully, as fast as ever! By the way, I might be the only person from way back then who's still going strong. Despite being 70 years old, my intention on Sunday is to give the young ones a good run for their money - we'll see.
Regardless of where I finish, I'm just extremely grateful that I have regained the legs to run freely over such rugged and demanding terrain.
Crazyman Website: https://crazyman.co.nz/