720 days ago....

Hello,
Hope this finds you all well.

720 days.... the number of days for me between racing at a regatta. 

In february of 2012 I raced at the NSW state champs in the mens four and mens pair. It was basically the last rowing I did before withdrawing from olympic selection and undergoing major surgery. At the 2012 NSW state champs i raced reasonably well in the mens four and I was optimistic following the racing that maybe I could scrape into the national team for that year and head to London. However, I can vividly remember the pain I was in travelling from sydney to canberra that evening post racing. My legs were screaming at me, It was horrible. I put it down to multiple races that day. However the next day when trying to do a recovery 60km ride with a few of the guys I did realise something was not right. My legs were in agony trying to ride at 20km/h on a flat road. I struggled through the next 10 or so days with severe pain, until the point I accepted what may have been happening. I booked myself in for a doppler ultrasound to learn that while my calf was flexed my popliteal artery was completely occluded. This explained the pain I was getting. Effectively while trying to row and train, my lower leg was being starved of oxygen, hence following an intense day of racing, my legs were completely stuffed. This was a problem first encountered in early 2010 resulting in two surgical procedures which I believed had solved the problem. So to learn that the problem was once again occurring was frustrating to say the least.

That was back then. Since that regatta, I have undergone 3 major procedures on each leg, spent weeks in hospital and at home unable to even walk, hundreds of physiotherapy, massage and doctors appointments. Spent more time in rehabilitation than in training. Turned myself into a half crazy kid (some may suggest more than half), pushed people close to may away and concerned those around me.

But this saturday i am racing again in Penrith at the NSW small boats regatta which will be the first step towards putting it all behind me. I have put myself through extreme physical and emotional pain over the last 2 years by being determined not to give up. This weekend will be an indication of how I am progressing, hopefully it suggests things are on the right track heading towards the National selection trials in late April this year.

To say I am nervous is an understatement. Following my injuries in 2012 I decided to make the move from sweeping to sculling, and this weekend will be the first ever 2km race in the single and double scull which is enough to make me nervous despite the long period since I last raced.

I will leave it there for now. Be sure to check in early next week, I will be sure to write about it all and let you know how it went.

Wish me luck.

Cheers, John

Unsinkable: Episode Five (For Green & Gold)

Hi there,
This episode is from August last year and follows me as I begin cycling again, I also reflect on the disappointment of not being able to do what I had desperately wanted to. Hope you enjoy!



As followers of this journey I want to offer you the chance to have some input into this project and web series. If there are things you would like to learn more about, things you would like to see appear in the episodes or suggestions you may have for me I would appreciate the feedback. Don't hesitate to leave a comment on this post if you have a suggestion for this ongoing project.

Cheers, John

2014 Here I Go.

Hello and happy new year.

Since I last touched base with you I have been having such a good time. Such a good time that I haven't found time to sit down and write about the experiences. When I first started this blog it was the day before surgery in June 2013 and for the following 4-5 months I couldn't do a great deal, especially the first month when I could barely walk let alone do my training so I was able to bombard the blog with updates. Anyways, now that I am 'healthy' again time has once again become precious. I endeavour to keep this short and to the point, and not leave such long periods between updates going forward. 

Christmas day family ride along the Great Ocean Road. 

Christmas Day Family Lunch

The last 3 weeks I have been on the move a bit, I spent christmas and saw in the new year while in Lorne on the Victorian coast. It was the 21st consecutive year that I have spent a period of my summer holidays in Lorne, you may recall me speaking about this place a few months ago so will not elaborate greatly on how much I love this coastal town, other than to tell you what I did. I cycled along the great ocean road, I went mountain bike riding in the Otways, I ate, I lay on the beach, I swam, I napped, I enjoyed time with the family and I had time to think back over the previous 12 months along with my goals going forward.

This is cycling on the Great Ocean Road and I love it

Climbing 'Benwerrin' in the Otways and holding 460W for 23:30 (Data here)

Following on from Lorne the Victorian Institute of Sport rowing squad headed to the Victorian alpine region to falls creek for a 9 day training camp consisting of rowing, cycling, ergos, hiking and weights training. This camp was slightly disrupted due to particularly cold weather and persistent winds which made achieving quality rows somewhat difficult. However this did make for some fun cross training sessions on the bike, on the ergo and in the gym. The short video below is one the ergo sessions we completed at around 1700m of elevation, at this elevation you really do notice the decreased oxygen in the air.

Attached below are some photos of training on falls creek camp. For more photos please head to the Unsinkable Facebook page. 

To finish up:

I do not normally get so excited for new years eve as I did a few weeks ago. 

For me the beginning of 2014 was a good milestone and one I had been looking forward to for some time. I had a pretty unenjoyable 2013, I went from travelling reasonably well on national training camp in january with an eye on returning to the national team, to surgery in February, rehab that followed was a waste of time as I had surgery again in June, from here you know most of the story and how 'crazy' it all became for me. Thankfully with the new year I am able to push this all behind me and get on with the task ahead. 

Things are really about to get going for me and before too long I will know if I am up the standard I desire. NSW state champs and world cup team one selection is in less than a month so wish me luck as I am going to need it. 

For now that is all from me. 

Cheers, John