Racing review: first time in a (very) long time

Hello everyone,

Following on from my last post talking about the 720 days between competing in a 2km race, I managed to break the drought and race at the NSW Small Boats Regatta. The day of racing completely knocked me for six, and it's taken me until today to sit down and compose myself.

At the NSW Small Boats Regatta the heat of the men's single scull was not until late morning so I had some time to reflect during the lead in on how nervous I was*. In particular, reflecting on how I am sharing this journey, creating some build up in terms of getting back to racing and how embarrassed I would be if I came last by a country mile and therefore reassess my short-term goals. Obviously not the best mental preparation for a race, however just prior to and during the race I was able to tune into some of the technical focuses I had been working on while training at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.
*Although the concern was present, by no means am I implying this completely overcame me and reduced me to a feeble mess prior to racing. I just feel it is important to continue sharing with you the honest insight into my thoughts.

Fortunately I was not last, in fact I managed to win, as the results below show. Not a bad way to calm the nerves following an extended period on the sidelines:

Upon qualifying for the final and achieving my goal for the day, the pressure was somewhat reduced leading into the final as I had nothing to lose. I could give it my all and see where I stood within the sculling group in Australia on this particular day. My goal was to go as hard as I could in the first 800m and see if I could maintain speed with the frontrunners in the race. As it turned out, I was with them for about 0.06 of a second before they blasted away from the blocks never to be seen again. So I simply put my head down and bum up and rowed as well and as tough as I could. The results below show the outcome:

Having these two races in the space of around 90 minutes most certainly took the sting out of my legs (or put the sting in my legs, whichever way you choose to look at it) and following that I would have been happy to get on the plane and fly back to Melbourne. To look back to 7 months ago when I was sliding around on the floor of my house barely able to stand up, let alone walk, to go to consecutive races following limited speed or competitive work in my training leading up was certainly a shock to the body.

I followed that up with racing the double scull with Kieren Kobelke later on in the afternoon but for multiple reasons it didn't fire. Needless to say I was ready to recuperate and head home.

Going forward from here we head to Sydney again this weekend for the NSW State Championships Regatta which also doubles up as the selection event for the Australian World Cup 1 team to race at SIRR 2014 from March 23-30. I will talk more about this later in the week so stay tuned. But for now I need to get to my last University class for the day, head to the gym and complete the day's training before getting an early night to continue recovering from what has been a big few weeks. Things have ramp up considerably.

Thanks for all your support and kind words.
Cheers, John

Unsinkable: Episode Six (On The Road Again)

In this episode I get properly fitted for my road bike using Body Geometry Fit at BikeNow (South Melbourne). I did this just as I was beginning to cycle again and ramp up my cross training. The episode also features the Victorian Institute of Sport cycling camp in Anglesea in October 2013 where we cycled 415km in 3 days. If you want to read more about specific data from that weekend have a look HERE. 


Chris Nikodemski and Stewart Morton did a great job working with me using Body geometry fit. The biggest improvement to my bike setup was made by fitting a new seat. Might not seem important, however for any guy who has ever had numbness on a bike in areas where there shouldn't be numbness they will understand that this can make cycling uncomfortable. Chris explained to me that this numbness is caused by a saddle which is too narrow and pinches blood vessels to an area which blood flow is rather important. The reduced blood flow can lead to long term damage...  So If I could offer one suggestion to anybody who experiences numbness, go and get a new seat tomorrow. You will not regret it I PROMISE. The guys at BikeNow will be able to point you in the right direction. I also was able to adjust my cleats to a more advantageous position and allow less use of my calf and more glute activation therefore improving my power output, which as an athlete is the aim of the game. 


Enjoy the episode. 

Cheers, John 

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 

Unsinkable: Episode Four (The Review)

I often get asked if there is anything I can do or alter in regards to my training to minimise the chance of this 'injury' happening again. I know everybody who asks this or who tells me to 'train less' or 'train smarter' wants to see me succeed and has my best interests at heart, however of course if there was something I could change I would already be doing it... trust me.
Rather than have me explain, I think Bill Campbell answers the question very succinctly in episode four and puts to rest any questions over the control some may see me having in regards to my artery entrapment issues.



On the day I went to see Bill, i was quietly freaking out, I knew if the scan showed entrapment my sporting life was over, I couldn't stomach it to say this on camera on the way to the appointment however I am at a point now where I am comfortably able to reflect on the day, and say that the signs of a full return to sport are extremely promising.
I hope you enjoy the episode.

Cheers, John

Solid week and body holding up well

Hello all, 

I wanted to share with you what my week of training has looked like. I chose to share this as it is the first time my week has resembled a 'normal' training week. 

Although I am pretty fatigued from the workload, my body is gradually adapting to being back in the boat again, and although tired, my legs are not showing any adverse vascular signs. What I can tell you about my legs is that even as I am almost 6 months post op, after the training this week I still get swelling in my ankles and lower legs, a sign that the soft tissue is still repairing and adapting to being physically active again. The good news is, they are improving each week, and according to the medical advice, will continue to do so for some time still. Attached below is a screen shot of everything physical i have completed this week. I understand as an elite athlete or rower this is nothing super impressive, but hoping to show those outside that category the commitment and hours of training being completed each day and this may encourage you to continue your own personal fitness challenges.

Now I have some time away from the boat and I will be cycling lots of Km's on the Great Ocean Road until training camp which starts on the 2nd january. The training camp held in falls creek will be a big challenge for me, but as always am up for it.

Be in touch.
John