2011 has well and truly begun … a new year and a new decade! A lot has happened to me in late 2010/ early 2011. An ITB (Iliotibial band) injury late in 2010 cut short my season and has also delayed the start of my 2011 campaign. Unfortunately, I had to go under the knife and it has been 9 weeks since my ITB release surgery. My recovery has been progressing slowly and I have been working closely with physiotherapist Alex Price (spent more time with him then I have training or at home – lucky he’s a good bloke and great physio too). We have implemented a good strength and conditioning program to aid my recovery and to prevent the injury from re-occurring in the future.
Frustrating is a word that can be used for this period because of the length and ‘roller coaster’ type ride that I have been on. Although it has been tough mentally and physically, I have had some great support from family, friends and all of my support team and my training load will start soon be increased gradually. I am more excited than ever to get stuck in!
My training has involved swimming 4-5 times, running (short distance and slow) 2-3 times, and riding once per week. There was still some pain around my knee however I saw Dr Donald Kuah (NSWIS sports Doctor specialist) last week and things have been getting better after the visit. He said there was a possible ganglion cyst around the wound site that was causing the pain and tenderness so he advised me to have a second cortisone injection to disperse the fluid. Dr Kuah was very optimistic that this will be the last of the pain so I can start to build my training up soon. It is still up in the air as to when my first race will be however there is no rush at the moment; my focus this year will be on the World Championships in Beijing, China in September and other races in Europe.
Shane
