Ever wonder if you could do a triathlon? I did once or twice, but never thought I had what it takes. Then in January 2014, I broke my leg. Well, one of my father-in-law’s highland bulls broke my leg. And though he was only a third grown, he weighed at least as much as an NFL lineman.
The bull that broke me
This young bull rolled into my right leg, and I heard a pop and went down. My right tibial plateau was broken, and it changed my life.
A week and two titanium screws later, I began eight weeks of crutches, Percocet popping, boredom and the fear that my leg would never be the same. Tibial plateau breaks are bad ones because the plateau takes all the pressure and weight between the tibia and femur. It’s better to break the tibia or femur clean. My injury can take a full two years to “fully” heal.
A few days into recovery, I found myself numbly chewing my cereal and looking through the window toward the mountains. My forlorn gaze settled on a cud-munching bovine in the foreground. It was the bull that rolled me. We locked eyes. Through my Percocet haze, I sensed a sinister motive behind his vacant stare—he wanted to finish the job. Tears formed. I cried. It was the drugs, man.
Living vicariously
I passed the time playing Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag. I felt wistful and jealous watching Edward Kenway run and jump and climb buildings and walls and dive off cliffs into the Caribbean blue. Watching him sprint, I fantasized that I was he—whole and hale and able to do all the things I could before the “big break.”
There were times I was mighty low. My wife’s return from work was a daily highlight. But one night she came home to a dimly lit den of despair and despondency. She spoke to me, but I could only look listlessly at the floor and ponder my darkness.
Here came the sun
Fast forward to April. Snow melted, rains ceased, and the Sierra Nevada winter finally ended. The clouds receded in the sky and in my soul. I graduated from crutches to cane and began to get some of my mobility back.
I’d hobbled my way to the gym a few times a week and now wanted/needed to step up my rehab. I started cycling … on a stationary bike. Four weeks later, I was cleared to lose the cane. I rode a real road bike, and it felt like the first time.
My rehab took off. I rode fourteen miles to and from town and climbed hills in and out of the saddle, descending like a madman at forty miles per hour. I registered for two stages of RAGBRAI, a week-long mass bike ride across Iowa and began training for it three to five days a week.
Over the next year or so, I rode charity rides and Gran Fondos—you race against the clock and others in your age group. Iowa, Lake Tahoe, California wine country—I became a bike-riding fool. But I needed something more.
Learned to swim fast
I began swimming at the local lap pool, but didn’t know the first thing about freestyle. I learned to grab the water and pull it past me while rotating my hips by watching YouTube and learning from a friend who swam in high school.
When I started, I could barely swim the length of a 25-meter pool and back without gassing. Now I go 18 laps without a rest. It’s amazing how, with the right form and efficiency, I swim like a machine.
I saw a flyer for a sprint triathlon in nearby Graeagle, CA. I felt confident in the swim and bike segments, but wondered if my surgically repaired knee could handle the pounding of a three-mile run. Three miles is nothing to you joggers, but I hadn’t run that far since my Navy days and healthy knees.
Breathless, but not beaten
I began running. At first, I had a hitch in my step. It felt weird. I pushed through and began to feel more natural. Maybe I can do this! I worked myself up to two miles twice a week, but my time was horrible. Two-miles-in-25-minutes horrible. It was especially lame because I’d run a mile and half in 9:30 in my glory days.
I took the plunge anyway and signed up for the 2016 Donner Lake Triathlon, Sprint option—1/4 mile swim, 6-mile uphill/downhill bike course with nearly a thousand feet of climbing, and a 2-mile run. When the big day came, I felt ready.
At the start line after arriving at 6:30 a.m., I had butterflies. To help steady myself, I chatted up the guy next to me. He’d done dozens of events, but still looked amped. We clasped hands in a kind of high-five variation just before the gun and sprinted into the water.
I felt okay at first, and then realized I couldn’t breathe. It didn’t make sense. I’d swam this distance no problem for weeks. Then it hit me. It was the elevation. Quincy, where I’d trained, is 3,500 feet. Donner Lake is nearly 6,000. Big difference when you’re doing your first “Tri” swim and are already nervous.
I was in trouble before the first turn. At that point, I abandoned all freestyle form and concentrated on keeping my head above the water while maintaining forward propulsion. Along my slow, torturous way, I made sure to keep giving the thumbs-up to the concerned lifeguards.
Lapped, but not licked
Somehow I huffed and puffed—and bluffed my way past the final turn by employing some strange variation of dog paddle/breaststroke. When I reached the point where my feet touched, I staggered upright and began bumbling the final dozen meters or so toward the swim finish mat.
That’s when I noticed a pink swim cap blow past me and then another and then another. Three women from the group who’d started five minutes behind my group had lapped me.
When I stepped onto that blessed mat, I saw faces filled with pity and heard voices of encouragement. Along with one who said, “the girls are lapping you, man.” I didn’t care. I had no pride left. I was just relieved my first tri swim was over.
It was humbling. But it was also the elevation.
Swam like a seal
My next triathlon in Santa Cruz went quite differently. At sea level, I entered the water last in my group and emerged before most of them. I could breathe this time and used my lanky ape arms to pass what seemed like a couple dozen fellow triathletes. I may have lapped a few people.
Feeling good, I slowed a bit to watch a seal about fifty yards off my starboard side. I shouldn’t have though because a girl bumped into my fantail, for which I apologized and resumed course and speed.
I did the “Aquabike” option of the Santa Cruz Tri—swim, bike. No run. Boom—finished second out of seven. It was glorious. Not bad for an old guy who couldn’t even walk 30 months before.
Don’t know, if you don’t Tri
If you’re intrigued with the challenge of a triathlon, do it. Don’t give in to doubt. It’s a blast. I’ve done two now and can’t wait for my next one.
But don’t break your leg first. Yeah, it’s better when you don’t break your leg. Going through the ordeal of a fractured tibial plateau and rehab and losing my mobility was an uber bummer. But it was just what I needed.
But hey, you can do a triathlon without going through all that misery. Just get a decent road bike and a helmet and have fun. Ride some mass rides and maybe even a Gran Fondo. Hit the lap pool. Dust off your running shoes. Break a leg. Oops. I’m glad I did.
If you were encouraged or motivated by this article, please comment below. I’d love to hear from you.
Hi there, just became aware of your blog through Google, and found that it’s truly informative.
I’m going to watch out for brussels. I will be grateful if you continue this in future.
A lot of people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
0
0
Hi there i am kavin, its my first occasion to commenting anywhere, when i read
this piece of writing i thought i could also create comment due to
this sensible article.
0
0
Like!! I blog quite often and I genuinely thank you for your information. The article has truly peaked my interest.
0
0
Hi, after reading this amazing article i am as well delighted to share
my experience here with mates.
0
0
Hi, I do think this is a great website. I stumbledupon it
😉 I’m going to return once again since i have book marked
it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to help others.
0
0
Pretty! This has been an extremely wonderful post. Many thanks for providing this info.
0
0
I constantly emailed this weblog post page to all my friends, because if like to read it
next my links will too.
0
0
Greetings from Carolina! I’m bored to tears at work so I decided to check out
your blog on my iphone during lunch break. I enjoy the information you present here and can’t wait to take a
look when I get home. I’m amazed at how fast your blog loaded on my phone ..
I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyways, wonderful blog!
0
0
Hi, constantly i used to check weblog posts here in the early hours in the daylight, as i enjoy to find out more and more.
0
0
Wow that was strange. I just wrote an very long comment but after
I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear.
Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again.
Anyhow, just wanted to say fantastic blog!
0
0
What’s up it’s me, I am also visiting this web page regularly,
this web page is in fact fastidious and the visitors are truly sharing fastidious thoughts.
0
0
You actually make it seem so easy with your
presentation but I find this topic to be
actually something that I think I would never understand.
It seems too complex and extremely broad for me.
I’m looking forward for your next post, I will try to get
the hang of it!
0
0
We absolutely love your blog and find most of your post’s to be precisely what I’m looking for.
Do you offer guest writers to write content in your case?
I wouldn’t mind producing a post or elaborating on many of the subjects you
write concerning here. Again, awesome web site!
0
0
When I initially commented I clicked the -Notify me when new feedback are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there any means you’ll be able to take away me from that service? Thanks!
0
0
I every time emailed this weblog post page to all my contacts, since if like to read it next my links will
too.
0
0
This is the suitable blog for anyone who desires to find out about this topic. You notice so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I truly would need匟aHa). You definitely put a new spin on a subject thats been written about for years. Great stuff, just nice!
0
0
I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was
good. I do not know who you are but certainly you’re going
to a famous blogger if you are not already 😉 Cheers!
0
0
It’s very easy to find out any matter on net as compared
to books, as I found this paragraph at this site.
0
0
I抎 should test with you here. Which isn’t one thing I often do! I enjoy reading a publish that may make individuals think. Additionally, thanks for allowing me to remark!
0
0
It’s truly very difficult in this full of activity life to listen news on TV,
thus I only use the web for that reason, and get the most recent news.
0
0
Appreciating the persistence you put into your website and in depth information you present.
It’s good to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t
the same outdated rehashed material. Great read!
I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m including your RSS feeds
to my Google account.
0
0
Hey, I think your blog might be having browser compatibility issues.
When I look at your website in Safari, it looks fine but when opening
in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick
heads up! Other then that, terrific blog!
0
0
I visited several blogs except the audio quality for audio songs current at this web site
is genuinely superb.
0
0
WOW just what I was searching for. Came here by searching for minecraft download pc
0
0
Just wish to say your article is as astonishing.
The clearness for your put up is simply nice and i can think you’re knowledgeable on this subject.
Well with your permission allow me to grasp your RSS feed
to stay up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks one million and please keep up the enjoyable
work.
0
0
Thanks for the marvelous posting! I genuinely enjoyed reading it,
you may be a great author.I will ensure that I bookmark
your blog and will come back in the future. I want to encourage one to continue your great job,
have a nice day!
0
0
Every weekend i used to pay a visit this site, because i want enjoyment, since this this website
conations genuinely pleasant funny information too.
0
0
Hola! I’ve been following your website for a long time now and
finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Kingwood Texas!
Just wanted to tell you keep up the excellent job!
0
0
You’re so awesome! I do not think I’ve truly read anything like that before.
So great to discover someone with some genuine thoughts on this subject matter.
Seriously.. thanks for starting this up. This website is something that is required on the web, someone with a bit
of originality!
0
0
Touche. Sound arguments. Keep up the amazing spirit.
0
0
Excellent weblog here! Also your site quite a bit up fast!
What web host are you the use of? Can I
am getting your associate hyperlink to your host?
I wish my website loaded up as quickly as yours lol
0
0
Why people still use to read news papers when in this technological globe
the whole thing is existing on web?
0
0
It is in reality a nice and helpful piece of info. I am happy that you just
shared this useful information with us. Please stay us informed like this.
Thanks for sharing.
0
0
Hi there, just became aware of your blog through Google,
and found that it is truly informative. I’m going to watch out for brussels.
I’ll be grateful if you continue this in future. Lots of people will be benefited from your writing.
Cheers!
0
0
Wonderful blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers?
I’m hoping to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost
on everything. Would you advise starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many
options out there that I’m completely overwhelmed ..
Any ideas? Thank you!
0
0
What’s up to all, for the reason that I am in fact keen of reading this blog’s post to be updated daily.
It includes good data.
0
0
Your method of telling everything in this paragraph is really pleasant, all can simply understand it, Thanks a lot.
0
0
Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch because I found it for him smile Therefore let me rephrase that: Thank you for lunch!
0
0
I am no longer positive the place you are getting yourinformation, but good topic. I must spend some time learning muchmore or working out more. Thank you for great information Iused to be in search of this information for my mission.
0
0
Yeah… Just so everyone knows, UberDoofus ate almost ALL of the filet mignon himself. The REAL cowboy in the crowd got almost ‘nuttin!! Sheesh…
0
0
Ha! Didn’t know you were indulging your inner doofus. I’m honored.
0
0
Sprint triathlon? Aquabike? Who knew these things existed? I guess a lot of things are out there if we look for them. The swimming seems like the easiest of the three to me.
Good job, my friend. Show that leg-breaking bull who’s boss….
0
0
thanks! If the swimming seems the easiest to you, you’d have an advantage over most new triathletes. the leg-breaking bull was in wrapped in butcher paper packets in one of our freezers … ’til we ate him 🍖😛.
0
0