I here Lance Armstrong is going to do  an XTERRA race ..good for him. It’ll show how tough it really is to the outside world…

Seems that it’s been pretty succesful thus far.. Back to work, back to doing tricky and  dangerous stunts and back to..no not  full time training  yet but soon..

I’ve  had a good few months enjoying the summer in London not having to fly all over the world- although it was fun..:)).September sees my return to Strength and Conditioning training  with my lovely massage thearpist/physio and mender of broken limbs.. Bruce Butler. Hoping  to do  three sessions in the gym a week , should make me stronger, then the plan is to get back into full time training in Ocotber with a stint at the wonderful Club Las Santa in Lanzorate to get the body back into shape.

I must say it took a wee while get used to the lack of excersise -then I discovered the London bus and various lovely restaurants and fabulous bars in the evening.. had some summer fun out there.. but now its getting to that point where I have to start to get things  back to ‘normal’ ..swim, work, bike, work , run, work..and then EAT  for three people..:))

Don’t get me wrong -I’ve  certainly kept my fitness  up with my spinning classes, love em!  Especially the 1.5 hour on a Saturday – I make it real tough!

I am up to two spins a day and a swim, tho the swim was only technique to strengthen my arm. And running…well lets say that got left behind a bit, managed  some treadmill runs twice a week. All in good time.:) The rest I had for three months previously was really lovely and my body felt full of energy everyday so just doing my work  was seemingly a doddle without my few hours of training as well.

As soon as I could i had a flurry of good stunt work that involved a dive through an 18″ square glass window , jerk back for ‘Casualty’ and girly fight sequence complete with being set upon by a chav in a turquise shell suit in ‘BOUND’.. all in all came out with a few bruises and pulled muscles but THE ARM HELD up to it.:)

AND I had a chance to wear yet another silly wig on  set: with my fellow stunt girl Therese Chavez on Casualty for the BBC

I have 90% motion now and all is needed is some strength work and I’ll BE BACK racing .next season.watch this space….:)))

I am in a bubble
a healing bubble
a hammock, sleeping and healing, peaceful
all around outside my bubble
is my life
carrying on without me
everyday parts of my life build up around the perimeter
trying desperately to penetrate through the surface
the bubble’s outer layer appears clear
i sleep on,  healing
when will the bubble burst?
when can my life enter and wake me?

It’s been this long since my shoulder operation. And boy does it seem like that. I am still in a sling and can’t swim bike or run..or do any work. ( tho maybe some sneaky turbo’s  oh and a quick one arm swim in Hampstead ponds…nice;))

My last race being Guam at the end of March ,  not really knowing if I had actually broken anything but instinctively was thinking I had, Guam  incidently wasn’t really on the schedule, I was orginally coming home after XTERRA Saipan as I had a commercial to shoot. That fell through whilst out there so hence the change of  plan. If only…but one can’t think that way. It happened and that is something I have to deal with.

I can only just think positvely and get on with my life as is. The metaphorical carrot is always in front of me  tho as if lurking in the dim light ready to trip me up, a tempatation to do more…stunt work is of course out of the question even tho it has been hard to turn the work down especially if the stunt is a meaty one..and the Cross World Champs in Spain last weekend which was my ‘ A ‘ race and goal for the year. Instead I did friends, family and touristy things.

I have to say as I got into it, it was fun. Seeing my friends for longer than a quick coffee or swift bite between jobs and or training/ work . Actually spending an afternoon or a day with them was a luxury I seldom could afford. My family was another great time -spending, as was travelling by london buses and meeting my lovely neighbours and having a real good chat. They often see me whizzing here and there on my bike, barley time for a hello let alone a long chin wag.

I think all in all it has been a good soul searching and mentally stabilising time , upon reflection, take a grip on what and who I am and what i want . In short time to think.

I was lucky to have a three week sunshine- summer in London so got to do do some amazing things. Travelling to the LOndon Marathon , the Wedding , Highgate cemetery, York by train instead of driving..all had the ups as it was an experience I hadn’t had for a while. everything seemed in slow motion rather than at  70 mph. I felt someone had taken my time dial and turned it from TOP SPEED  to GO SLOW. Good, as I needed the time to breathe and take in what was around me, something I never do.

A sobering (actually literally yes ..no alcohol for  a month) thought

I think every athlete must have to go through . Oh yeah I guess they already have….

Sitting in pain at Hong Kong airport unable to use my right hand to type this..things were not so smooth in Guam, I was feeling so good when I’d arrived from Saipan.

Asmy trusted Coach always said ‘when you feel great watch out for the banana skin around the corner’ Well it wasn’t a banana skin but a failure in my shifter that came off on pre ride out on the Guam course. I took a bad fall , my right arm outstretched to break the 30mph catapult. Upon inspection the gear had sheared off its mount and was hanging from the wire. It had stuck into my front wheel and stopped me in my tracks.

The following two days before the race I did the  ’RICE’ thing, I was lucky enough to have had a US Naval medic with me on the ride and he was brilliant, gave me some strong anti inflams.

Day of the race  and all was getting better , tho I couldnt swim with that arm properly I could suffer the pain on the day as it was am mere 1k  in the warm clear sea of Guam. I wasn’t sure if the shoulder was badly damged or not and the Doc seemed to think it was. I thought I could get through the race unscathed, BUT in the bike leg I hit a drop off as I went off course slightly. it was pretty technical as you could not find a line in  the rutted red clay. It was starting to rain which made the track somewhat sticky. I went over again right on the same spot and this time I was in agony I heard a pop sound and thought I broke my arm. I was down for some time until some guys behind asked if was ok I was in pain and just couldn’t answer I thought if I could just keep going Sometimes one can overcome the worst pain by just gritting the teeth. Adrenaline helps too I guess.

Anyway I found another spot this time coming off on my side but each time I fell the arm just locked and I had no power left which could have meant a recipe for a bigger disaster.

I knew that the most technical part was almost done. Lifting the bike over an obstacle was a no go and I stumbled yet again

I appeared in transition 7 mins down on the leader who was my mate Mieko. I knew the run was going to be tricky with one arm but i was not giving up now.

I could run the road parts no problem but when it came to the jungle and waterfalls, again I was wary.

I got thro that fanastic course that I loved even in the pain I was in.

Got to the end of the race and was releaved and happy with second place. Although I still dont know what the outcome will be as the next few days I thought I must have broken my shoulder I couldn’t sleep or  lift the arm without a sharp pain and doses of drugs and ice.

When I had finished the race a film crew wanted an interview and we started to talk I felt something on my face and wafted it off  looked down it was a GIANT spider never seen such a huge body and it looked like it had mechanical legs -I hate spiders!

That was it for me I had to get back and sleep, no food , just sleep. That night it was the awards that was fun and somehow managed to dance the night away only to end up being escorted by a group of Japanese to a bar they loved, we stopped outside the “tower of london’ English pub couldn’t believe it! All the bars to go to and they chose that one . Full of American GI’s smoking  and playing darts- too crazy .daz-finishing-guam-in-pain-broken-shoulder

Happy to be getting home now but not looking forward to the diagnosis’s and the cold…