Race Double Ultra Rogner Bad Blumau
Date 5-8 July 2018
Distances 7.6km swim – 360km bike ride – 84.4 km run
Format continuous, same as Ironman: ?‍♀️T1??‍♀️T2??‍♀️ but double the distance,
Start Friday July 6th 2018 at 7 pm

Why a double Ultra for a come back race after being sidelined with surgeries & knee injury for 18 months?

I was all hopeful to start 2018 on an optimistic note, but fate again had it otherwise, I fell down running and broke the head of my humerus on Jan 6th 2018 between two flights!

I remember sitting in bed quite upset  post surgery thinking to myself “And now what?! …  God knows when ‘and if’ you will swim again… there will be no Ironman Lanzarote for you in May… and that Double Ultra race finish which is still haunting you, ain’t ever going to happen now ? … your knee injury is not 100% resolved, you still can’t run long… you are older now, much older than the oldest female at any of these races! Crazy you!! Get real!! this is simply laughable.”

And then I remembered my GP who in 2000 said I could not run a marathon because of my osteoporosis… I remembered being injured at more than one race and how I still managed to finish… I remembered how I ran the London Marathon 10 weeks after I broke my left foot fifth metatarsal and qualified for Boston… I remembered how I ran the Boston marathon for Dominic (a liver patient) 4 months post major abdominal surgery… I remembered how I ran with Morton Neuroma for years… I remembered how I successfully raced Ironman South Africa less than 6 months post my 1st knee surgery… I remembered how I finished  the Mooolooloba marathon in 2016… and I got furious at myself for doubting my mind when I know more than any one else that success at endurance races is that of a mind not of a body.

And just like in the past, that sweet inner voice I always rely on, whispered “you CAN race a Double Ultra and finish if you WANT... this is a slower pace race… there is ample time to finish… age has nothing to do with determination, grit and the power of one’s mind… there aren’t many double Ultra races/year, the longer you wait the harder it will be on your body… you love challenges… you are mentally tough… and there is nothing better than a strong mind and a monster goal to motivate you to get better faster”.

It all made sense, a lot of sense to me, but little to none to my entourage. So I kept it to myself, did what I needed to do and only shared it few weeks before the race…

Choosing a comeback race

The decision was based on three main criteria:
1. A date at least 6 months post surgery
2. A race with an organizing “TEAM” , I definitely did not want another ‘one man show’ event and a race director who did not know, his IUTA rules!!
3. A race that values its athletes’ own personal achievement more than a rigid set of nonsensical rules they adopt, which sometimes defy IUTA rules themselves!!

I found all of that and more at the IUTA Rogner Bad Blumau.  A World Cup race in beautiful Styria bearing the main sponsor’s hotel name in Bad Blumau, a peaceful, health oriented, environment friendly resort.  If you love nature, art, architecture, bathing in thermal springs and good food, you can’t but fall in love with this place. A 4 Star hotel which feels like a 6  star hotel in comparison to hotels normally advertised on any race website. And the best part: They truly care about you more than they care about your money in this place, and they know how to anticipate and satisfy your needs without you even asking for anything.

A lot of pampering and positivity in Rogner Bad Blumau ❤️

THE SWIM

The swim took place in a 25 m FINA pool with 5 lanes and 5 people in each lane. It was a rainy day. Swim Time 3:13:10 as per my crew and I trust my crew; there was no chip and no mat just manual recording and counting laps.  5 people swimming in the same lane was stressful; I was worried about my shoulder and did my best to stay away from others instead of staying on their heals. I don’t know who bumped into whom but there were few collisions one of which smack on my injured shoulder, and I narrowly escaped a couple more as per my crew.

My watch stopped after the smack, I took it off and had to stop numerous times to get feedback on time and lap count, as well as for fueling (we do stop to eat at these events in the swim).

Pain was expected and my mind was well prepared to deal with it! The presence of my grandchildren helped a lot!  I looked forward to the smooches and the hugs we shared at the stops.  They were simply adorable❤️.

Two things that threw me off completely were the Garmin watch stopping and me looking at the wrong clock to gauge time.  I just froze when at some point the big clock was reading ~32 min and my daughter said I did 1100 m !!! Thank God she quickly pointed out “Your clock is the small one at the back, you haven’t been swimming that long! the big one is the permanent pool clock!” Gee why was someone fiddling with that clock while we were racing!!

Overall this was the worst time scenario I had anticipated, but considering the overall situation, the crowded 25m lane scenario and all the stops etc. this was a better average time than the 3:13:22  I swam nonstop in practice.

THE BIKE

The bike course is on a small 2.7km loop we had to do 133 times. The loop travels south; south-west; south; west; north-west; north-east; east; so wind is bound to hit you from anywhere and you don’t know where from because the wind direction is generally variable in Bad Blumau and can sometimes be relentless. Luckily it was quite awful the days before the race but not so bad during the race. Similar to the wind, the weather in Bad Blumau was quite unpredictable during our stay, one minute it was hot and sunny, the next it was like a winter storm! You literally can go through different seasons in one day, (check out my biking outfits). The course has one climb between 500 and 800 m of 3-4% average grade, nothing evil and very good surface all around. What I appreciated a lot was not having to wear a headlight like in other races where it is pitch dark.

The bike was supposed to be my best discipline at this race and my chance at making up for time loss in the swim and on the run view my shoulder and knee injuries. Because of my shoulder injury I had to do all my bike training indoors. I used 2 different Computrainers, I biked in different cities, on different bikes, shorter distances, longer distances, the outcome was always consistent predicting a very good bike split … so what happened?

I knew when I swam the 7600m in practice that my arm got numb and heavy, I thought it was because of swimming long for the 1st time and that there will be improvement the 2nd time around. I had little time to train swim-bike (since I resumed swimming) and I never practiced bricks because in such long races you don’t go too fast, and quick transitions are not warranted view the length of the events.  I mostly biked indoors with few couple of hours of bike manipulation outdoors in June, but I never biked off the swim. I had no idea how bad it could get when swimming is followed by biking.

All I recall is pain; pressure; a pinch in the neck; heavy numb arm; cold fingers; difficulty controlling my bike; stiffness in my left knee; and a race doctor telling me he can’t do anything to help me!!

We started under dark rainy skies and it rained non stop for 5 hours. The cold, the humidity and the mist/ground fog in the wee hours of the morning aggravated my arthritis. I wasn’t myself, I had no joy biking, I was praying to survive ONE lap at A TIME telling the announcer every time I saw him “I will finish this”….   I was heartbroken but I never stopped smiling because I had to keep believing I still can finish even if by miracle!

My crew said I stopped eating and I was not listening to any instructions…. I don’t recall… Could be, I was in a daze, moving like a zombie, my focus was limited to one thing: handling the pain ONE round at A TIME, stopping each lap to get massaged so that I can go another round.

DNF was not an option in any of my A, B, C plans. I finished LAST but I FINISHED.

The team at the well established permanent Physio facility in a building adjacent to the stadium, were my saviors.  I visited them more than once, in one of the visits the therapist worked with me for 90 minutes to ease the pain and bring back blood circulation to my cold fingers and stiff arm (so grateful ??). I told her I will finish and she was there at the finish line greeting me upon crossing the finish line all excited for me!

THE RUN

The run was a  2.94 km loop we had to travel 29 times across the meadows and fields and partly on the bike road. It’s a beautiful course on a winding false flat road slightly undulating in places in beautiful country side in and out of the Rogner Bad Blumau resort. Couldn’t have been prettier and closer to nature than that.

My arm was in terrible shape and there was no sling available at the physio  to hold it in place, we had to improvise! So, I used my night reflective belt to stick it in and hold it in place. 84.4 km of friction and rubbing was too dangerous with those loose screws in there.

I ran a bit and walked a LOT and not even fast walk. It was not worth it putting my knee through something that will add injury to my body and nothing to the outcome of this race.  I was going to finish anyway at any rate.

My family was very supportive: my husband, one of my daughters and Christopher my 8 years old grandson ran with me few of the laps. At some point Christopher turned around looked me in the eyes and said “mémé can I tell you something? …. You are the bravest person I know on this planet” ?

I may not be the bravest but perhaps the luckiest person ✨⚡️ on this planet ?. Forever grateful for the love and care of my family ❤️ .

NUTRITION

I fed on boiled potatoes and integral rice, banana, organic vegetable broth, dates, figs, and a bit of nuts. I hydrated on maple syrup  with lemon juice and a dash of salt. It worked marvelously well for me in training, but NOT at the race. Why? Not one reason, probably many reasons due to all the above, especially not eating enough as my crew reported.

My treat after the race was a very creative tasty plant based cake by Chef Istvan at the Rogner bad Blumau Resort. THANK YOU Istvan for the thoughtful touch!

THE RACE ATMOSPHERE

Joy, Fun and a lot of comradery. Everyone cheers for everyone, everyone helps everyone, and that’s something very unique to the IUTA races, which was especially highlighted at the Bad Blumau Ultra race.

Thank you Bad Blumau Ultra race organizers, and Rogner Bad Blumau resort management for putting up a professional race with a lot of human touches ❤️. In particular many thanks to the president of the race who fed me a clear vegetable broth with his own hands one spoon at a time during one of my many run stops, and who tucked my daughters with blankets to sleep. Where do you find humans like this nowadays!

WHAT’S NEXT

I had plenty of energy left in the tank with a double ultra at a 45+ hrs “pace” and that’s a sign that I am not too old to do this.

If my injured body was untrained to race for a 45+ hour long event and yet survived 2 nights of sleep deprivation, juggling pain, and finishing the race, I can’t wait to see what it can do when I am injury free and well trained to race for 45+hrs!!  

But 1st things first,

I will be doing an MRI to assess my situation, and to check on the healing progress of my fractured humerus. As soon as I get the green light I’ll remove the metal plate and screws with Dr. Mir Bulló in Spain.  My Consultation appointment at Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt clinic for my knee is secured in November. I have great faith they will be able to help me get better.

Recovery will follow… then….

There will be another Ultra for me in 2019: A Triple or a Double (pending my recovery) again in Bad Blumau, and that sounds quite exciting. Stay tuned!

A FINAL THOUGHT

No one is ever too old to do anything when the  MIND says I CAN.  We just need to work with what we have and make the best out of whatever situation we are in! “Sport Life” is no different than “Day-to-Day Life” and achieving anything in life is first and foremost a decision and a determination of a MIND!

And for my beloved #planetearth , I will continue carrying your flag at my races spreading the word about a healthy clean environment and a more human world.

UPDATE I am hanging in there I will get over this

FOLLOW UP I:   My optimistic reading of the bad news: .

. Wear and tear to bone and cartilage happens with age and that can’t be stopped and the same can be found in many other elderly’s MRI .

. Many have bulged discs and even herniated discs and feel no pain. Some people become symptomatic and some don’t. I’m in the latter group, I guess you do get what you supposedly can handle ? .

. Mild means only the outer hard part of the cartilage is bulging out, the inner soft part is intact, and that’s good news meaning no herniated /ruptured or slipped disc. .

. The best news of the day is the word “Mild” because mild bulging discs could heal themselves without any medical intervention ?? Mine are going to have to do just that aided by Physio and whatever it takes.

. It shocks me that every cartilage in my whole neck between C3 and T1 shows the same disc bulge. Could it be due to the tension from the metal plate and screws in my arm? Will I be relieved when it is all gone? .

. My biggest concern is: training or no training ? Will swimming and weightlifting be damaging or helping? My arm is getting weaker and weaker can’t lift much with it!! And I fear not using it will make it even weaker!!!

Neck Diagnostic Sep 2018

Time to practice what I preach… Time to live by my own words … Time to show resilience like a cedar tree “…. if the tree loses one strong branch, it will suffer but it does not die; it will pour all its vitality into the next branch so that it will grow and fill the empty place.” Gibran Khalil Gibran… .

Will I be able to race an ultra in July? Sure, if everything is sorted out. The metal plate and screws need to be removed ASAP. The bulge at C8 is the most critical one and the culprit of all the numbness, the fingers’ tingling, and the shooting pain from my neck radiating to my arm. I have to take daily and religiously 5 types of medication for a while. No running and no swimming for now only stationary biking, and that’s alright as long as I can keep my fitness level… The mind will have to get its super healing powers in check and work with me to achieve fast recovery.

FOLLOW UP II:   Knee Diagnostic Nov 2018

Hopeless case, after so many doctors and interventions. I learnt the hard way that all I can do is strengthen the joint muscles to help support my knee where 2.5 cm of cartilage is missing. But I have hope, I will always have hope in my heart.

FOLLOW UP III:   Arm corrective surgery  on Feb 21 2019

The metal and screws were successfully removed in Spain by Dr. Xavier Mir Bulló at ICATME Barcelona. So I started working towards my goal of 1 ironman every day for 5 days in August at the SwissUltra.

June 2019 Bad news from C. K. a coach I had hired to keep me on track view my situation and my daughter’s wedding 2 weeks before my race. C.K. confirmed that due to post surgery recovery “I will have to race under-trained” … and that I refused!! We each have a goal when we race and my goal was not to just finish, my goal was to perform up to my potential. I wanted a  good personal satisfying result.

FOLLOW UP IV:   Jan 2020  started with a severe bacterial infection, tests, doctors and a body totally zapped by what meds I was forced to ingest … Things are a bit better but more tests to come…

And so… It has been hard,  I have been depressed and so unhappy deep inside, living life with no passion like a zombie in spite of the family wedding and a lot of traveling to help ignore. But truth is it was not just health and not being able to race it was most of all the disappointment in people, the lies, the betrayal, the double faced, the use and abuse attitude, and the helplessness I felt in a corrupted vicious environment.  There was a lot of  bullying, humiliation, intimidation, and verbal abuse I had to endure just for standing up for my rights in the last 12 months. I lost a lot: money, website, delayed house plans, and no swim spa after we spent a lot on renovations to accommodate for it on the property!! ALL because of inefficient people I hired, people I placed faith in who did not deliver and who betrayed my trust. The list of slaps in such a short time is long, but the worst blow was that caused just recently by some dishonest deceiving people I lent a Samaritan hand to.

I am not in denial of my health issues and I am disappointed by my sad experiences with people this past year, but nothing will ever change who I am.  I will remain a giving, positive, hopeful person. I may have lost and sacrificed a lot, standing up not just for my rights but for what is right for mankind and issues I strongly believe in and that’s alright, as long as my integrity is unharmed; for he who has no integrity, no dignity, and no pride has nothing.  Mahatma Ghandi once said “Many people, especially ignorant, want to punish you for speaking the truth, for being correct, for being you. Never apologize for being correct… If you’re right and you know it, speak your mind. Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is still the truth.” I will always dare speaking and I will always smile because  “Each time you smile, you throw a little feel-good party in your brain.” ~ behavioral psychologist and yogini Sarah Stevenson