Back on the road again !!!

Removal of K-wire & SterilStrips
I had my K-wire & Steril Strips removed on the 25th of August. Well, actually my appointment with the hospital was supposed to be on the 10/9. But a few of the doctors who treated me said tht the k-wire will be removed 3 weeks after the surgery, so I was a bit surprised when the set the appointment for 10/9, 6 weeks after the surgery. So I called up the ward & they told me to go to the clinic myself.

So I went on the 25/8 without setting any appointment. The nurses earlier was a bit reluctant to let me see the docs, becoz I didn't have any appointment. "Sapa suruh datang ?" was the response I got from the staff nurse. So, I just politely explained & they let me see the doc. The doc was satisfied with my x-ray, so he asked me to go to see the MA to have the k-wire removed.

I'd searched the web & YouTube for videos on the removal of the k-wire. So I was pretty much relaxed. I wanted to take a video but the MA didn't allow it. He was the same MA who attended to me when I was first brought in after my accident, he was also the one who I yelled at when he tried to put a cast just after my op. So he put this clamping tool U'd normally find at construction site or auto shops. He just yanked & out came the wire, I didn't feel a thing. There was blood coming out & the pain won't start until a couple hours later.

Taking the k-wire off meant tht I no longer have to wear the cast & I can take showers normally now. I was back to normal, well, pretty much. I still can't move my wrist much. So I guess this year's Merdeka Day was a bit special for me.

Back on the road again
Training during fasting month is nothing strange to me. I used to do it during my cycling days. Back then, those who stay in the training camp will have to go training at nite. But for me, I've always treated fasting month as my off-season. I continue to ride of course, so I'd do easy rides of an hour-90 minutes, & I go off right after sahur.

I've done 4 races this year, 3 road races & 1 track. I've missed 2 races becoz of my accident. & I've got another 2 races before the year ends: Mizuno Wave Run (October) & the Malakoff 12K (December). It's been 54 days today since I crashed & a lot of things have happened since then, one of it was pretty much life-altering. I've been thinking, I need to be a little bit more competitive in the races I go, I need to go faster. I wanna be up there with the sub-50 minute runners & finish among the top 50 each time. & next year I'ma do the half-marathon. Tht's gonna be my training goal after raya.

First of all, I need to lose some weight & trim down a bit more. Fasting month is the perfect platform for those goals. My target weight would be 75kg, less than 15% body fat. Right now I'm at 82kg & about 20% body fat. Long way to go.

I've been running 4 days this fasting month, I started on the 29/8, 4 days after I removed the k-wire & the steril strips from my wound. I've lost much of the muscles on my left arm, my shoulder & elbow hurts & I haven't regained full range of movement on my wrist. My 1st physiotherapy session at the hospital is scheduled on 10/9, but I'm not gonna wait tht long. So I searched the web for workouts that can help me fix my left arm. I've been doing it for more than a week now, & it's working great. Now I can lift my dumbbell bar & collar (hahahah, about 1.5 kg), I can do front plank on swiss ball, etc. But there's a lot more to be done.

The 1st 2 runs was easy jogs, I just wanted to see where I was, in terms of fitness. I was careful not to push above 150 bpm. I found out tht in terms of fitness & stamina, I haven't lost tht much. So in the 3rd day, I started to push it a bit, again to see how I felt. I was okay & stayed pretty much fresh thruout the day. I started my runs around 6.30 am, so it'd be 14 hrs before I can have a drink. But I was okay with it, burning around 700-900 calories each session, pretty much what I consumed for sahur.

I also focused on my stride, I want to improve my forefoot stride, so I was focusing on getting it right. Also, during my last race in Pesta Sukan Treasury, my wife said tht my upper body looked very rigid & stiff. So I was working on correct running posture as well, trying to make my upper body more relaxed.

I hope I can hit the ground running after Raya. I'ma bring my running gear back to Besut for Raya as well. I'ma run on the beach there. Until then, livestrong. Selamat berpuasa.