Hi, welcome back and great to hear you are in a good space to get back training. I've really valued your input over the years, so more than happy to share a bit of my journey.

2020 March I had a back spasm 10 days out from IMNZ (form/target was a low 10:xx), was crippled but got to the space with painkillers and all manner of fiddling to make the start, but during the race it spasmed again so entire run was a massive lurch and then from that straight into covid lockdown I ended up with what's basically been 3.5 years of injury including 3-4 months total sedentary rest to try and sort my pelvis. This followed 2014 tearing my right ATFL, and then literally 2 days after meeting coach after the rehab post surgery of that tearing my peroneal tendon, and another 18 months of surgery and rehab.

For reference I turned 49 last week, and my first half marathon was in 2000, my first IM in 2005. So not totally different backgrounds/ages.

This year I specifically haven't entered races. I would have loved to have been targetting IMNZ in march, but I've taken off all the pressure to 'rush' and focussed on the routine of training. I've had some big successes third place in a club duathlon with a hilly (5km run to start at 4:25 pace and a 4km finish at 4:35) and some lows (the recurrence of a hamstring nerve issue that meant I had to ditch my October marathon).

One of the big 'head' challenges is remembering your pace/power/form at peak, 2 months from A race, not the reality of what you weer doing in base phase 6 months out. So once I started checking Training peaks history instead of looking at Strava 'my efforts' then I felt better.

I did my 3rd ever sprint race on Wednesday, a post xmas ocean sprint with the target being 'finish with a smile'. And I did, really just enjoyed rolling with the waves in the swim, hammered first 10mins of bike to build a decent bunch then just 'chilled' in the pack, and then on the run just jogged at 8/10. I could have pushed and dropped 10s/km, made a few more places, but instead I raced 'honest' and then spent the afternoon gardening.

I am noticing at the moment the biggest challenge is the inability to back up 2 big days in a row. I can do a decent 20km run or a 100km hilly/hard ride, but if I do one of those on the Saturday, the Sunday attempt isn't going to happen. I'm hoping that's going to diminish as I build the volume back up, but there's a nagging thought that in the last 4 years as well as the hair turning grey, then the body has also got old.

But I can still hold my own with the cycle group on climbs after 6 months of cycling on my own, and whilst I may be worried that I'm not doing 4:40/km for 30km training runs, I'm doing an hour of swim backed up with 20km runs at 5:00 which in slowtwitch terms is dreadful, but compared to general population.... One of the big things for me was to get perspective on where I am, where I want to be, and why I want to be there.

You'll have some weeks where every run/ride/swim is a new 2 year PB. But then you WILL also have some setbacks. One key thing for me is getting into a regular routine with a physio (fortnightly works well for me) to keep on top of all the niggles that will occur as you build volume before they actually lead to anything that impedes your ability to train.

And on that front, one of the key things I swear by is 2-3 pilates sessions a week. Honestly, there's a lot of views of what it is, but the reality is it's changed my life and athletic performance over the last 10 years. And whilst most think of it as lulemon covered blonde sticks stretching, you have to come back that Joseph Pilates was a bare knuckle boxer and the original Pilates ring is the metal band off a beer barrel. That's given me the chance to get my core strong before I've loaded it too much with running/cycling, and in turn that's limited the need to take breaks and so have been able to get consistency in training.

And so on that last point, I've kept my coach throughout. Which may seem bonkers, but for me that's been vital to making sure I've not rushed any return and built up in a careful manner. Good communication between myself, my coach and my physio (and preciously surgeon) has been vital.

Wishing you all the very best.

Hey my friend. For all the great advice you give around here, I am hoping and expecting you will get plenty.

I will offer the few things I learned when my body failed me long ago. The biggest thing you have to deal with emotionally is the loss of confidence in your body. You will heal, and begin to resume and rebuild. But patience and restraint have to be the theme. As you feel better, your Type A nature and competitiveness will push you. But each setback will take a larger emotional than physical toll. And there can’t be any expectations. Expectations are a risk for disappointment. Early on, you will do more damage not meeting an expectation than encouragement gained by exceeding one. Keeping your mind in a good place is they key to getting your body to follow. This would seem obvious, but so much harder in reality.

And, keeping with that, don’t plan to get all the way back. That shouldn’t be the primary goal, IMO. Of course, I want you to, and you should to. But working your way back is a process. Just revel in the process. Not the numbers or the times. Slow days are a victory if they lead to the next day. Before you know it, you will be back. And regaining the confidence in your body is the ultimate victory.

And lastly, if you do hit limits that you can’t overcome, you might find the process takes you in a different direction that you still find surprisingly acceptable. Embrace the journey.

Now, apologies, as that was a lot more counseling than coaching. Hopefully you will get some good training advice.

Thank you for your kind words.
I think I need both those coaching insights and the counselling at the moment. Have really appreciated all the contact over the years.....I really appreciate your person anecdotes. Hope you have had a Merry Christmas and best of luck for 2024.

Been there. A couple of thoughts.

-Step one is just to get out the door. I would tell myself that it’s not going to get easier if I don’t.

-Train by HR. I would naturally gravitate to my old running pace, which my reduced fitness couldn’t support. Running at a sustainable HR felt painfully slow, but it was where my fitness was at the time.

-You will get back over time. It took me about six months, but I was back at my peak competitive weight and fitness.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Thank you for sharing your journey and all the ups and downs. It really feels like we have been on similar pathways/age/events and injuries!
Am currently in NZ, flew here 8 days post op (not the brightest decision ever!) and enjoying the scenery out in the country in Cambridge.
So many great nuggets of information in your response, thank you. I think every second person has recommended Pilates to me in some shape/form so I have to seriously look into it after this holiday. The main issue for me is having unpredictable work hours and so trying to find the right times to go can be tricky (excuses I know).
I have really appreciated reading your personal journey, I am sure it was not entirely easy to share it so thank you.

not much to add here except that i'll follow this thread with interest. i had a combo of sepsis/pneumonia on november and am also very slowly clawing my way back. i'd had some real ambitions for the year ahead and am trying to figure out where i'm at.

many years ago when i was a student i had hashimoto's disease. i reached out to emma robinson, who was at the same school as me then and also a varsity athlete who'd had thyroid cancer. she sent a really thoughtful reply and one of the bits that stuck with me was "muscle memory is an incredible thing!"

if you were a 10-hour ironman once, your body will remember how to get back in shape!

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____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

You have a lot of training 'in the bank'. Addressing the 'mental', I think you can look forward to be pleasantly surprised at how that foundation, even with the time you've spent at light and no load, will allow you to build.
I spent time down with L4/L5 prolapse (aged 52), ironically after a run where I remember thinking (was along a beach where the tide forced one close to the cliff) 'if a rock falls and kills me it'll have been during a fantastic run' note to self: 'look up till the cliff path exit': cue inception of symptoms in the last two miles, sciatica and the pain you are familiar with (and MRI et al). After conservative rehab, I came back and surprised myself and others with some competitive (winning, big fish medium sized pond) racing. Believe.

I've had some serious injuries/health scares. I think it's right to not expect too much from yourself for ~6 months or longer. Don't rush back into the quality. Don't compare workouts to when you were at your best. Don't try to hit the same splits you were capable of before all of this. The early sessions suck. The heart rate is going to get high at paces that are going to frustrate with you. Grind through those sessions, find consistency, and start stacking some good sessions. It will get easier.

Build back with consistency not speed or endurance…..that will come with time. I like to start with run/walks without pain, swims of 20/30 minutes go get feel of water and 45 minute indoor ez spins. I try to run 3 x per week, swim 3 x week and bike 2/3 times per week after a couple of months. Slowly your body will respond but be mindful of not doing to much too soon to avoid setbacks….consistency is king for you at the moment.

I was down and out with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for 2 years. The biggest positive to coming back is that you are exercising again :) Just getting out the door is so much better than being on the couch. The biggest negative I experienced was the toll of running on my body after 2 years of zero running and bone loading activity. I had previous injury history and even with a super conservative run/walk approach I still had injuries popping up very quickly upon my return. So my advice would be to smell the roses while you swim and bike easily. Practice extreme patience with the running as you get back into it. Don't set a date or time to hit X miles or X time for racing on the run. Let it come back to you and be happy you are exercising rather than sitting in the Doctor's office. Good luck!

I haven't Posted in a While

At that time I was about 10 years older than you. Jump to today.

I don't do Triathlons anymore, but I still run, bike, and swim. The joy of pushing to the limit has evaporated. I run smartly, taking days off. I bike for fun with the club, and I swim when I feel like it.

When the problems started I was running about 7:30 pace for a stand alone half marathon. I had an FTP of about 250, and I could swim 100's on 1:40 for 2000 yds easily.

My running pace is now just under 10 minutes a mile for anything longer that 5 miles. I have my FTP set at 190. My last swim I was struggling to hold 1:50. I don't care.

Your outlook on fitness and life in general changes when you nearly die.

Good luck in your recovery.

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"...the street finds its own uses for things"

I just wanted to highlight the part in bold. I had a few life events resulting in not being able to walk and L4/L5/S1 injuries.

The one thing I like about sport is compared to my peers who have no measure of their decline, we get an objective measure of erosion of physical ability that is totally fine!!! My biggest challenge has been my brain trying to write cheques that my body cannot cash, but now I have realized after literally 12 years of struggles, to not look at numbers unless I feel really really good and just exercise for the sake of exercising and go by feel "inside a safe zone".

In any case, I really got into swimming during my rehab, because I figured that taming my brain was part of the problem, and the risk of injury to my back in the water was low. Each time I had setbacks has been on the run, particularly off the bike and twice with bad form on the rowing machine (which ironically I was using to get stronger and then I started chasing higher watts and was cripple).

Last three years I have done multiple 70.3s off swimming like a swimmer, bike commuting to work and a couple of trainer rides per week and jogging 15-20 min each way to pool or 15-20 min bricks and a weekend "long run" of around an hour. I literally race the 30 year olds to T2 and after that I head out for 2 hrs of jogging watching the entire field blow by on the leg that used to be my strength. I tend to hold my own in my age group on the swim-bike and then the world passes me running, but that's OK.

Every so often my body feels better and I start getting thoughts of doing an Ironman, and literally 2 weeks after that, I have a setback due to increased intensity and volume and acting like I am 28 not 58 with a messed up back.

I am planning to continue masters swim racing when all this triathlon stuff is over.

Also one more thing, is I use races as my long and hard workouts. No need to go that long or that hard ever in training.

I am consistently amazed at how slow, consistent, training can result in real fitness gains over time.

It just doesn't make sense to me that going slow and just really enjoying training (not delving into the pain zone) can, over time, make you fast. But it does.

Take it easy. Enjoy being able to train, at whatever level you are at. Do something every day to get moving. Set long-term goals. Six month, 12 month, and 18 month goals.

I know you know all of these things. But it is always nice to hear it from others. People who want to be immediately fast will often go too hard and injure themselves again. It's a total recipe for disaster. The only way to stay "fast" as you age is to continue training. And the only way to continue training is to avoid injury. Give yourself permission to be slow and don't compare yourself to the old you.

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Jason
None of the secrets of success will work unless you do.

A friend of mine had what sounds like very similar injury/surgery that you've had. She has found that walking and working one-on-one with a Pilates instructor has helped immensely in her recovery. And consistency over time is a good thing.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Sorry to read of your illness and injuries. As endurance athletes I believe we all encounter issues such as yours that stop us from our training routines which are an integral part of our daily lives. Some, like yours, are more severe, and we either work through them to get back in the "game" or move on to something else. Getting old doesn't make any easier.

My advice is similar to other posts: start with an activity you can do pain-free (relatively) and do it frequently (consistently as most have mentioned). Build volume with that frequent activity. Give yourself plenty of time (periodization) to build a base from that activity. Forget about intensity until you have healed and regained fitness and then only apply sparingly, listening to your body, with plenty of recovery. Baby steps!

Good luck!

I cant comment on your specific issue but more on the journey back to rebuilding.

I have work with so many athletes that had very serious or life threatning injury and what i have observe is that most athletes will quickly become over ambitious and agressive in there training.

You have a clean slate right now… you have time to rebuild. This as to be a ‘’exciting time’’. Start the process and do it right with patience. Ideally, you have someone that can follow your progress and be objective about the progression. I find myself with the main job of keeping athlete on a tight leash and holding them back from hurting themself. This is the simple most important element. Gradual and very slow rebuild. Patience is the key element for you over the next few months or year.

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Jonathan Caron / Professional Coach / ironman champions / age group world champions
Jonnyo Coaching
Instargram

Lots of great advice already. My personal experience.

Background; Mid/late 40s I discovered a serious health issue that had me near bed ridden for a month and no running for months after that. I am fine now, but am on meds for life.

What worked for me (hopefully this is helpful and works for you):
Did my best to get my mental health back to stable. On the sports front, i needed a big goal so challenged myself to a PR for distance of open water swimming. Trained the minimal amount and pushed myself to do a 10 mile swim. Failed the first time (9.5m) and succeeded the second time (10.5). When the leg felt better, I pushed myself to a PR of elevation gain on the bike (20,000 feet). Similar to the swim, minimal training, just pushing myself physically. Felt alive, felt I had purpose... And mental health got so MUCH better.

Most recently, I have pivoted away from triathlon to Aquabike. Miss triathlon and running for sure, but the constant and incessant injuries pushed me this way. After racing nationals in December, have gotten my kicks from this. Given your back injury, this could be a good pivot for you as well?

Recovery/timing:
As mentioned by others, regaining fitness after a big base is surprisingly quick. In my 2 bouts of bed ridden for one month (one episode mentioned above), it only took 2 months to regain my swim and bike fitness. It blew my mind that it was that quick, but have seen on two occasions. My advice: get out the door, take the first step and start training, and you will surprise yourself how quickly you will regain your fitness.

Hope this helps

Thank you to everyone who has posted so far.
There are so many pearls of wisdom in here already, thank you.
I think the consistent themes that I am hearing are:
1. Make a start
2. Set no expectations
3. Enjoy being able to train
4. It will be slow
5. Adding intensity is a recipe for more injuries, most things should be slow and steady
6. Do lots of what I can do now with minimal pain (which is likely to be swimming for me)
7. Pilates
8. More nods to the mental health aspects of these situations (thank you to those who have spoken of their own battles on this front)
9. Having an experienced coach can be beneficial

Am keen to hear more stories from others if they also have experiences to share.
I do appreciate the collective ST brains trust. Thank you.

I've had 2 of these. One in 2005, when I had ACL surgery; the other I'm going through now, having recently had hip surgery. Don't know yet how the 2nd will turn out.

In retrospect, one thing that helped me in 2005, was that post-surgery I was spending a lot of time on "fitness stuff." The rehab took up a lot of time, without doing much to get me into good cardio shape; and for whatever reason, I'd decided to build a bike wheel during that time, despite my lack of wrenching skills. So there was a big stretch of time there when I was pretty much totally out of shape, at least cardio-wise, but was still somehow in the fitness world. As my knee got better, I was able to segue into doing things that actually got me into better cardio shape, without it feeling like I was really altering my life, schedule, etc.

I'm not sure how to translate that to your case, except to say that maybe (and maybe not) as you get back into it, you could also do things like volunteering at races, trying out new stretching routines, finding ways to put you back into the world of SBR without feeling like at every second you need to be pushing yourself to get faster.

Signed up here just for this reason.

Thanks for posting.

Had a similar scenario a few years ago—broke my back in 5 places and sustained an acetabular fracture, all of which had me on crutches and off the bike for 4+months. Then this summer I broke my scapula while on the best form in years. It’s not as long a road back but I’m certainly not where I was 5 months ago or where I’d normally like to be at this time of the year.

My suggestion is to start slow and just aim for consistency—basically forget what was for a period of time. Allow your body the space it needs to get going again and know that it’ll take a while, but it can come back if that’s what you want. Some days and weeks will just be a slow slog and there will be likely setbacks, but keeping at it will turn things around at some point.

Best of luck to you in finding the way back; it’s as much psychological and emotional as physical.

One more thing that may be useful to add. If you have a spouse/partner, that person knows you best. No coach in the world who does not live with you can know your rythms/moods/actions better than the partner. That person can objectively assess if you're about to overdo anything and hold you back. It depends on how much rope this person gives you, but if it is a person who gives you a lot of rope (like mine does) and then she steps in every so often, then it is likely because I am using the rope to imminently hang myself and I can't see what I am doing to myself. She can see it and airs the voice of reason. Most times when I have ignored, it, my body tells me a few days later what I was being warned about but I can't see myself limping around in the morning making coffee like she can and assess the differences.

this times 1000.

I heard it put really well once, and it's been my 'comeback' template since:

frequency before duration
duration before intensity

that might mean you start with 15 minute runs or 20 minute rides, but you get to a place where you do them daily. then you're allowed to try stretching out the 'long run,' and once that's baked in, you can think about intervals.

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____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

Im 53 years old, so not too far off from your age.

2016 - osteitis pubis. No run or bike for six months. Could only swim with a pull buoy because of the pelvic pain
2018 - high hamstring tendinitis. No running or cycling for three months
2019 - peroneal tendon surgery right ankle. No running for 3-4 months. Cycling was slow build up to keep ankle pain away
2021 - same ankle surgery but left side this time. Similar recovery time
2022 - repeat ankle surgery, left side. Similar recovery time.

It is depressing to have to suddenly stop what you enjoy and then have no idea when you’ll be able to make a comeback. And it’s also depressing to believe you are finally “over the hump“ and along comes another injury to set you back again. Usually, once I was able to get into PT (physio), I started having improvement in my mindset because I saw it as the start of a new challenge. I couldn’t run or bike (or swim sometimes) but I was slowly building up strength to get back to those sports one day. And then, when I was finally able to start running again, it was amazing what a very slow run/walk program would do for my psyche. I recall telling my wife “if this is the fastest I’ll ever be able to run again, I’ll take it”.

Sorry you are dealing with all of these issues. I really hope 2024 is a more positive year for you