Catriona Morrison

Things are a little bumpier than I would ideally like this week. I went to the surgeon for a check-up on Tuesday. I had been great swimming and X training but still could not bike. So I was injected with some cortisone to see if this would clear the way a little. Back to the arm bike – I had to be dragged kicking and screaming. Still, the biceps are back and I get to swim and X train again tomorrow. Monday is the big day fortrying some biking. Stay tuned.

Good news – I have been swimming without pain for two weeks now. Better news is that I have also been spreading my wings in the gym. The cross trainer has overtaken the arm bike as my number one toy of choice. This week was fab: I managed 23hrs of training and even did an open water swim. Pretty happy with progress so far. I am making sure to take a day off every week and listening carefully to any knee niggles. I am going back to the surgeon for a chat on Tuesday to discuss what happens next. The biggest bonus has been that today I sat on my bike for 5mins with no pain and I have started to run on the trampoline. Onwards and upwards……. smiling with all these exercise induced endorphines surging through my veins!

Today was a refreshing day in World Sport.

Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius won his appeal to attempt to qualify for the Olympic Games competing against able-bodied athletes. In January, the IAAF banned the South African athlete from competing in able-bodied events as it was believed that his prosthetic limbs gave him an unfair advantage. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport today overturned this ruling and Oscar can attempt to represent South Africa in Bejing later this year.

Meanwhile in the UK, Dwain Chambers has revealed the extent and methods of his drug secrets. Hopefully this information will be used to further the fight against drugs in sport.

Full stories are reported at http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/athletics/

Saw the Doc. on Tuesday.

Everything looking good and I have now been given to go-ahead to start using the x-trainer, start swimming and to try range of motion on the bike. Two weeks of gradual build-up in basic exercise. No intensity but at least some aerobic work. So far I’ve concentrated on swimming. With all the arm biking that I have been doing (and that I am still doing) I have a lot of upper body fatigue. In the pool I am mostly using the pull buoy and trying not to push off the wall too hard so I kind of have very dead arm syndrome! Over the weekend I will get the bike onto the turbo and see what happens. Swimming has been fine when I am in the water but I get a little knee stiffness afterwards. X – training is similar. The bad news was that I have been advised not to start running for another 4 weeks.

To see the video of my spongy knee go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BgqWm0cjfI

If my biceps are this size after 2 weeks, what am I going to look like in another 2 weeks…….?

And tomorrow is just a day away! How exciting. Off to the surgeon is less than 48hrs. Pretty sure that I will be given the OK to swim and perhaps start doing some biking and maybe a little running. Whatever, it will be a atep up from the arm bike – see above.

Check out the pile of on-one bikes that we came across at the weekend!! Richard and I marshalled at the National Single Speed MTB champs held in Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfries. These guys and gals race in style. No pre course recce, the race starts sometime close to sometime and the aid station was a beer stop! Richard and I were in charge of determining 1st, 2nd and 3rd – hard when you can’t read the race numbers and people are getting lapped after only lap one.