In the beginning...

... i had nothing wrong with me. Now I do.

This blog will be (if i dont get fed up doing it) about waiting for my Anterior Cruciate Ligament reconstruction and the recovery process.

A wee bit of background first. I've always been quite active even when I was fatter, smokier and pissed quite a lot. Maturity brought a new vibe to my life and with it I decided to become immortal. Getting fit was part of the plan and I managed it relatively well for an overweight, non smoker who still enjoyed a drink. Running was the staple and i managed a few half marathons at middle of the pack pace during my 20's.

The first major spanner in the works was rupturing my right ACL playing football in 1999. No surgery at that time, rehab by physio instead. I managed to return to a reasonable level of fitness within a few months. Cycling had been a major part of the rehab and fortunately i liked it. Got back playing football but still getting niggles after games. It would only be another 6 years before i decided to give it up and what a great difference it made to the knee. Funny that, who'd've thought?

Back in time, a little, again. I hit 30 in 2002 and had a revelation that all the stuff i'd been saying i'd like to do was never actually getting any closer to being done. A triathlon had always tickled my fancy, so i did one that year and continued doing them with the peak being completing Ironman UK in 2006. I was really enjoying endurance sport and had moved up to running marathon distance with my first effort at Edinburgh in 2004. It was the worst physical torture i'd ever put myself through. Within a day or two though i was thinking i could and knew how to do better. I was right. Still not knocking on elite athletes doors but got a best time of 3:39 at London in 2006.

The endurance stuff seemed to suit me. Not very fast but can go on and on. Another on my want to do list had been the Marathon Des Sables. I was delighted to complete this in 2009 and was, i think, the 25th British male home. I hope there was more than 26 British males taking part. Unfortunately in the year before and since i have struggled with knee related injury. It seems all the off road running with packs and an unstable knee joint has taken it's toll.

I had knee surgery at the end of 2009 requiring partial lateral and medial meniscectomies. The recovery since then has been slow and following discussions about my future hopes for sport (i hope to be doing endurance and ultra endurance for many more years) the surgeon has very kindly agreed to give me a new ACL.

It's around a 3 month wait for the op from now. I'll be trying to get as fit as i can before the op to help me out on the other side. Got the physio this week and will hopefully have a concrete plan in place from then.