Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 116, March 2019 | Page 18

Fear of Missing Out
MY
STORY
We often take our health for granted, and it’s only when we can’t participate in activities that we normally could, that we
really start to appreciate it. – BY LISA MACKENZIE
This past year Wayne could not finish the Two Oceans
Ultra Marathon as he had severe pain in his hip and
back, and his movement was restricted, reducing him
to barely being able to walk, let alone run. He was
obviously disappointed, as his fitness levels were
there, and he was also aiming for 20 Two Oceans
Marathon medals, having achieved 14 so far. He had
been battling injury, stiffness and many niggles for a
few years now, and after numerous tests and X-rays,
he was advised to have a hip replacement. His hip
had no cartilage left, and it was bone on bone.
However, because of his injury and knowing he would
not be able to run for at least three months after
surgery, he was feeling the effects of ‘FOMO’ (Fear Of
Missing Out). He was noticing every runner out on the
roads, looking like they are fit and healthy and loving
life! Isn’t it funny? When I am running a marathon and
taking strain, I look at the supporters on the side of
the road, and secretly wish I was supporting and not
running. The worst is people in cars. I would give my
left lung to be sitting in a car instead of pounding the
road. But when I am the person sitting in the car and
drive past a runner, I wish I was running instead.
New Hip Hardware
Wayne had his hip replacement surgery on the 10th
of November last year. It was a huge operation and
the healing process took about six weeks, and then
he was walking on his own again, but he was told not
to run for three months after that, to ensure the bone
surrounding the prosthetic joint healed properly. He
was also advised to keep using some kind of walking
stick until he was able to walk without a limp.
Meanwhile, he was determined to be as active as
possible, within reason. This involved things like
walking to his gate and back in the first week, walking
1km a week later, and walking a 5km parkrun four
weeks after that. In December we went to Cape Town
on holiday and Wayne was allowed to walk as much
as he wanted without crutches. We took a hiking pole
in case he needed some help with balance. While
there, he walked a few parkruns, without any walking
aids, and was getting stronger every day. He was
averaging a 5km walk in 45 minutes. On New Year’s
Eve he walked an 8km fun run at Mouille Point in
just over an hour. This was a huge achievement after
recently having a hip replacement.
The second week in January was the Dis-Chem Half
Marathon and Wayne set a goal for himself that he
would walk it. His walking had by now improved so
much that I couldn’t keep up, and preferred to jog
next to him instead! Wayne duly completed it in just
over three hours! He was focused and determined, a
man on a mission. His body ached all over, but it was
a proud and emotional moment for both of us. Since
then he has done a lot of walking and cycles twice a
week on a watt bike at the gym.
Up and Running Again
On the 10th of February it was three months since
the operation, and the doctor gave him the all-clear
to start running again. We went to the Sterkfontein
parkrun and Wayne jogged a few strides to see how it
felt. This is a process and you have to train your body
to run again. The next day was the Jeppe Marathon
and he decided to do the 21km. He walked most of it
and ran a few hundred metres (walked for 5 minutes,
jogged slowly for 1 minute) to ‘test drive’ the hip. He
finished in 2:53 and felt like a rock star!
Wayne has set a goal of completing a half marathon
a month, including Buffs and Two Oceans, building
up slowly at least for the first year. It’s always good
to set yourself something to work towards, and he is
thinking of competing in a triathlon, but recognising
that healing further and getting stronger remain top
priority for now. We’ve also both learnt the lesson to
never take anything in your life for granted, and to
keep setting those goals, even if you’re forced to make
adjustments. And definitely use the FOMO to bring you
back to where you realistically want to be.
Lisa and
Wayne
Wayne is pumped to
be running again
18
ISSUE 116 MARCH 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za
M
y partner Wayne Thomason has always been
an active guy. Along with soccer, squash,
gym, tennis and cycling, he has been running
for over 35 years. Running was always easy for him,
and he was super competitive with himself, smashing
PBs for breakfast! However, as he has gotten older, so
he has slowed down, and his body does not react the
way it used to.