Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 131, June 2020 June 2020 | Page 46

side of the world). Deceived by the sea, and with a few mouthfuls of salt water, I swallowed my pride and hopped onto the kayak, where Ray paddled us back to a couple of very hard-earned alcoholic beverages. I love to travel! So, when my ‘big brother,’ Ray, invited me to join a once in a lifetime trip to Vietnam, followed by Singapore, the most exciting part for me was the idea of exploratory adventure running, on the opposite side of the world! But, thanks to being royally screwed over by my very own skeleton, this was not an option. By the time we had reached our hotel in Hội An, Vietnam, I was fed up with the crutches, so I dropped them off in the room and set out to explore the colourful, vibrant little town. Lesson #19: Cycling is not the enemy Being a runner and a swimmer, I choose to battle various elements relying predominantly on what God gave me, rather than on what man has made. This is mostly because I am technologically challenged, usually have no idea what I am doing, and do not always have the best luck, or a lot of money. I am therefore simply not at all equipped to be a cyclist. Every time I get on a bicycle, my tyres blow up, bugs fly into my nostrils, my bum hurts, and I seem to have a horrendous, dyslexictype of misunderstanding of the gear system. I further successfully infuriate other cyclists and motorists around me, just in trying to stay upright. However, travelling overseas with a cracked bone meant that cycling was one of the few options I had to keep my fitness up, and eat all the foreign food without adding too much extra weight. I still put on weight, but the cycling turned out to be loads of fun. It was an incredible way to explore the rivers, sea, beaches, water buffalo-tilled rice paddies, culture and interesting etiquette of friendly fellow road-users in Vietnam. Surviving the Sentosa Island currents, Singapore Cycling into the Sunrise in Vietnam The rental bicycles had no gears, so I could not get confused, while my legs got a fantastic work out, and it had a lovely basket, which I assumed was there for snacks! By the end of the trip, I was confident on the bike, and frustrated that I could not go faster. Furthermore, I only came close to death by scooters twice (both my fault), so overall, it was my most pleasant cycling experience, by far. Maybe I will continue to cycle… in spite of a love/hate relationship with bicycles. Lesson #20: Never underestimate the strength of sea Next stop, Singapore! It is a fascinating place to visit, and we spent a lot of time walking, exploring the immaculate city and enormous parks. My mind was in awe, my heart happy, but my hip was achy from all the weight-bearing activities, and unfortunately exploratory cycling was not an option here. Upon visiting Sentosa Island’s sandy beaches, I noticed scattered sandbars rising from a flat, turquoise sea, identifying my perfect opportunity for training. After extensive research on the possibility of an unwanted shark encounter in the area, I had fortunately eliminated the only threat there could possibly be in the calm, peaceful water that welcomed my desire for long-distance, open-ocean swimming. However, there were barriers and divides separating various recreational water activities, preventing their collisions with each other, as well as with the giant cargo ships on the outskirts. The designated swimming area was far too small and restricted for my liking, but after convincing the lifeguards that I was some kind of pro-swimmer, imperatively training for something important, they allowed Ray to paddle alongside me in a kayak. Thus I swam out into the “no swim zone,” parallel to the island, completing my first kilometre in under 16 minutes. “A personal record breaker!” Second kilometre, I was cruising, under 14 minutes! “Maybe I could be a pro after all!” My mathematically-challenged brain took a while to register that this could not be possible, so with excess bubbles on every exhaled breath, I cursed and accused my Garmin watch of being incompetent and lost. And then I turned around. It took me over 18 minutes to swim a short 316m. I was basically going backwards, because the current was flying! This was no good for my ego, but great resistance training (and a fantastic opportunity for rapid transportation to the opposite A few days later, we returned to Sentosa Island and I bravely entered the water for another swim. This time, however, wiser to the sweeping currents hidden beneath a deceptive smooth surface, and with triceps armed (pun intended) and ready for battling these obscene tropical water movements. Every time I tried to sneak over or under a barrier and into a “no swim zone,” I had reprimanding lifeguards blow their whistles at me. Apparently you can’t get away with stuff in Singapore as you can in Africa, so I remained contained between two sandbars, swimming 5.8km worth of circles. I do hope it made those overly observant, conservative lifeguards dizzy! Ultimately, swimming in Singapore was an unexpected challenge, and a welcome change from swim training at home in Cape Town. No wetsuit needed thanks to 30-degree Celsius water, and a fantastic opportunity to acquire fitness and Vitamin D. Other than the brutal, invisible currents though, the jellyfish seemed to successfully find their way into my bikini, with their direct target being my nipples! But, my shoulders are now strong, my boobies resilient, and I have a fabulous tan for my current-fighting, jellyfish-entertaining, lifeguard-disregarding efforts. Lesson #21: Confirm your diagnosis as soon as possible Back home, and back to physiotherapy, I was hoping for good news on the injury and the way forward, but still nervous about the outcome. It was suggested that another two weeks on crutches should do the trick, and then I could slowly start running again. I somehow knew that this was too good to be true, as I could feel that something was just not right with the leg. It was not getting worse, but it was not getting better. Not even five minutes after reaching my car from the appointment, feeling mixed emotions, my phone rang and it was Jacqui, calling me to come back. She then suggested that it may be a good idea to visit Dr Demblon, an orthopaedic surgeon. This could confirm her suggestion of a stress fracture and the severity thereof, as there was a chance my symptoms may be as a result of a labral tear instead. This would require surgery, and so would a possible displaced fracture. Being fed-up with the uncertainty, having made no real Perspective keeps you smiling Images: Ray Chaplin, Sean Altern, & Courtesy Leigh De Necker 46 ISSUE 131 JUNE 2020 / www.modernathlete.co.za