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