F Endurance, n I Definition: The fact of enduring (pain, hardship, annoyance); the habit or the O power of enduring; often absol. as denoting a quality, longsuffering, patience. Oxford English Dictionary N A Fiona Ford was no stranger to endurance. In 2006 she won both the World F Championship titles at ITU Triathlon and Aquathlon in the same week. O FIONA FORD has competed She raced seven Ironman® distance events and was used to long and hard R in triathlon for many years and is training routines and gruelling workout schedules. D a former age group European and But nothing could have prepared her for the greatest challenge of her life. world champion at ITU Triathlon B and Aquathlon. For four years, she In June 2012 she was cycling on the London 2012 Olympic bike route raced pro at Ironman® distance when a car pulled out in front of her and hit her. With a broken clavicle A with several top 10 finishes. and a broken pelvis and sacrum she was taken to hospital. The doctors 978-1-78255-033-4 C $ 19.95 US / £ 14.95 UK told her she would never run again. Fiona is a full-time triathlon coach K and certified SwimSmooth coach From regularly taking steps up to the podium her biggest challenge who regularly writes training and became taking a single step from her hospital bed. Learning to walk again O racing articles for 220Triathlon was the most difficult challenge she had ever endured. and H2Open magazines. N Three years after the life-changing accident, Fiona is back on her bike: On FIONA FORD A serious bike accident whilst 14 June 2015 she competed in a triathlon for the first time again. She won out training in 2012 put an end her age group by 12 minutes.. T INTERNATIONAL TRIATHLETE to her competitive career as a pro R Experience Fiona’s inspiring story of rehabilitation and recovery and triathlete. She spent two years on A her ultimate triumphant return to endurance sports. Find out how she BACK ON TRACK rehabilitation and recovery from made it back on track! C multiple injuries to resume her $ 16.95/£ 11.95 ISBN 978-1-78255-074-7 sport and coaching. Three years K after the accident, she is once again 978-1-78255-026-6 $ 16.95 US / £ 12.95 UK HOW I RECOVERED FROM A LIFE-CHANGING competing in triathlons. ACCIDENT AND GOT BACK ON THE PODIUM www.m-m-sports.com 15_07_09_Umschlag_Back_on_Track_ar_ef.indd 1 10.07.15 10:17 F Endurance, n I Definition: The fact of enduring (pain, hardship, annoyance); the habit or the O power of enduring; often absol. as denoting a quality, longsuffering, patience. Oxford English Dictionary N A Fiona Ford was no stranger to endurance. In 2006 she won both the World F Championship titles at ITU Triathlon and Aquathlon in the same week. O FIONA FORD has competed She raced seven Ironman® distance events and was used to long and hard R in triathlon for many years and is training routines and gruelling workout schedules. D a former age group European and But nothing could have prepared her for the greatest challenge of her life. world champion at ITU Triathlon B and Aquathlon. For four years, she In June 2012 she was cycling on the London 2012 Olympic bike route raced pro at Ironman® distance when a car pulled out in front of her and hit her. With a broken clavicle A with several top 10 finishes. and a broken pelvis and sacrum she was taken to hospital. The doctors 978-1-78255-033-4 C $ 19.95 US / £ 14.95 UK told her she would never run again. Fiona is a full-time triathlon coach K and certified SwimSmooth coach From regularly taking steps up to the podium her biggest challenge who regularly writes training and became taking a single step from her hospital bed. Learning to walk again O racing articles for 220Triathlon was the most difficult challenge she had ever endured. and H2Open magazines. N Three years after the life-changing accident, Fiona is back on her bike: On FIONA FORD A serious bike accident whilst 14 June 2015 she competed in a triathlon for the first time again. She won out training in 2012 put an end her age group by 12 minutes.. T INTERNATIONAL TRIATHLETE to her competitive career as a pro R Experience Fiona’s inspiring story of rehabilitation and recovery and triathlete. She spent two years on A her ultimate triumphant return to endurance sports. Find out how she BACK ON TRACK rehabilitation and recovery from made it back on track! C multiple injuries to resume her $ 16.95/£ 11.95 ISBN 978-1-78255-074-7 sport and coaching. Three years K after the accident, she is once again 978-1-78255-026-6 $ 16.95 US / £ 12.95 UK HOW I RECOVERED FROM A LIFE-CHANGING competing in triathlons. ACCIDENT AND GOT BACK ON THE PODIUM www.m-m-sports.com 15_07_09_Umschlag_Back_on_Track_ar_ef.indd 1 10.07.15 10:17 Back on Track 15_07_10_Satz_Back_on_Track_ar_ef.indd 1 10.07.15 14:51 Dedication This book is dedicated to my parents, Robyn and Gary, my partner Steve and a small army of friends for their amazing support. Thank you for the positivity and help you all brought to a lengthy but successful recovery process. Credits Zoe Catchpole Kelvin Wright Tania Cotton Kerrie O’Connor Steve Hobson Chris Taylor Kate McCombe Ryan Gregson Dave Scott Genevieve LaCaze Neil MacClean-Martin Jimmy May Tremay Dobson Susan Lunn Oliver Weber Bethan Jones Chris Fidler Zoe Wafelbakker Paul Newsome Marina Lim Rachel Morris Caroline Hermon Claire Cameron Nancy Doherty Karin Cannons Aidan Prior David Lane Deborah Pearson Steve Trew Frank O’Connor The contents of this book were carefully researched. However, all information is supplied without liability. Neither the author nor the publisher will be liable for possible disadvantages or damages resulting from this book. 15_07_10_Satz_Back_on_Track_ar_ef.indd 2 10.07.15 14:51 FIONA FORD INTERNATIONAL TRIATHLETE BACK ON TRACK HOW I RECOVERED FROM A LIFE-CHANGING ACCIDENT AND GOT BACK ON THE PODIUM Meyer & Meyer Sport 15_07_10_Satz_Back_on_Track_ar_ef.indd 3 10.07.15 14:51 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Back on Track – How I recovered from a life-changing accident and got back on the podium Maidenhead: Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd., 2015 ISBN: 978-1-78255-074-7 All rights reserved. Except for use in a review, no part of this publication maybe reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means now known or here- after invented without the prior written permission of the publisher. This book may not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form, binding or cover other than that which is published, without the prior written consent of the publisher. © 2015 by Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd. Aachen, Auckland, Beirut, Cairo, Cape Town, Dubai, Hägendorf, Hong Kong, Indianapolis, Manila, New Delhi, Singapore, Sydney, Tehran, Vienna Member of the World Sport Publishers‘ Association (WSPA) Manufacturing: Print Consult GmbH, Munich, Germany ISBN: 978-1-78255-074-7 E-Mail: [email protected] www.m-m-sports.com 15_07_10_Satz_Back_on_Track_ar_ef.indd 4 10.07.15 14:51 Table of ConTenTs TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ............................................................ 6 CHAPTER 1: BICYCLE VERSUS CAR ..................................... 12 CHAPTER 2: ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY ......................... 26 CHAPTER 3: LIFE-CHANGING INJURIES .............................. 38 CHAPTER 4: HOSPITAL FOOD .............................................. 50 CHAPTER 5: OPERATION CLAVICLE .................................... 80 CHAPTER 6: FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT ............................ 110 CHAPTER 7: STAGED REHABILITATION ............................. 144 CHAPTER 8: CLIMBING MOUNTAINS ................................. 170 CHAPTER 9: BACK ON TRACK ........................................... 206 CHAPTER 10: PRE-TRAINING PLANS AND SESSIONS ............. 238 EPILOGUE: COMEBACK RACE ..................................................268 CREDITS ......................................................... 276 5 15_07_10_Satz_Back_on_Track_ar_ef.indd 5 10.07.15 14:51 PREFACE Endurance, n Definition: The fact of enduring (pain, hardship, annoyance); the habit or the power of enduring; often absol. as denoting a quality, longsuffering, patience. Oxford English Dictionary 6 15_07_10_Satz_Back_on_Track_ar_ef.indd 6 10.07.15 14:51 PrefaCe The year of the London 2012 Olympics I had enjoyed over a decade in the sport of triathlon, transitioning from marathon runner into multisport. While teaching in Poplar, East London, I ran the London marathon a number of times earning a championship start time and encouraging my pupils to take up (any) sport. One of my students, Perri Shakes-Drayton, competed at the London 2012 Olympics. To watch her race a decade on from challenging me to races up and down the school playground was an absolute pleasure. On marathon day in 2003, as a 12 year old, Perri ran the length of Poplar High Street with me as the route passed by the school gates. I appreciated her positive attitude as I managed and taught a challenging class the year I decided to run my last London marathon. Embracing triathlon in 2002, I raced for Great Britain in age group teams at ITU World Championships for 4 years, culminating with winning ‘double’, the Aquathlon and Triathlon in the same week. I finished third and fifth overall respectively in the women’s age group events, a few minutes behind Chrissie Wellington in the ITU Triathlon when all the age group results were amalgamated together. With the support of a bike sponsor, Planet-X, and coached by Spencer Smith, I was encouraged to turn to long course triathlon racing. My first Ironman® event in 2007 was ® France. I finished in the top 10 overall, setting a new age group course record and qualifying for the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. I finished top 10 in my age group after injuring myself in the early stages of the race taking evasive action to avoid a crash on the road outside the transition between swim and bike. I still managed to run a sub 3:30 marathon off the bike, always relishing the ability to harness discomfort in the familiar rhythm of endurance running. Over the next four years I trained consistently and raced in the pro ranks producing Ironman® top 10 finishes while also working full time. 7 15_07_10_Satz_Back_on_Track_ar_ef.indd 7 10.07.15 14:51 BACK ON TRACK In 2010 I made the leap of faith to set up a full-time coaching business, leaving the security of my role as an educational consultant. I naively expected that doing what I loved full time would provide me with a more optimal training focus. However, if anything, more time was required in the first 2-3 years setting up a business from scratch. Time was preciously unavailable for me to invest in logging training hours. A quality over quantity approach prevailed. In 2009 and 2010 I produced two sub 10 hour Ironman® finishes. I was averaging 13 hours training per week due to putting in 60 hours work! My race calendar in the season featured just a handful of events to peak for as a result. In 2011 I experimented with racing back-to- back Ironman® events just 4 weeks apart. As a coach I sought to gain insight into the leanest possible timescale of a standard recovery process. I finished fourth at Challenge Vichy and tenth at Challenge Henley, earning prize money at each event I raced. In 2012 I was keen to make a podium at an Ironman® event and had made tough decisions to improve key aspects in my life that were having a significantly negative impact on my well-being. As a result of making one difficult change, my training had responded better than ever to an altitude training block in the alps with my coached athletes. I had mapped out a season ahead of me and was eager to make the next leap in performance to a step on the podium. My business was becoming nicely established and I hoped to bring some balance into the work–training– life equation in 2012 to race up another level. And then on an ordinary weekend training ride, on an ordinary British summer day, against the backdrop of the country’s finest year of cycling, a car knocked me off my bike. 8 15_07_10_Satz_Back_on_Track_ar_ef.indd 8 10.07.15 14:51