Punching fate square in the face

Well, it's been 3 weeks since my accident. Actually, it's really been 2 and a half, but I'm counting it from the dates of my fracture clinic appointments.
I always like to have things to look forward to and focus on, it keeps me going when my mood drops. Before this happened I had some major points of focus in the coming few months, and my plan was this:

Interview for CMT in February
Transgrancanaria in March.
Skiing holiday over Easter
Expedition medicine course end of March
Hoka Highland Fling for the GB trail team trial at the end of April
MRCP exam in May
West Highland Way race in June
Race-to-the-stones and Race-to-the-king double over the summer (I had free places courtesy of Threshold events)
Spartathalon
I was planning on applying for Less-than-full-time training when I get my CMT position so that I could manage my running around work.

My current list of focus points is as follows:

25th of Feb - DonJoy brace gets set to 70 degrees of flexion!!
10th of March - 6 week fracture clinic appointment when I find out if I can start doing aqua-jogging and swimming!!!!
Thankfully I still have MRCP exam to focus on, and I have managed to postpone my CMT interview until March (it was originally due 1 week after the accident, and I was just in too much pain to manage). I may even make it to the May edition of the expedition medicine course so thankfully that isn't out of the window.
Maybe I'll even manage a 10km race at the end of the year.....

Funny how your plans can change so quickly. In the few seconds it took me to smash my knee I have managed to lose a whole years worth of plans, which were mainly focused around competition. I'm finding it a challenge not to dwell on this, and trying so hard to focus on my new goals and plans. In an attempt to manage this, I have set aside 15 minutes each day when I am allowed to sit, feel despair, cry and dwell on my losses. It sometimes spills over at other times, but it does help to have that designated time of misery.

So, back to the present.
I'm feeling so much better, physically. But I'm drastically limited by the fact that I can't put any weight through this leg. I was allowed back to work this week, which was wonderful, it was so nice to be doing something positive. It has been a bit strange having to repeat the story over and over as people ask me what I've done, and I have found it difficult when people have asked how it will affect my running. But I think it has also served to help me see my purpose beyond running. I love my job, and it was so good to be back.

Now I'm getting more mobile I'm desperately trying to find ways to maintain some kind of fitness. It is extremely challenging! My upper-body strength was pretty good before hand, but I'm now having to use my arms and torso to do any form of exercise, and so I'm finding my weak points very quickly! Our front room is starting to resemble some sort of mini-gym as I buy gadgets that I can use to help with fitness. I'm also lucky to have my own personal boxing coach (I knew Jason's Krav Maga lessons would come in useful one day, I just always assumed it would be to beat off muggers in the rough end of Plymouth!). I have also discovered that I can sit on my bike on the turbo trainer and pedal with one leg (thanks to Kirsten for that stroke of genius!). I'm still a little limited with this due to the pain in my 'good' knee which, although not broken, still took a heck of a smack.
So, my evening workout is currently something like this:
10-15 minutes on the turbo trainer (low intensity as I'm cycling with one leg)
10 minute push-up set on the Swiss ball
15 minute abdominal set (sit-ups, crunches, oblique sit ups)
15 minute boxing set with Jason (this is the only work out I can currently do which gets my heart rate elevated much. Basically, I lie on the floor, Jase stands over me with the pads, and I do sets of jabs, hooks and elbow strikes as dictated by him. It is exhausting, and brings me out in a sweat. I love it!!)
10 minutes bicep/tricep/shoulder/lat work with dumbells.
5 minute isometric quad exercises.

In short, I'm going to end up resembling Popeye. But, it gives me daily focus and a tiny endorphin hit, and so until the 10th of March, this will have to suffice.
If anyone who has read this would like more detail on how to do the exercise set I'm using, please drop me a line!


Take that, fate! Stand still while I punch you repeatedly in the face!! 

Victories:
Managing my sadness in a controlled manner
Finding ways to maintain some core fitness
Reconfirming to myself how much I love my job.