Aspiring Triathlete with a Pinched Nerve

Hey Tristwithdestiny, I too am getting back into triathlon after a 7 year hiatus. Work and bilateral knee injuries took me away from it, my surgeon telling me running days should be over if I didn’t want knee replacements soon. I finished Lake Placid IM in ‘05 and ‘11 and want to do it again, I figure if I’m going to replace the knees any way I might as well have fun getting there if not pain. Also have nerve issues in my low spine with four bulging disks, ugh! Getting older sucks sometimes. Any way I’m taking training slow, stretching a lot and taking my Advil. Hope your journey is a good one, see you out there.
John

Hi there:

Obviously, you're first step is to make sure that you're consulting with your doctor. There is no advice you can get here on BT that can be used as a substitute.

That said, there are plenty of weekend warrior triathletes working through their own personal challenges. So, just know you'll have plenty of company. I see people at every race that are successful taking on their own personal challenges and beating them. Don't sell yourself short!

I've got fused C2/C3 vertebrae in my neck. It makes the bike ride just brutal. Once I'm down on the aerobars the head up position just kills my neck. So, I race with 800 mg of Ibuprophen so I can just survive the the bike. If that wasn't enough, I crashed at the Boise HIM and broke my shoulder, collar bone and 7 ribs. That set me back, but I'm working through it, still racing, still having fun with the challenge of triathlon.

Training does amazing things and the ability of the body to change as a result of stress adaptation is truly incredible.

Best of luck in your triathlon journey.

Steve