Kyle Jones
Canadian TriathleteThey come in threes
The last few months have been eventful. Surgery in November, followed by 6 weeks of recovery. Started back training in early January. Then, a week later I crashed hard on my bike at our camp in Maui. My head took most of the blow but thanks to my helmet I was okay. Other than some road rash the only injury lingering from the crash was my left hand/wrist. I must have jammed it somehow when I hit the ground because it’s been tender ever since. All the x-rays were normal but there was still some speculation on one of the bones in my wrist.
I’d been waiting for a CT scan to get a better image and I finally got one last week, thanks to some action in the pool Tuesday morning. With less than 50 metres to go in the warm-up Jon Bird and I collided head on. As soon as we hit, I knew it wasn’t good. I’m pretty sure my left hand went directly into his shoulder. I got out of the pool and drove straight to the doctor. Luckily I was able to get right in for the CT scan.
It turns out the bone in my wrist was fractured and I now have 2 more fractures in my hand from the collision that morning. I saw a plastic surgeon on Friday and the outlook is positive. No surgery is necessary and he thinks with 4 weeks of immobilization everything should heal nicely.
So, swimming is touch-and-go for the next little while but running is going well and with the weather we’ve been having here lately riding the trainer isn’t a big deal. My bike has been glued to the trainer for the past 2 weeks so it hasn’t been much of an adjustment.
Anyway, it’s just another bump in the road and I know it could always be worse, so I can’t complain too much. They say everything happens for a reason, maybe it was to complete the set so I’ll be clear sailing for the rest of the season!
CAN Fund
Yesterday I was invited to a lunch hosted by the Canadian Athletes Now Fund. Jane Roos (founder of the CAN Fund) and Conrad Leinemann (former Olympic beach volleyball player who now works on behalf of the CAN Fund) were both in town visiting and generously invited a group of local athletes out for lunch.
Not expecting anything more than a quick bite to eat and some mingling, I was pleasantly surprised to be welcomed into the family as the latest recipient of the Fund.
I quickly ate my meal, partly because I was afraid one of the rowers might eat my sandwich, but more importantly because I had to get to the pool for our afternoon swim. I ran off to swimming with a big smile on my face and feeling grateful to be a recipient of this Fund. With 17 months to go before the Games in London I can’t think of a better time to be given this support. It will certainly make a difference. Thank you to everyone at the CAN Fund and to the many Canadians who have shown their support.
The CAN Fund is an amazing organization that works tirelessly to raise money and support our Canadian athletes. If you’re looking to donate or want to find out more about this organization please visit their website at www.canadianathletesnow.ca. Not only do you get a tax receipt when you donate but you will also find out which athlete you are supporting. The more money they raise the more athletes get funded.
Maui camp recap
I’ve just returned home from a 3 week training camp in Maui. At the beginning of January I was feeling pretty well recovered from surgery and ready to start doing some work, so this camp was just what I needed to get back on track. Aside from a bike crash at the end of week 1 I’m really happy with how things progressed. I’m much further along than I expected at this point. My fitness has come back quickly and I’m feeling stronger each week. Still lots of work to do but I’m looking forward to it!
Here’s a few photos from the camp courtesy of Ben Sporer, our physiologist and support van captain extraordinaire!
Early morning swims at Kihei Aquatic Center
Riding up Haleakala Crater
Open water swims at Wailea Beach
Running in Makawao with coach Jon
Riding the trainer in Haleakala National Park
Time for an update!
I’ve been in Maui for almost a week now. Aside from a couple storms we’ve had pretty good weather so far. It’s nice to be swimming outdoors. I don’t know what it is but swimming in an outdoor pool is so much more enjoyable. We haven’t been in the ocean yet but we’re planning a couple sessions for next week. There’s no better place to swim open water than Hawaii!
Riding here is just as I remembered, hills and more hills, which is good for me as I build up my fitness again. It’s pretty easy to get your heart rate up. You don’t need to think much, just keep climbing and stay on the wheel in front of you. Running has been a lot of the same. Lots of hills!
I’ve been happily surprised with how my training has progressed so far. Everything seems to be coming back much sooner than I expected. I’m definitely feeling a bit tired and sore but it’s nice to have that feeling again. After 3 weeks here I think I should be well on my way.
We have a great group here. On the mens side we have Simon, ARuss, AMac, and a new addition to the squad, Jon Bird. Everyone gets along well and we’ve been having a good time so far. I don’t have a camera here but I’ll be sure to steal some photos from the other guys to post.
Off to dinner now, another pow wow with the coaches at Whole Foods. Then back to the house for some foam rolling and more Entourage re-runs.
Baby steps
It’s now been over a month since surgery! The rest phase is over and I’m into some light training. This past week I’ve been able to progress a little bit each day. Daily walks combined with swims and trainer rides every other day and a few light strength sessions thrown in there as well. It feels great to be back on a schedule. The way things are going I don’t think it will be long until I’m back to normal training. The timing of everything is working out quite well. In January we’re off to Maui for a 3 week training camp so I’m hoping to be ready for that.
Lots of exciting things happening before then though. Kelly and I are off to Ontario today to spend Christmas with our families and then on December 30th we’re getting married! Can’t wait! It will be a fun 2 weeks with everything going on.
Happy holidays to everyone!
3 weeks down!
It’s now been 3 weeks since my surgery. I had my post-op assessment on Thursday in Vancouver and it was very positive. My surgeon did an ultrasound to make sure everything was healing correctly and he was very happy with the results. Everything is looking good!
I’ve been given the okay to start being more active now. I still need to be patient but it will be nice to get out and do something! For the next few weeks I will be gradually building back up. I’m hoping by January 1st I will be back to regular training.
What a difference a week makes
My boredom has increased substantially over the last few days and it can only mean one thing, I’m feeling much better! Last week I wasn’t too mobile. I was pretty sore and still popping pain killers. I spent most days lying on the couch watching tv, with little energy to do much else.
It has now been 2 weeks since my surgery and I’m feeling great. The incision continues to heal very well and I can make it through the day without taking naps.
I have a post-op visit with the surgeon in one week so I will have a much better idea of where I’m at following that appointment but everything seems to be on track. Can’t wait to get back at it!
Surgery
One week ago today I underwent surgery to repair my left common iliac artery. As a result of training and an uncharacteristically long vessel, over time I developed a kink in the artery. Scar tissue had started to build up and increase the blockage further.
The kink has now been removed. My surgeon in Vancouver, Dr. David Taylor, essentially cut it out. He used a vein from my foot to reconstruct the artery, making it shorter and wider. The first 2 days post surgery were pretty rough but thanks to the pain medication I don’t remember much. Since then I have been feeling better each day. I still walk around like a 90 year old but the incision in my abdomen is healing well and the pain has been much more tolerable.
My parents are in town right now which has been a huge help to Kelly and I. I’ve been getting spoiled!
Here’s a couple pictures. One from the hospital and another recent one with the bandage now removed.
48 hours ago…
I started packing for our 2 week camp in Flagstaff. Everything was going smoothly. Bike was in the box, bags were packed and ready to go. Just missing one item…my passport. I went to grab it from the usual spot where I keep it, but it wasn’t there. I searched the entire house, looked through every bag I’ve ever owned, checked the car, but no sign of it. After about 3 hours of searching I figured I must have lost it coming home from my last trip.
I was due to leave Sunday morning at 7am. At this point it was 10pm Saturday night. So yeah, that wasn’t happening. I called the airline to cancel my flight and luckily they gave me a credit. The passport office was closed on Sunday but it gave me a chance to get the application done and get some pictures. Huge thanks to our team doctor, Steve Keeler, for helping me out on a Sunday evening (with two kids, on Halloween!).
In addition to the new application I also had to fill out a form to declare my old one lost. Another huge thanks to Rumon Carter, amazing photographer/writer/athlete/lawyer, for meeting me this morning and helping me with that. I was able to get to the passport office at 8:30 when it opened with everything completed. They called my references (thanks Kurt and Jon) and I re-booked my flight for tomorrow morning. I went and did some training, then went back to the office at 4 to pick up my shiny new passport!
It’s been an eventful 48 hours. Looking forward to re-uniting with the boys. They couldn’t get rid of me that easily!
