It’s been a challenging few weeks since my last update, and I won’t sugar-coat it — this injury has tested me in ways I wasn’t prepared for. The MRI confirmed what we suspected: a herniated disc. Since then, I’ve had a cortisone injection and been on a cocktail of prescription meds to get the inflammation under control and be able to function as a human again.

The nerve pain has been relentless at times, running through my calves and hamstrings. It feels like that sensation you get just before a cramp — everything tightening up, the warning signs flashing — but the cramp never actually comes. It’s a surreal and exhausting feeling, and it’s been almost constant these past few weeks.

The positives? I’ve been able to get back on the bike. I managed a 60-minute “coffee ride” outdoors and, more importantly, a 2-hour session on the indoor bike. I’m sore afterwards, but with icing and recovery, I’ve been able to manage it. For now, I can’t swim or run, but I can focus on bodyweight mobility and controlled bike work, and that feels like progress from where it was a month ago.

A huge part of this progress has been working with Lisa. Instead of bracing constantly against pain, she’s helping me switch my core on properly again, giving me the foundations I need to move forward. Together with my coach’s guidance, I’ve got a plan and the best possible support to give me a fighting chance of making the start line in Wollongong.

The goal has changed. Originally, I was aiming for all three races in five days at the World Triathlon Championships. The reality now is that an Olympic-distance race in four weeks is out of reach, but I might be able to stomach a sprint and a super sprint in 48 hours of each other. That’s the new target. Even so, the start line still feels like a long way off right now.

For me, it’s now about finding what I can do, working within my limits, and building step by step. The next milestone will be single-leg strength work, which I’m hopeful will mark the first steps back towards running. And when I regain more rotation, I’ll get back into the pool.

Until then, it’s about patience, persistence, and trusting the process.

Patience, Persistence, Progress 

The last few weeks have been some of the toughest of this journey. An MRI confirmed a herniated disc, I’ve had a cortisone injection, and I’m on a cocktail of prescription meds just to keep the inflammation and pain in check.

The nerve pain has been relentless, running through my calves and hamstrings. It’s like that feeling just before a cramp, when everything tightens up, but the cramp never comes. A surreal and exhausting sensation that’s been almost constant.

But there are positives. I’ve been able to get back on the bike: a 60-minute “coffee ride” outdoors and, more importantly, a 2-hour session indoors on the TT bike. I’m sore afterwards, but with icing and recovery it’s manageable. For now, no swimming or running, but mobility work and controlled bike sessions feel like progress from where I was a month ago.

The goal has changed. I was aiming for all three races in five days at the World Triathlon Championships. The reality is that an Olympic-distance race in four weeks is out of reach. But I might be able to stomach a sprint and a super sprint, and that’s the new target.
Huge thanks to Lisa at @wellnessonshore for keeping me moving forward, helping me switch my core on again instead of bracing against pain, and giving me the foundations to build from. With her support, and coach Reedy’s guidance, I’ve still got a chance of making the start line in Wollongong.

👉 Full blog update is live now: https://www.wellnessonshore.com.au/s/stories

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