Long overdue kitesurfing session at Hampton, back on the water again!

Session 434. Back on the water again!  Nice wind at Hampton for my 8m kite.  So good to be kitesurfing and cruising around.

The best thing in life is to be able to do.

I kited past several large yachts racing close to shore. 

The wind was good, there were some nice swells and there was hardly anybody around.

I took it easy, my hamstring was fine.  I think the exercise will help strengthen it now it has healed.

Stoked! 

 

GPS Log

Recovering from hamstring tendon attachment rupture

Some more information on my hamstring injury.

When I came off the foil board I was lofted. While in the air I felt a "pop" and immediate pain. It felt like I had dislocated my left hip joint. 

I was able to body drag with the board back to the beach then hobble back to pack up my gear and walk back to my car.

My left buttock was very sore underneath - I put ice on it and took some anti-inflammatories.

Diagnosis
I saw a sports medicine doctor (GP) - he said I had most likely injured the ligament attachments of my leaf hamstring tendons - circled in red in the diagram below.

Source: https://www.yoganatomy.com/hamstrings-group-muscles-yoga-anatomy/

He said that the injury would most likely heal with surgery and suggested I get an ultrasound.

The ultrasound was inconclusive in the zone where the injury was.

A friend recommended I get an MRI so I did.  Showing the results and report to the doctor, he said the damage was worse than he thought.  The attachment of the "conjoined tendon" (semitendinosus & semimembranosus hamstring muscles) was completely detached and retraced 15mm.

The attachment of the other tendon (right next to it) was stressed but not fully ruptured.  He suggest I get specialist advice on whether surgery was required.

I made appointments with two surgeons who specialise in hamstring injuries.  I always get two opinions on something this serious.  If they don't agree I would  get a third.

However, both agreed that while surgery was possible, it would be best to rest and wait it to heal then get physio treatment.  This was a good option for me as 3 months recovery and 6 months rehab for the surgery option was not attractive.

The physio gave me a succession of progressive exercises to gradually strengthen the left hamstring.  It has improved to the point where I can now do some mountain biking (not to vigorous) and AT LAST some more kitesurfing (avoiding major crashes - no foil board!), and I can recommence yoga.

My sanity will be restored.

This was 51 days (1 month, 20 days) after the injury.

In hindsight, I think had a "grade 1" hamstring injury before the crash - the muscle and tendon was feeling quite tight.  This is apparently commonly overlooked.

The subsequent "grade 2.5" injury (with 3.0 being full detachment of both tendons) may have been partly due to the previous injury.

Some tips:

• Do yoga to keep your flexibility and stretch out muscles and tendons
• If you get a sore hamstring see a physio or a sports medicine doctor to get it checked - prevention is better than cure.
• Ice the injury and take anti inflammatories
• If you have an injured hamstring get an MRI done so that all soft tissue damage is visible
• Don't rush the recovery - if you tear both hamstring tendons right off then surgery will be the only option.

Now for some more kitesurfing, and mountain biking . . . 

Learning to foil board behind a boat off Mentone

We decided to try some foil board training getting towed behind a boat to get used to the foil board without having to worry about a kite.

I was interested to see if this would accelerate learning.  The water is flat and there is no kite to control so the focus is on the foil board.

The drill was to keep weight on the front foot and weight forward and get the board planing on the water.  The theory seems simple, putting it into action is much harder . . .

Here is a video of the action.  This was the first time on a foil board for Stuart, James, Cameron and Grant.  I wasn't able to participate due to my hamstring injury.

There was general agreement that it is hard to do!

Some learnings:

• Watching the video, its apparent that getting forward on the foil board is difficult when getting towed.
• Moving the rear foot out of thin in front of the rear foot strap might help
• Ivan tells me that they use a SUP with a foil when doing tow practice behind a jet ski - no water start is required and moving weight around on the board is easier without footstraps

Learning to foil at St Kilda - some good progress then a hamstring injury

Session 433. Foil 03. Headed to St Kilda for another foil board session. It was blowing around 20 knots most of the day so I chose my 8m kite.  I wore my 1mm wetsuit over my 2mm shorty for better leg protection.  I called in at The Zu Boardsports on my way to the water.

Ivan's tips were:

• Move the foot straps on the board to their most forward setting
• Concentrate on keeping the board level

With those in mind I navigated the learner kites along the shoreline and body dragged out to deeper water.

Success!  I was able to got up and going on a left tack - it was an amazing experience.  Once you are on the foil its like flying and completely smooth.  Its easy to go fast.  There is no pull on the harness and the dynamic between kite, board and water is completely different.  

I stacked, bailing off the board, then had a another go.  Heading back on the right tack was actually better - I was better able to control the board speed and keep the board close to the water.

Feeling confident, I did the walk of shame back for another run.  I got up on the foil again and was going fast, then had another big stack, catapulting off the board and looping the kite.  During the yank I felt a popping that seemed to be in my left hip and then there was pain.  I realised it was the hamstring and I had probably torn it so it was session over.

I am wondering why I didn't back the power off when I got going fast, its a similar problem I had when I was first learning to kitesurf and would get overpowered and crash. 

Its easy to underestimate the additional power on tap by having negligible resistance from the board.

I was able to gingerly pack up and walk back to my car.

Ivan's advice back at the shop was to NOT bail right of the board when crashing and to try to stay with it.

My left hamstring had been tight for a couple of weeks, I first noticed it in Perth.  In hindsight I may have had a Grade 1 hamstring injury, although I am not sure how.

Today, I appear to have  Grade 2 hamstring injury.  Its sore to move the leg in some directions and there is a painful region under my left buttock.  This could take a couple of weeks to heal . . . which is very disappointing.

C'est la vie.

GPS Log

Nice wind at Hampton made for a good kitesurfing session

Session 432. There was some good wind after a recent poor patch, frontal rather than a sea breeze. Great to get some good speed and high jumps.  Surfing the swell was good too.  I haven't been doing any tricks for a while (back roll, kiteloop etc) but have been thinking about incorporating a jump and loop in transition on the surfboard.  

I did a longer run out then back up to the marina, then back out and slalom turns back to the beach.

The wind dropped off a bit for the last bit of the session.  Chatted to Paul and Anthony on the beach about foiling.  Paul is up and going and loving it.  Anthony is learning.

The water at Hampton was quite clean compared with St Kilda where e-Coli levels are still high.

  

GPS Log

Learning to foil at St Kilda - its hard!

Session 431. Foil 02. Following Ivan's advice I went to St Kilda to learn on my foil board.  There is flat water behind the breakwater and around 15 knots is ideal. 

Foiling is HARD to learn - I think its harder than learning to kitesurf.  Its about 90% board and 10% kite.

I got out of the water and on the board several times but it felt really weird. Its like having a sea anchor underneath your board.  It seems you have to forget everything you have learned to date (edging the board, pressure on rear foot etc) and focus on keeping the board flat and weight well forward on the front foot.

I had fitted the rear footstrap which helps with controlling the board.

I tumbled off it toeside a coup of times, clunking my shins on the edge of the board (and drawing some blood).

I continue along, wary of other kiters.  Struggling.

My brief attempt on the return tack was even less successful.  I walked back along the beach.

Some things I learnt today:

• Keeping the board flat on the water makes it easier to handle.
• When body dragging (out) have the kite on one side and the board on the other (so you don't get yanked onto it).
• If you are crashing bail off the board to get clear of it.
• Don't kick under the water near the board - you might hit sharp edges of the foil mast or the foil itself
• Wear booties
• Wear a helmet
• Wear a steamer wetsuit to provide some all-body protection (a nuisance in summer!)
• Keep at it!  This summer I am going to get up and going.

I have been told it takes around 10 goes like this for it to "click". 

This was the first time I had actually got up onto the board (but not the foil) for a short period and controlled it.

GPS Log