Triathlete prepares for comeback
Injured at Commonwealth Games, Ellen Pennock’s been working hard
Broken last summer, hobbled this spring, she continues to make the best of her situation.
Which, for someone like triathlete Ellen Pennock, means shrugging off the latest affliction — stress issues in her right tibia from overuse — and finding a bright side, even if, because of shin pain, she’s not permitted for run for four weeks.
“With the nature of our training, getting injured is almost a good sign — it means you’re getting the most from yourself,” the Calgarian says over the phone from Wollongong, Australia, an hour south of Sydney. “You push your body as much as you can and now it just needs some rest.
“You learn from each setback. You build up resiliency. And you’re in the sport for so long … these kind of setbacks are inevitable. Each time, it feels a little less detrimental. It’s part of our sport.”
But don’t picture Pennock with her feet up, platter of meat pies in her lap, chilled six pack of Foster’s at her side.
Because workouts, at full throttle, continue. After all, hers is a threepronged pursuit, which means seat time — lots of seat time.
“Cycling is my weakest sport, so it’s been good,” says Pennock, who is still training 30 hours per week. “Getting stronger and more powerful is the key focus. When you get these kinds of injuries, you have to change your focus — take it as an opportunity to work on other things.
“So this has given me lots of time to work on my weaknesses.”
Of course, maintaining an upbeat outlook is not always as easy as it seems.
Having fractured her right clavicle at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, it did not come as cheery news last week to hear that her comeback had hit a snag.
“A bit emotional and you don’t think that clearly,” Pennock, 22, says. “But the dust settles and you realize, ‘ These are the cards I’ve been dealt. How can I make the most of it? It’s not the end of the world.’”
Younger brother Russell, also an elite triathlete, recently broke his thumb in Sarasota, Fla., at his first race of the season.
“I felt bad for him,” Pennock says. “( But) he has such a positive attitude.”
That appears to be big sister’s calling card too.
Make no mistake — Pennock is the real deal, packed with promise. Canada Triathlon Magazine named her performer of the year for 2013. So imagine her disappointment at the Commonwealth Games — wiping out not once but twice in the cycling portion of the women’s event.
Not only did that crash prevent Pennock from experiencing the thrill of racing close to home — at the World Triathlon Grand Final in Edmonton — it left her with scars.
Physical damage was no worry, especially once she learned that her shoulder’s range of motion — for swimming purposes — was not going to be hindered.
“I remember the first 25 ( metres in the pool) and feeling so weird and so weak,” she says. “I’m pretty proud of all the metres I’ve put in to get back to where I am.”
There had been mental hurdles to overcome, too.
“Going down hills,” she says, “sometimes I’d envision … I’d have a panic attack that I was going to fly over the handlebars like I did in the race.”
Practising her bike skills one day, she toppled sideways — onto her healthy shoulder. This mishap Pennock never told a soul about.
“But I was pretty shaky after that,” she says.
Nevertheless, she was anxious to get going. Pennock travelled Jan. 1 to Wollongong, a city which hosts an international cast of triathletes.
She’s since raced twice — New Zealand in February, Abu Dhabi in the U. A. E. in March — with so- so results.
“Pretty rusty,” Pennock says. “Just coming back, just not being quite used to the speed of racing.”
In May, she shifts to Spain for more training. By June, she’ll be ready to resume racing.
Highlighted in her day- timer are two weekends — August’s qualifying event on the Olympic course in Rio de Janeiro, and September’s world championships in Chicago.
Pennock, even with her injury obstacles, remains optimistic.
“It’s made me so hungry,” she says, “made me appreciate being healthy. Making those days when you’re tired and you really don’t want to go out and train … it makes you realize, ‘ I’m healthy. I’m able to do this.’
“This is what I want to do.”