Checking in with Groves

TMC:  How is the recovery coming along? What are you able to do? – Lauren fractured her left clavicle and right wrist during a bike ride at a training Camp in Maui last month.

LG:  Recovery is coming along great. I have worked on my range of motion right from the start and put all my energy into doing what I can do, doing my best not to dwell on what I can’t (although that is definitely easier said than done). The first week I was simply walking around town, the second week I was riding the trainer with a shortened stem and powerhiking, and right now, at week three, I am riding workouts indoors, going for short jogs and in the pool for sculling and kick sessions. We have an incredible support network in Victoria and I have been working closely with our chiropractor, Rob Hasegawa, ensuring that the surrounding muscles are able to function properly to support the shoulder, removing stress from the healing bone. Honestly the human body amazes me. When I saw my x-ray one week after the crash and saw the displacement between the bones, I thought there was no way they could heal on their own. But, the bones will find each other, build up a strong callus, and life will go on.

TMC:  When will you be out of the cast? Will your rehab be be lengthy?

LG:  In place of a typical plaster cast, I have a custom splint on my right wrist. The splint give my hand enough freedom to grasp the handlebars and go about my daily life the best I can as my left arm, the one with the fractured collarbone, is even more out of commission. The rehab for the wrist will be straightforward as there is good blood supply to this area and I shouldn’t lose much range of motion. I have a feeling it may take a little longer than normal to heal as I have been using it more than I should, but it’s my “good arm” so I haven’t had much choice. I anticipate I should be able to take the splint off in another week or two. I am probably looking forward to this most as the sticky, sweaty plastic is starting to drive me crazy!

TMC:  When do you expect to be back racing?

LG:  I haven’t set any racing plans yet for the season, apart from being really ready to go for the World Champs Finale in Budapest in September. It would be nice to do my first race in May, but I have no expectations right now other than getting healthy and building fitness.

TMC:  Has this injury curtailed your ongoing chef training? Any fave recipes you’d like to share?

LG:  This has definitely curtailed my chef training. For the first two weeks I couldn’t chop or lift anything so my wonderful husband, Adam took over the cooking role. However, I turned out to be the worst “back seat” cook so this didn’t last too long…. Let’s just say we had a lot of take-out and prepared foods during that first week!

Here is one of my favourite soup recipes, perfect for winter nights:

Roasted Veggie Soup

1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped
3 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp ground coriander
4 cups chicken broth (I use organic, low-sodium)
1 tsp honey
juice of 1 orange
chopped fresh cilantro
sliced toasted almonds
crumbled goat cheese (or cheese of your choice)

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Toss onion, parsnips, sweet potato and squash with 2 tbsp of the coconut oil (if you live in a cooler climate, you may have to slightly heat the oil to liquify). Spread out onto one or two baking sheets and roast for 45 to 60 minutes, giving them at turn at least once during baking. When they are soften, browned and “caramelized,” remove from oven. In a large soup pot, heat the remaining coconut oil and sauce the ginger and coriander until fragrant, about one minute. Add the roasted veggies, broth, and honey and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and puree with an immersion blender. Stir in the orange juice and if needed, add a little water. Serve warm with toasted nuts, cheese and fresh cilantro. I often bake some sausages in the oven while the veggies roast and slice them up to add to the soup to make it a complete meal with protein. Enjoy!

TMC:  How is married life?

LG:  Married life is wonderful! Because of the accident, we’ve had an unexpected block of time together, but as you can imagine it hasn’t been an easy month for us. With both arms out of commission, being unable to drive and go about simple tasks like brushing my teeth, showering, getting out of bed and changing, I’ve relied on Adam in more ways than I ever could have imagined. We haven’t been through anything quite like this in our nine years together and we are definitely stronger because of it.