I Am Low Iron Man... and Other Fun Updates
I have three fun updates for you all this week, so let’s jump right into it! Drumroll, please! (I choose to believe you all just drumrolled).
1. Last week, as many of you know, I raced at the ACT Winter competition and wasn’t too happy with my end result. That whole morning I wasn’t feeling myself and the few days prior I was feeling a little off but I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what was going on. Race day came and I was sluggish and overall not well. Therefore, I headed to the doctors at the AIS to get my blood checked. Turns out my iron and Vitamin D levels had dropped rather significantly. To give you a quick overview, iron (or ferritin) levels are usually measured in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) and the standard range is approximately 30 to 300. I, however, was at 11. Yes, eleven. I’ve had problems with low iron in the past so while annoying and without a doubt explaining my slower race time the previous week, it was no real shock and nothing a top up couldn't fix.
Iron is really important for life, in humans it is an essential element in blood production. Around 70% is found in the red blood cells which transport oxygen around the body, so running low on iron can be rather problematic for anyone, let alone when you are an athlete and relying on oxygen-rich blood refueling your muscles to train and race.
Vitamin D is important in maintaining strong healthy bones. Being wheelchair bound and not being able to bear weight on my lower body, I’m at a greater risk of osteopenia and osteoporosis (low bone density) so along with calcium it's important to keep my Vitamin D levels up. In Australia, we normally get good doses of Vit.D from the sun. This was a bit of a wake-up call for me to learn that I’ve been that much of a hermit over winter and that my efforts to stay out of the cold were taking a toll on my vitamin D levels.
All in all, the AIS doctors topped me up and got me up and running again in no time and even gave me an icy pole for being such a good boy! Okay, I guess it was really because I was running a slight temperature at the time, but I choose to believe it was because I was being so good.
2. In the spirit of all things fun, I’m excited to announce a fun project I’m working on that I hope you all will thoroughly enjoy. I decided to create an entertaining calendar to help raise money for my trek to Tokyo. Many of you have been so kind to donate money to this effort, and I wanted to create something in return. Luckily, my fellow Paralympic racer and friend Jake Lappin agreed to join me for some of the silly photos for the calendar. It’s in no way professionally done and purely made for fun, but I thought you all might enjoy it. I highly recommend it as a holiday gift for those instances where you’re completely unsure what gift to get someone. What better gift than a couple of Aussie Beefcakes up on the wall to keep you organized? See a sneak peek of one of the shots from our photoshoot below!
3. Last, but certainly not least, my personal selection for the Para Athletics World Championships was sent to me. I had been selected to race in both the 100m and 400m events, but I had to wait for the public announcement this past Monday to share this news with you all! Oh, how it was hard not to shout it out to the world then and there! (If you haven’t seen it on my social media, check out the awesome announcement Q designed). I must say I did quite the little happy dance when I read the selection letter, it’s been quite an up and down year for me with my performances and, to be completely honest, I was worried I had missed my opportunity to show what I know I'm capable of. I have been training really strongly this year and have been hitting many personal bests and new milestones in training, especially in the last couple months. But, unfortunately, as previously mentioned, not all my recent races have reflected the awesome progress I’ve been seeing in myself, so not having the strongest times this year was a little frustrating and nerve-racking.
So, when the selections were announced, I made sure to take a moment and reflect on my year and appreciate the hard work that had gone into making the team. I can’t wait to travel to Dubai with the 37 amazing other men and women who will proudly don the green and gold to represent Australia at the 2019 Para Athletics World Championships in November. I feel so honored to be alongside them. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to show the progress I’ve made throughout this year. Certain aspects of my training and racing have clicked recently, I’m feeling more fluid in my push, new personal bests, and in a really good place mentally. Like a fine wine or cheese, I’m convinced I’m getting better with age. World Championships is going to be an amazing experience, and will catapult me towards Tokyo 2020 next year.
Thank you to everyone who has been following this journey and for all the well wishes leading into Worlds and Tokyo. Aussie Beefcake Out!