For the Love of Aquabike

by Cam Wynhof

The world of Endurance sports can take a major toll on your body. There are things that are in our control, such as training schedules, nutrition plans, sleep habits and, of course, partnering with a coach. Injuries, often outside our control, of course can set us back in our goals and aspirations. Sometimes those injuries set us back a week or two, or, in my case recent experience, it can change your whole racing identity. This year I faced a tough challenge, which gave me unexpected new goals and a love for the (wait for it), yes, aquabike.

The Injury

My plan for 2022 was to fully embrace and race the 70.3 distance. I raced four 70.3 events including that distance’s world championships. During all my training, I was experiencing some nagging hip pain that would not go away, despite my regular visits to the chiropractor, use of recovery tools, and regular stretching. I finally accepted (halfway through a cyclocross race, no less) that riding the bike shouldn’t be this painful and I needed to figure out what was going on. I was diagnosed with moderate to severe arthritis in my left hip, and my doctor recommended a total left hip replacement. At 35, this felt like a total shock, but since the pain was impacting my joy of endurance sports and my daily function, I made the call to have the surgery in March of 2023. But I still wanted to race….

Sometimes injury feels this bleak

phase one: acceptance and exploration

When you’re an athlete, being told that you can’t run for a year can be a bit of a mind, um, screw. I kept thinking, “there has to be something I can do to fix this! There have to be some races that I can do this year.” In reality, I needed to make focusing on my recovery my number one priority. I shifted my mindset, and my training goals went from running cadences and distances to: listening to my body, listening to my physical therapist, and eating properly to fuel my recovery.

What does recovery look like post hip surgery? To be honest, the first two weeks were rough for me! I was extremely sore but all I wanted to do was move and walk. I discovered the reality of atrophy because I wasn’t moving the way I was used to. I needed to build strength and mobility in my hip and things started to progress week by week.

Itching to get back to moving in some sort of way that brought me joy, I set my sights on the PDX Olympic Aquabike with Why Racing Events in June of 2023. Since the aquabike event consists of the swimming and bike portion of a triathlon, my team of doctors cleared me to train in May. First on my training team was calling up my coach at Campfire Endurance. He helped me map out how to adjust my training to complement my recovery and safely participate in things I love.

I want to reiterate how important communication is with your coach. Telling your coach how your body is feeling and how you are adapting to the workouts is very important. This is how you and they make appropriate changes to your plan if necessary. What’s the first step to getting back in shape? Aerobic and strength conditioning is key. I needed to build my swim and bike endurance back up while also maintaining my hip strengthening exercises. This is where RPE, rate of perceived exertion, is most important. I hadn’t been swimming or biking for two months and my training needed to reflect how I was feeling and what my body could push towards. I had to consciously make a mental decision as well to not think about where my fitness used to be, but what I was now working towards. Take your training day by day and don’t forget, consistency is key for all training.

Back at it!

Phase two: return to racing

First, Aquabike is uniquely great! I was excited to get back to racing, and trying something new felt monumental. I showed up to the PDX Aquabike with a spirit of curiosity, asking myself, “Ok, where is my body at?” In a regular triathlon we worry about swim and bike pacing because we need to save energy for that final push of a strong run. But there’s no run in an aquabike! You can push yourself on the bike without the run pacing hanging over you. With proper hydration and electrolytes, you can ride hard and surprise yourself with the results. As soon as I finished, I knew that I loved aquabike and that my racing for the year was just getting started. Staying consistent with the training and effort led me to set a course record for the aquabike at PDX triathlon, which was a nice little bonus. If you are a first time athlete or new to the sport and intimidated by the full swim/bike/run, give aquabike a try, since you might love it!

Phase three: appreciation, or “Bodies are cool”

The human body is an amazing machine. With my team of doctors and coaches, I was able to come up with an appropriate recovery plan and was able to move past this obstacle. What this whole process has taught me is that there are only so many things in our control. While you can do workouts for injury prevention (clamshells are your friend!) you still need listen to your body. If something doesn’t feel right or you suspect you have an injury, get it checked out so you can keep doing the things you love. Never give up on yourself because you can do amazing things. When facing these mental and physical challenges during this process, I often returned this quote:

“Such is the life of an adventurer” – My 6yr old daughter Amelia