December 17, 2009 - one year

wow, it was one year ago that i was in Philadelphia having one of the most unusual of surgical procedures. the infamous bilateral orchiectomy! (look that one up on google if you don't know what it is!).

it's been an amazing year for my body, as the hormonal changes have had both positive effects, and negative side affects. but looking back, i am 100% happy and confident with the decision i made to pursue that surgery, rather than wait for full SRS to have those two little thingies removed.

the most noticeable change has been in the energy levels. less energy all the time, and more energy required to do less. today was a rare throwback swim for me, as i managed to survive 90 minutes in the pool at a consistent pace, covering 4.5k. this type of swim used to be the norm for me, but now it is considered a major accomplishment. it was a great feeling to have such a strong and long swim today. and unlike a year ago, it completely wiped me out for the rest of the day.. lol

well, according to the often-criticized Stockholm Consensus (the International Olympic Committee's protocol for transitioned athletes), it takes 2 years to feminize a male body to the point where it can be deemed fair and suitable for competition without having an advantage. but according to recent research by Athletics Canada, it appears that 1 year is more reasonable. it is going to be very interesting to see if i managed to get any weaker in terms of strength, speed, endurance, and energy levels, over the next year ahead. Quite frankly, i would find it hard to believe that i couldn't be deemed at a competitive disadvantage already at this point. if you look at my running results this year compared to last year, i have gone from a front-of-the-pack male runner to a mid-packer among the female runners.

oh well, speaking of running, i have had a couple of light days, after a couple of off days.. so in theory, the legs should be well-rested... but the right knee continues to be a problem. i'm still not convinced that there isn't some minor damage to a ligament or the cartilage in there.. i'm probably going to take it easy for a while yet..

Jenn