My first workout post injury is in the books. This past weekend I was able to get to the pool and managed around 30 minutes of swimming. Yeah, only 30 minutes.
Upon getting in the water I wasn't comfortable at all and this was a little disappointing. It took about 5 to 10 minutes for my ankle to loosen up enough so that I could swim somewhat normally without constantly thinking about it. It was amazing to really feel what sort of flexing goes on in that joint even when not kicking. Just the natural friction and resistance from the water was enough to make me well aware of how tight my ankle is.
I couldn't use a pull buoy. My ankles kept clipping together and I can't use my left leg to push off the wall. This was working out really well so far. So I resigned myself to just letting my left leg drag behind me while my right leg did as much kicking as I could manage. It took a lot of effort to keep my body streamlined. My core muscles were engaged the whole time trying to keep my legs from sinking. It was tiring.
In the end I felt pretty good. I didn't get in nearly as much swimming as I would have liked, but as the pool became a little crowded I cut things short as I was being overprotective of my leg and was unnecessarily afraid of some kind of collision occurring. It felt great to be in the water, though. I'm sure that as things progress at physical therapy I'll be able to increase the intensity in the pool (flip turns will still out for a while) as well as the duration. I think that as soon as I begin to get some strength back I'll be much more comfortable in the water.
Next up: the bike trainer. I'll be chatting with my physical therapist tonight and might give a short, no resistance, spin on the bike trainer a shot in the near future. Here's hoping my ankle doesn't blow up like a balloon. I might actually have to show some patience and restraint.
Upon getting in the water I wasn't comfortable at all and this was a little disappointing. It took about 5 to 10 minutes for my ankle to loosen up enough so that I could swim somewhat normally without constantly thinking about it. It was amazing to really feel what sort of flexing goes on in that joint even when not kicking. Just the natural friction and resistance from the water was enough to make me well aware of how tight my ankle is.
I couldn't use a pull buoy. My ankles kept clipping together and I can't use my left leg to push off the wall. This was working out really well so far. So I resigned myself to just letting my left leg drag behind me while my right leg did as much kicking as I could manage. It took a lot of effort to keep my body streamlined. My core muscles were engaged the whole time trying to keep my legs from sinking. It was tiring.
In the end I felt pretty good. I didn't get in nearly as much swimming as I would have liked, but as the pool became a little crowded I cut things short as I was being overprotective of my leg and was unnecessarily afraid of some kind of collision occurring. It felt great to be in the water, though. I'm sure that as things progress at physical therapy I'll be able to increase the intensity in the pool (flip turns will still out for a while) as well as the duration. I think that as soon as I begin to get some strength back I'll be much more comfortable in the water.
Next up: the bike trainer. I'll be chatting with my physical therapist tonight and might give a short, no resistance, spin on the bike trainer a shot in the near future. Here's hoping my ankle doesn't blow up like a balloon. I might actually have to show some patience and restraint.