Aqua-Noodling

"Maybe strong is just what you have left when you've used up all your weak."

Aquatic Fitness Adventures

12/18/11

So today I crutched back to the pool. It's not that my foot doesn't hurt. But it hurts constantly anyways so I might as well do something. And actually, compared to how much it used to hurt it actually feels a lot better after swimming. I think it's because swimming helps to flush all of that swelling out of my foot. And yeah, O.K. it makes me feel a bit better about myself. Less, you know, useless. 

I've developed a kind of system when it comes to what I do for my "workout". I do 10 minutes of either aquajogging with old lady aquabelt and then rest for 5. During those 5 minutes I don't move my legs but float and use only my arms to do laps. Repeat, repeat as many times as my foot can stand. It's not like it used to be, but I'll take it. All of the employees already know who I am and what I did to my foot so they all talk with me while I'm aqua jogging so it's not too terribly boring actually. In reality, I'm so exercise devoid that nothing is going to seem boring at this time. I feel pretty lucky that I get to do anything. So I'm not complaining. Right now, I get just as excited to go doggie-paddle for 45 minutes as I used to to to go on a 45 minute run. 

The best part though, is always the kids that are there. They don't look at me like I'm weird because I walk into a pool on crutches or because I aquajog slower than an 80-year old woman. The best was a little boy who asked me why I needed a belt. I told him it was because my foot was broken so I couldn't swim very well and I was afraid of sinking without it. After I got in we made eye contact and he goes "You're not sinking!" I yelled back "I told you I would float" and he said "no...you just told me you wouldn't sink.....It's basically like you're in a floating wheelchair right now." I just laughed and told him he had a good point. He stayed in the pool with his friends for a bit, playing games and telling me how many points they got from games that didn't seem to have a legitimate point system. (3,000 just for swimming down and back with one flipper on? Really?)


12/19/11
Today I found that while the young crazy kids go to the pool in the afternoon as I did yesterday, its the older in-shape women that show up on weekday mornings. No big deal or anything but this morning I was invited to join the "joints in motion class". Guess I look like someone who could use some water aerobics. 


I did get an excellent tip though. The "Joints in Motion" instructor suggested that I use a noodle instead of an aqua jogging belt. I figured I had nothing to lose really, so I tried it. Sitting on a noodle, it turns out works much, much, better actually than aqua jogging with the belt. Don't get me wrong it isn't better as in less pathetic....it's better...as in easier. Today then was a mixture of aqua jogging and aqua noodling and doggie paddling. Epic, I know. 


So here's how I adjusted yesterday's workout...15 minutes of aqua jogging to start out with. 5 min rest, 10 minutes of light, EASY, kicking, 5 minute rest, 15 minutes of aqua noodling. All said and done I'm up to being in the water for about 40 minutes at a time. Eventually either my foot starts to ache or I get to nervous that it's going to get hurt. I know, I KNOW that swimming is non-impact and can't make my stress fracture worse but that doesn't make it less scary. If we're being honest here I'm so scared that it'll hurt that after I get in I still panic for the first 30 seconds or so. 


Then after my workout I sat in the hot tub while all of the "Joints in Motion" ladies asked about my foot and warned me to be careful on the ice with my crutches. It was kind of like having a conversation with your grandma except I had like 3 of them all talking to me at the same time. 

It's something about the water but, I feel like now that I've started swimming and I'm in a slightly better place mentally my foot is slowly getting better. 

Cross Training Snob

"If you're going to make it, your desire for your dreams has to be greater than your fear of failure." 

 Let's be honest here. It's not something that I'm proud of but sometimes during those 90 minute pool workouts I used to chuckle at the old ladies doing their water aerobics. I'd get all proud of myself when I saw people who had to kickboard in between laps because they needed to rest. And people who aqua jogged? please.

I admit it: I'm a cross training snob. I tend to think that no other form of exercise can come close to what running does for you. And when I do cross train, I'm very hardcore about it.Anything that is not either excessive or extravagant is simply not worth it. As much as I hate to admit it, I scoff at people who are not the same way.

Today, however, that attitude dissipated a little bit. I am now one of those aqua-belt wearing, slow moving, water-treading people that I always laughed at. But, the fact that past Katie would have laughed at present Katie had she of known what I looked like aqua-jogging today is really not the point. The point is that I did something. I know, I know it's not really a good adventure but again, it's better than nothing.

Crutching to the pool from the locker room was only a little bit embarrassing. I guess it would have been a lot worse but I was so afraid of falling on my face, or worse, my heel, that I didn't really notice all of the people staring at the little crippled girl who came to do an old lady workout.

I sat on the edge of the pool for about 5 minutes daring myself to get in. In that time I told the lifeguard on duty what had happened to my foot, put on the belt, put my feet in the water, imagined getting in the water, and chickened out multiple times. Finally made myself slide into the water. Arms flailing, feet not working, basically hyperventilating from fear, I started my aqua-run. To keep the least amount of pressure on my foot I did wear one of the unfortunate looking belts to help keep me afloat.

So I kicked and sputtered and doggie-paddled my way through right around 30 minutes. At first it was really hard to deal with. My tendons all freaked out and couldn't quite decide if they should hurt or go with the flow of things. Eventually things got under control and my legs started figuring out what was going on.

I...well...I started out too fast. Even in aqua-jogging I guess I still do that. But my foot wasn't ready to go full speed ahead in the pool yet. So I took is slowly. I jogged for 10 minutes and then let my feet rest and swam using only my arms and then jogged again. So I went for 30 minutes. I could have done more but I figured 30 on the first day was probably enough. I'm still too afraid that it'll be sore. I found some sort of slow rhythm about 15 minutes in that worked pretty well. I shuffled back and forth in the pool telling myself that it really wasn't that pathetic looking.

It taught me something, I guess. Mostly it taught me not to be a snot about cross training. Also that everyone's got to start somewhere. And for me right here, right now, aquajogging at about a quarter of a mile an hour is a perfectly O.K. starting place. It's going to be a long and slow process for me. At first I despised this, but I've decided to be patient and roll with it.

The good news is that maybe because of the endorphins, maybe because of the water, maybe because of the movement, maybe because of the Aleve....my foot has started to feel a little bit stronger. Maybe now it can finally start to heal.