I'm starting to see the potential silver lining in the one-legged situation in terms of swimming and upper body strength. I'm back working with Jake at the gym, I signed up for the February bench press competition so I have a focus and goal, and starting Monday I am moving ahead with a swim block with Jim.
I used the rower at the gym and that worked fine so that's a good cardio option. And today I had a real honest-to-goodness swim workout. I can't believe what a non-issue swimming is (other than the funny looks I get crutching to the pool). I did a 100-200-300-200-100 ladder, swimming those at upper aerobic intensity, and followed each interval with a half-distance easy aerobic recovery swim. So it was 100-50-200-100.... I got stronger with each. With the pull buoy, I feel like I have NO excuse for not leaving a goggle in the water when I breathe or for keeping high elbows in the catch/pull. This could be just what I needed to fix some bad habits.
After a rough first week with calf cramps, pain, sleep issues, negativity, frustration, and moments of despair, I think the worst is behind me. One week down....
