Oh, Here I Am...

Oops, I see that I haven't posted on here in, oh, 22 days.  The only reason for this is that I seem to be getting bored with writing about recovering (I'm certainly bored with doing the recovering).  I don't want to write about it or think about it or even record my workouts during it (I know!  Me, the data queen, not recording a workout!)  All I want to do is just be done with it.

But still, there have been a couple things in the past few weeks that are worth recording.  I've done a few weighted squats, I've rowed quite a bit, I've run a mile (a blistering 11:40), and yesterday, for the first time since the injury, I did deadlifts.  Very slow, very cautious 45-pound deadlifts, but still deadlifts.  I can do hang cleans and hang snatches (but not "real" ones from the floor), as well as box step-ups and double unders (well, as much as I could ever do double unders).  I want to try handstands and rope climbs again; I don't think they'll present a problem (again, other than the problems I always had with them).  Still on the no-fly list are box jumps, kettle bell swings, cleans, snatches, jumping in Burpees, weighted lunges, and heavier squats.  And probably a few other things I'm forgetting.

So, what about skating?

Well, I tried it last Tuesday.  To say it did not go well would be a gross understatement.

I went to PT on Monday and he checked my range of motion and cleared me to try skating.  So on Tuesday I happily packed up my skates and my warmest winter gear--it was about 5 degrees, with a wicked wind--and headed to the oval.

Here it is, looking all innocent and festive...

Looks like fun, doesn't it?

Wrong.

As it turned out, skating was the most painful thing I've done since my injury and surgery, including when I slipped and fell a couple months after surgery.  And I didn't skate long or hard; I mostly coasted around, pushing very gently with my right leg because anything close to full extension was very painful.  And when I finally got up the guts to attempt crossing over in a corner, I learned that this is a very bad idea; way too much stretch and strain on the ol' hammy.  And in addition to the pain, I was not enjoying watching all the other skaters glide smoothly and strongly past me..I couldn't help staring at their legs and envying their nice functional hamstrings.  So in the end, I wobbled around for maybe 30 minutes and then had to quit.

That barely-visible "thumbs up" is a lie.

But my skating was not really done.  No, it turns out that skating is now the gift that keeps on giving. Four days later, my leg is still sore and swollen.  I've had to wear sweatpants to school for the past three days (fortunately that's not too much of a fashion downgrade from my usual attire), and my leg hasn't been this cranky since my post-surgery slip-and-fall.

My PT says I can continue to try skating, but to be very careful not to overload myself by doing it when I'm otherwise stressed, or have just done something new at CrossFit.  And since I'm currently sick (third cold since October, yay) and I did deadlifts for the first time yesterday...it's looking like I should wait a few more days before I get back on my skates.  And I'm pretty sure that I'm looking at next season before any real meaningful training on skates can take place. Good thing I've got CrossFit to keep me sane and exercised and happy.

And so the recovery continues...