Last December I was waiting with great anticipation for my Shock Cardio DVD’s. I had a rotation all planned to start in January using STS, Shock Cardio and Ab Circuits. Finally, all three together!
My DVD’s were scheduled for delivery on the 22nd, and then on December 19th, while walking down the bleachers at my son’s basketball game I felt something snap in my calf. In the following instant, my heart hit the floor. I new this wasn’t a simple muscle pull and adding in the fact that I had recently turned 49 didn’t seem to be in my favor.
During the game, because you know I couldn’t miss the game, I iced it and kept it up. Afterwards I headed toward the nearest Urgent Care, because of course it was a Saturday and my own doctor wasn’t available. I really shouldn’t have bothered. I saw a Physicians Assistant who, after a rather cursory exam, very smugly told me it wasn’t torn – with a clear attitude of “you can’t possibly know what’s wrong.” I was sent home with it wrapped and told to ice it and keep it up and all would be well. And of course, to call my own doctor if it wasn’t.
I knew it wasn’t and first thing Monday morning called. I had to wait till Wednesday, so I just kept resting it until I could see my Doctor. One of the reasons I chose him, is that in addition to being a family practice D.O. he’s also a sports med specialist! Him, I could trust to get me back to that rotation I had so carefully planned out.
After a much more thorough examine, he told me that while the achilles tendon itself was intact (big sigh of relief) I had torn the connecting fibers to the tendon. Another week off and then I could start the exercises he gave me. When I asked how long till I could be jumping on and off my step, the vision of the Hiit workouts in my head, he said 6-10 weeks. Not even batting an eye that a 49 year old woman would want to do such a thing! I also got the all clear to do any exercise that didn’t put weight on that leg. So on January 3, along with my check-in friends, I began my STS rotation doing only the upper body workouts, abs and what lower body I could manage on the floor.
My biggest hurdle I knew would be mental. Getting back the confidence to use my leg. When I got the all clear to start cardio 4 1/2 weeks after my injury, I did Kick Max Low Impact premix and started gradually building back up. My last goal would be the Hiit workouts. Slowly I started increasing the intensity. At the time, I was so focused on being able to use my calf again that I hadn’t stopped to think about what the time off would do to my cardio endurance. Thankfully, I hadn’t lost much and was quickly heading back to where I had been in that area. Then the day came when I tried Hiit Pyramid and did it! Huge sigh of relief. Next came 40/20 and then finally last of all 30/30. I’m now in the second week of a rotation using STS, Shock Cardio and Ab Circuits and loving it!
But, the thing that really told me I was back and not just physically, but mentally, was last week when I found myself jogging down the bleachers at a baseball game. It had been bleachers that took me down, and I was just walking then, and I had believed that I would be carefully stepping down bleachers for the rest of my life, but NO I was bopping down then like a kid. I’d made it.
Thanks Cathe for the fantastic workouts to keep me in and get me back in shape and a big thanks to my check-in friends who kept me going with all their support!
