Replies
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Persistent uphill running (or treadmill incline) places extra strain on your soleus (one of the calf muscles), glutes, hamstrings, and Achilles tendon. This can make them stronger, but leaves them at higher risk of injury. Also, if all you do is uphill incline on the treadmill, your quads are not going to be happy when you…
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I think it's itchy. :( But people who swear by it, SWEAR BY IT.
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Feeling something snap is *classic* Grade 2 calf strain, and the other symptoms you describe fit as well. Yes, you absolutely can get one from jogging on the treadmill. Basically, your calf was already fatigued and stressed from the strain of helping your friend move. And then the slow/fast interval stuff? Yup, that's a…
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@ephiemarie - how do you keep your clava dry? Mine gets so soaked with snot and moisture from breathing out that it ices to my face, making it worse than pointless. Do you have one with one of those plastic masks?
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Yes, ask your PT! I'd be looking around for other pool options, too--YMCA, local high school with public hours, sometimes hospitals have a health center whose pool runs a bunch of aquaerobics/aquacize classes for rehab patients.
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I run in a similar climate--I believe we are snowier and windier but not quite as cold. One thing I have found is that in the deadest of winter (Jan-Feb, here), it actually becomes impossible to run outside NOT because of conditions, but because of lack of anywhere to run. The sidewalks don't get shoveled and the plow…
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Yeah, the leg press machine forces you into a specific range of motion that might not be comfortable for you, and eliminates a lot of the work of stabilizing muscles which can cause imbalances. You could try dropping the weight and shifting your feet around on the pad, changing the angle you place your foot at to target…
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How were you swimming? Did you try just using your arms, with a pull buoy between your legs? If you have access to a hand cycle or an aircycle with arms, you could try that (I mean, using just your arms on the aircycle). Wheelchair basketball? How about getting a pair of crutches and going for a swing-walk? Otherwise, it's…
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If you're in it for money, I really like P90X3 and had fun with Insanity Max 30. If you want some great free options, check out fitnessblender.com! Tons of YouTube videos that you can search by type of exercise, intensity, duration, etc.
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Rain, yup. Thunder/lightning, nope. Wind...your choice. What do you have against chlorine? It keeps what is essentially a public toilet* sanitary! * 17% of swimmers pee in the pool and 83% of swimmers lie on surveys.
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This stretch/massage is painful but helpful. Sit with one leg folded across the other. Use one hand to pull back your toes. Use the other to massage your arch. You can call in the aid of a spiky massage ball if you want--I do. You can also roll the ball under your foot as you sit. Or roll a frozen water bottle. ETA: In…
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Yes, circle swimming is the default. But I have *never* shared a lane with just one other person who preferred to circle swim over splitting. I skipped the step where you ask the other person what they want to do; thanks for filling that in. :) If you're splitting a lane and a third person comes over, it's circle swim time.
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What?!?! BURN THE WITCH!!! Just kidding. :) Welcome! I've never mastered the Vanquishers--I can't find the sweet spot between painfully tight and leakily loose. Went back to the old-school Speedo Sprint. I'm so glad you're back in the water, and with a cute new suit to boot!
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I think Profoot PF insoles are pretty darn awesome (and for $7, why not give them a shot?) You can buy them at most drug stores/general purpose stores, or on Amazon. Other things to try are more supportive shoes in general. You can also sleep with a night splint to stretch out your feet/calves *overnight*. It might help…
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I don't log/eat back the calories I burn while swimming. (30-45 minute sessions, like you). I figure it just gives me a little padding to make up for inaccurate logging of calorie intake, since doing the whole food scale/measuring everything/logging even bits of condiments would make me go obsessive in a bad way *really*…
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For athletic shoes, especially running shoes? There are two basic factor: amount of use they get, and gradual breakdown of the materials over time. For walking shoes or lighter impact exercise, you might be able to get away with longer. The general number given for running shoes is 350-500 miles. I find I get about 200-250…
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Whatever gives you the hardest workout. I personally can push myself harder with a medium resistance and faster cadence, because my lungs and heart are in better shape than my leg muscles.
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That sounds more like a soft tissue injury than a stress fracture, for what it's worth. (Or if it is bone, a traumatic fx rather than stress.) Stress fractures build up slowly over time, with pressure building inside the bone until it cracks from the inside out. Normally you'd have some twinges of pain, getting worse, that…
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EVERYTHING IS A STRESS FRACTURE. So...yes. Yes, I can relate.
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Breast arms with flutter kick is awkward because the two motions fight against each other. Flutter kick keeps you flat in the water moving straight forward. Breast stroke wants to dolphin dive your body up and down slightly. Did you ask your doctor if you can do dolphin (butterfly) kick? That's much more natural.…
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The Brooks Adrenaline is a great shoe. If it plus the insoles is working for you--don't mess with what works!
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Your back was in pain, and you did things to make it MORE in pain. I'm not sure how that changes "go to the doctor and find out what's actually wrong and how to rehab it." Especially because doing the OPPOSITE of everyone's advice--they said rest, you didn't--made the problem worse...
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Yes, an orientation with someone who works at the gym should be standard with new membership! Free weights do have advantages over weight machines. BUT. The best type of strength training is the kind you'll actually do! So if you really feel more comfortable on machines, especially with a preexisting knee injury, go for…
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Fitnessblender.com! My favorite is this cardio kickboxing workout.
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This is really interesting! We always rinse our scuba goggles off in the quarry/ocean right before putting them on. I never knew why--now I do! Thanks!
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Assuming you won't be able to keep your stuff in a locker all day--take a plastic bag for your dirty (WET) gym clothes!
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CONTRA-indicated (i.e. not) for weightlifting/strength training. Jury is still out for runners. If inflammation is part of the body's natural healing/recovery process from microtrauma, it seems to me that it would not be useful there, either, but I'll wait for Science. There are some situations in which you want to ice a…
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Did you try spitting in them and rubbing the spit around? That's what we use for scuba goggles. ETA: One of my dive friends uses shampoo the same way and swears by it. Anything to create a very very thin film, I guess.
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Assuming you are in the US: Running Warehouse is an online store with free shipping and a fantastic return-exchange policy: if you don't like the shoes, even if you've worn them out of the house, you can exchange them for up to 60 days. Free return shipping as well. I went to their Sales Shoes selection and looked at…
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What about giving your dog some mental activity (training) instead of physical? That can be just as important (depending on breed), and a great substitute for long walks when the human needs a rest day. :)
