"Summertime Blues..."

So, guess what I found out this week? I’m not invincible! I figured I could always push through the minor aches and pains of daily workouts. Whether it was a strained shoulder or a sore back, I could get back on track with a lot of stretching and foam rollers.

(The totally awkward picture above is me, my brother, and my cousins at the Excelsior Club pool in Columbus, Ohio. I'll explain why it's there later in the post)

But this time it was different. I was away for the 4th of July holiday and working out at the hotel gym and spa. Great setup, nice equipment, but not a lot of cardio machines. So, when I saw an open treadmill, I went right over to it. It was a little darker in the cardio area and I was excited to grab a machine, so I jumped on. Unfortunately, I didn’t see that the belt on the treadmill was still moving. I flew off the back and flipped, with the top of my foot hitting the back edge of the machine.

“Ow,ow,ow,ow and ow!!!” It REALLY hurt, but I was determined not to let it get me. I asked the people working there for ice and whether I should fill out an accident report. He got me the ice, but no report (more about that later). As the day went on, I watched my foot grow bigger and change color; from red to purple to blue toes and feet. I swirled it in the pool, iced it in my hotel room, and even wore flat shoes out to dinner, but it still hurt.

I limped through our vacation and figured it was just bruised, but after I returned home, it was still hurting. I called my doctor and he had me get an x-ray. And guess what? Two fractured bones on the top and side of my foot. Official names of the fractured bones are the cuboid and calcaneus.

After the x-ray, I went to see my doctor and was sure I was going to have to get a cast or a boot, or even crutches, but luckily, I didn’t have to do any of that. However, I DID have to stop all exercise where I pound down on my foot. No running, cycling, elliptical machine, no Zumba; just walking! My heart rate monitor kept flashing that I was way below my calorie-burning range!

So that was it. I was forced into weeks of low heart rates without my normal routine…

Now, I’ve never been a particularly great swimmer. When I was a kid at the Excelsior Club pool in Columbus, Ohio where I grew up, my cousin Marji (she's the one in the picture with me)got all the Red Cross swimming badges up to “Flying Fish”, and I was stuck on “Guppy” and “Minnow”. I never quite got that “stroke, turn head, breathe” thing down pat. Also, when you have curly hair that you straighten daily with a flat iron, the last place you want to be is under water. But alas, I needed do some cardio that would burn a lot of calories, but not further injure my foot.

It’s now day five of swimming for me, and I’ve got to say, I kind of like it. I bought goggles and nose plugs and ear plugs, but so far I haven’t used them. And it’s not like I look smooth swimming in the pool. I started out kind of listing to the side of my lane and alternating between holding my breath under water, and gasping as I pushed to the surface. But each day I feel a little more comfortable and increase my number of laps. And it’s kind of good way to just tune out for a while since I also can’t see anything without my glasses.

So, sometimes what seems like an obstacle is actually a push in another direction.
For now, I’m just grateful that I have an alternative. (And that it’s not a moving treadmill). And who knows, maybe one day I'll actually get that breathing and head turning thing right!

(And in hindsight, I probably should have filled out an accident report since the hotel claims no responsibility for the fall)