Sunday December 29th, 2013

19 days Post-op on ruptured achilles tendon.

Airdyne 30 minutes at Z1.  375 calories. 9.1 miles. 12.5 cals/min.

+
ankle stretches and banded rotator cuff work.

I am slowly increasing the pace on the Airdyne each session. The first day I was putting hardly any pressure on the pedals with my injured leg in the boot. Now I am pushing with it but not actually putting weight on it if that makes sense. This is still a very comfortable pace and I will continue to slowly build on it.

As far as the achilles tendon goes, it is feeling better every day. Each day I am more pleased that I got the boot. One it is great to be able to sit down and have a shower rather than having to use a bath. Then more importantly for recovery, it is excellent to have access to it. On day 1 with the boot (13 days post-op) I could barely move it in any direction as it was so stiff and felt foreign. I also could only put on a regular sock with great care. Now less than a week later I can put on any sock quickly, like normal, and can also move the ankle around. I have improved the dorsiflexion quite a bit and have started improving upon the plantar flexion as well. If this was in a cast it would be a a disaster. I would really like to get a massage on the ankle as it is swollen and stiff but the doctor advised no massage. So for now I will abide by this. I am looking forward to starting a structured PT program which I anticipate being able to begin after doctor appointment on January 13 (4 weeks post-op).

The tendon itself feels strong, but the swelling in and around the ankle seems to be the main limiter for moving it well. I've been told not to weight bear but there have been a few instances of light weight bearing while in the boot. It feels fine when this occurs.

Also on the goals front I took my OPT Level 1 Program Design test and passed, so thats a major hurdle accomplished. I completed the course approximately a year ago put had not completed the extremely long and time consuming practical that went with it. At that time I was working full time as LEO, studying for the Sgt. test, programming for our gym and a handful of private clients and had a 1.5 year old at home.  So writing ~40 make believe programs wasn't in the cards. I had basically resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to achieve the certification for Program Design. At the time I was a bit disappointed to take the course and not get the certification but there was only so much time in the day.
I enjoyed the course and took tons of information from it.

Then a few weeks ago I got an email and was notified that the Program Design course certification could be passed by taking an online practical examination. The test was tough and the student had to really have a good handle on the material. It was pretty amazing how second nature some of the questions were to me though. Having studied and applied this information for a couple of years left me with a very strong understanding of the material. I passed it with ease on the first try.

 I think back to what I knew in 2010 when I started training and what I know now. I know infinitely more. Knowing more in terms of training and designing programs is a good thing and a bad thing. It is one of those things where the more you know the more you realize you don't know. Continual learning is so important in terms of training and physical fitness. I plan to continue to learn and take courses at every opportunity to make myself a better coach and to learn more about how to train athletes and "weekend warriors" alike.


Next learning goal:  Read Eric Cressey's Performance Handbook. I am likely going back to work on January 2nd so this abundance of free time I have had will be disappearing. Gotta try and get this book read today through Wednesday.