Speed of muscle wastage is alarming

50% through the non-weight bearing phase of recovery and as I'm allowed take off my cast, I am doing that every couple of days for comfort's sake.

This is what's underneath the cast now though.

And as you can see from the incorrect proportion between upper and lower leg, there's quite dramatic muscle wastage even in only 3 weeks.  I dread to think what it is going to be like after 6 weeks and I don't think there's a damned thing I can do about it as I'm not allowed bear weight on that foot at all.  Any way of exercising that calf requires putting pressure through the sole of the foot.  So it's not allowed.

So when I am allowed put weight on it, with the help of an air boot at first, I'm going to be weak as all hell and it's going to take a while to get any semblance of strength and support out of that calf to help stabilise my ankle and I'm finding that worryingly circular.  It's going to take a very long time to get to a normal walking gait and confident at being able to start running again.

Hm. OK.

So I was going to be doing a final distance swim today, 3200m, then tapering off the rest of the week before the 5000m next Sunday.  Except, although my nose is far less productive today, the cold has headed down onto my chest and breathing is exactly as difficult as when my nose was completely stuffed and runny.  So I'm tired, breathless, fuzzy in the head and weak.  Oh, and despite stuffing my face for the last 3 days, my weight hasn't changed at all.

4 weeks now with pretty much no weight training (I've done two light sessions on two weekends), 3 weeks with pretty much no cardio exercise (one 1600m swim since I've been back from skiing), and I'm pretty sure that despite being slap-bang in the middle of my target weight range, I've gained fat and lost muscle.  I can't use my body-fat measurement machine because it works on electrical impedance and is keenly affected by hydration levels which are utterly out of whack with having a cold, so I can't really assess the situation in a quantitative way and it's all just subjective in how I feel.  And having a cold makes me feel squishy anyway, so it'll all just so hard to tell.  I am pretty sure there is some muscle loss, however.  It is disappointing, having spent 10 months working on improving my muscles, strength and fitness, to have quite a bit of that work set back.  I know it's not through lack of determination or enthusiasm on my part, I can't beat myself up about it because there's pretty much nothing I can do about it until I'm over both my injury and my cold.  Nevertheless, it is still disappointing.

As for the Swimathon next Sunday; I'll definitely finish the 5km, there's no doubt there at all.  It's just that I don't think I'll put in a representative time which is quite disappointing.  I wanted to do the 5km in 01:40 (or less), but I think that without a swim on Friday last week and no distance swim today, probably no sprint swim tomorrow... well, there's really not going to be much benefit to be had from the normal swim on Wednesday and the gentle swim on Friday at all.  Given that, I reckon I could put in a time anywhere between 01:50 and 02:00.  Again; disappointing.

And then there's the 2nd Thames Turbo Triathlon in 3 weeks time.  I've not run in months, cycled in very much longer and 3 weeks really isn't very long to get on with training never mind the fact it's actually going to be 2 weeks because I'm going to be still coldy for some of next week and tapering (hah, tapering down from no exercise; funny) for the rest of it for the Swimathon.  Again, I'm sure I'll finish the triathlon, but the time will be abysmal.  I suppose at least it means I'll be very likely to improve for the 3rd one.

Muscle loss

2 weeks of no weight training; 1 week of no exercise at all and my weight is dropping despite being around maintenance kcals all week.  The worry is I may be losing muscle mass.  So, tomorrow morning I'll be taking a body fat measurement to see if I've lost measurable amounts of fat or that it really is muscle dropping off.

Had a little gymmage today though; 65 minutes - 1km warm up on the rower, 3x10 assisted pull-ups at 32kg assist, 12 minutes on the Wave machine; super-set 3x 60s planks with 3x 10 tricep dips; 3x 15 double reverse crunches and then 20 minutes on the cross-trainer.  612kcals and feeling really quite good apart from a real awareness of my coccyx area (probably from the double reverse crunches as I do lean on my coccyx quite a bit at the bottom of the movement).  Still have to call the physio tomorrow for a consultation though, as I really don't want to cause a long term problem by doing the wrong kind of exercise now.

Time for a nice hot bath and a domestic chore or two before tea and cake!

I never thought I'd think like this

I'm really hating not being able to train at the gym, or run, or cycle or even swim.

It's so worked into my routine as well as allowing me to eat more during the day. My stomach is used to eating lots and my brain and muscles are used to that lovely hour on most days where I get to focus on getting fitter and healthier and not think about anything bad, or tricky, or worrying.

I'm irrationally worried that I'll gain fat while I'm not training. Of course my muscles will waste a tiny bit through lack of use, but it won't be anything really appreciable in the time scales we're talking about here. I know these things, but I still think I'm going to wake up fat. Mad. huh?

Anyway, I'm giving my leg the weekend to feel significantly better or I'm off to the doctor to see about getting a referral to a physiotherapist. I've got a skiing holiday coming up soonish, dammit! And there is no way on Earth I"m missing out on that!