MS'ers Training in 2013

[teena marie]

Two amazing stories!

I'm back in Montreal, back at work, still having some amazing swims in my backyard pool although the water temperature has been hovering around 60 so I can't stay in too long. I'm back to the spin bike as well and am working with my trainer again. I'm in the process of figuring out how to put a pool in my living room. Tuesday, I start with a new yoga teacher. With all this muscle building, I need some help with flexibility.

Take care all,

Teena Marie

[mvargas]

Tina, do your symptoms improve after you have had a very cool swim? Mine improve dramatically but I am not brave enough to try 60 degrees yet, low 70s is low enough for now.

[mvargas]

Teena Marie, sorry for mangling your name.

Mark

[teena marie]

Yes, my walking improves dramatically after a cold swim. Which is why I do this. But it is a combination of swimming-the kicking and the windmill action of front crawl as well as cold water which does it. To me the pathways are still intact which is why I persist. I have cold baths all winter but it's not the same effect. I've worked up to being able to tolerate cold water.
What have you noticed for yourself? Do you have a swimming routine?

Teena Marie (don't worry about misspelling my name-it happens all the time)

[AMFADVENTURES]

Pell, hands down, your story is the best....or the worst depending how you look at it. It still makes me squeamish to even think about poison ivy infused cycling shorts!

TM, nice to see you're back. A swimming pool in your living room?????? We had an unplanned for pool forming in our basement briefly due to unprecedented recent rains, but it's gone now.

Got 15 miles on the bike last week. It's a re-start, the first ride in two weeks. Although I struggled a bit, in the end it felt great!

Larry

[ActiveMSers]

While I have flashed more folks out on the road of life than a pack of paparazzi photographing Miley twerking, I've never squatted in poison ivy. I'm not sure why I just typed that, because usually that means it's about to happen. Krikey. Thanks Pell!

[mvargas]

Teena Marie, after a cool swim I can walk without cane or crutches. Doing exercises right after a swim, my legs are 50% stronger, better range of motion and faster responses. It only lasts about an hour but it sure feels great.
My swimming routine is just a half mile swim each day. Not much time for more during the week.

Mark

[teena marie]

Hi Mark,

This is the first time I've met someone with ths same reaction. I always hope it will last longer than an hour. It sounds like a great routine. My pool temperature is now 56 degrees so I can't stay in for long. I miss my long ocean swims of the summer.

So today I worked with my trainer. On the spin bike by myself and 12 minutes increasing intensity each minute, followed by some great strengthening-squats,superman,bridging ending with a good stretch. Two days ago, I started working with a therapeutic yoga teacher who also does Thai massage. We worked on breathing and some amazing stretching. He is also an occupational therapist so all in all, a good resource.

Take care all,

Teena Marie

[pawpaw]

More trials and tribulations...

Teena Marie, Your reaction to swimming in cold water is facinating. I'm not sure I could convince myself to go into 56 degree water no what the reaction.
I just spent the last week in Vancouver BC at a conference. The weather was Vancouverish- rainy and chilly every day. I had planned to rent a bike and cycle Stanley Park but that didn't happen. I awoke early the day of departure and it wasn't raining. I calculated that I could jog to Stanley Park, circumnavigate the sea wall and get back to the hotel (about 8 miles) in time to shower and catch a cab to the airport. Of course, this was all pre-sunrise- as in dark- and I haven't run in over a year. All was well until I didn't see a curb, tripped and fell on my shoulder- at the half-way point. If I kept my shoulders back and didn't move my arm, it didn't hurt too bad, so I completed my adventure as planned. In retrospect, not my best plan.
I'm now pretty miserable-hopefully with muscle pain not joint damage- and off the bike for a few days. This aging stuff sucks. Update: broken clavicle
Another observation - those really long escalators in convention centers are so dangerous for me. I get disoriented about halfway up and have to hold on for dear life. Carrying a cup of coffee on one of those things is absolutely out.
Glad to be home...
Pell

[AMFADVENTURES]

Pell, just noticed your update. Good Lord, a broken clavicle, how bad is it???? The thought has crossed my mind more than once this year, that it might be nearing time to slow down a little because of that whole aging thing and the added bonus of MS. Not ready just yet but sometimes, I can feel it getting closer.

TM, 56 degrees sounds just about right. Don't know that I could swim in it but it sure would be great to dip in. Nothing relieves the pain of a hard cycling workout on the back and legs better than spending a few minutes in really cold water. How long do you swim in water like that anyway?

I finally got a little over 100 miles in on the bike last week. It was hard, not very fast and kind of disappointing to realize just how quick you can loose strength and endurance and how long it seems it will take to get it back. My longest ride since I took a little break has been 45 miles. I need to get close to 110 before thanks giving to have a chance at the Tour de Tucson.

Also, we had our first skiff of snow recently. I've been threatening for a couple of years now but this is the year I WILL get back on the cross country skis. I hope someone will hold me to that! TM, you do some cross country skiing don't you.

Stay healthy,
Larry

[teena marie]

Pell, that sounds nasty. But I can certainly relate to how it happened. Take good care and treat yourself to whatever it takes to help.

Larry, yes I ski. Not far but the sliding motion really helps the hip flexor complex. Cold water swimming is coming to an end before too long. I can hang onto the ladder and do some kicking (100-300 licks) but swimming in my harness less and less-I feel the core temperature plunging too quickly plus if it's windy I'm moving into hypothermia fast.


My new yoga therapist is great and I have my weekly training on the bike and strengthening.

Take care all,

Teena Marie

I may have said earlier that I'm determined to move out of my comfort zone so I accepted an invitation to do a 3 hour lecture to 107 McGill nursing students last week. It went well but it didn't leave me much time for exercising.

[mvargas]

Teena, after learning that cooling the body helps someone else as well, I passed along the information to a friend in Alaska that is having trouble recovering from HSCT. He took a long cold shower and saw more improvement in the next hour than he had seen in months. According to his wife he still curses me during the showers but is all smiles during the hour or so afterwards when he exercises. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Mark

[teena marie]

Hi Mark,

I'm glad it's helping your friend. There used to be a guy from the UK on this site that took ice baths-literally-ice cubes in the tub. Ice is considred anti-inflammatory so it stands to reason that it would help.

Today was my first day that I couldn't go in my pool. I took a cold bath but it's not the same. I'm hoping it warms up a little so I can get in a few more swims.

How is your training going?

Teena Marie

[teena marie]

Hi again,

I just found the ice bath thread. I found it by going to search, typed in ice bath and there it was.

Teena Marie

[mvargas]

Teena Marie, thanks for the information about ice baths. Luckily at this time I don't need to cool that much! Have you ever checked your temperature before and after the cooling? Mine drops 3.5 degrees F. Another question, when cooling in the tub do you also put your head in the water? I'm trying to figure out what needs to be cooled, spinal cord, brain, or whole body.

Mark