I've got a few:

Go live at high altitude (or sleep in one of those goofy tents)

Get some EPO injections to increase your hematocrit

---

____________________________________
Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

SWIM SWIM SWIM!!!! One of the benefits is the "no-impact" effect on you body. Swimming is probable better for you calf then even walking. Just have to worry about turns, but those are easy to do with one leg. I sprained my arch once in high school. During my workouts I would flip turn before the wall, and not use a push off at all. Great way to build swim speed, starting from a dead float.

Also get the benefit of retaining your aerobic fitness....so all you ahve to worry about is your leg fitness!

Everyone should swim more!!!!

-bcreager

Although I haven't tried it, I hear that 12 hour rides work wonders.

---

----------------------------------
"Go yell at an M&M"

What ever you do -- do NOT listen to Ytriguy !!!!

As stated before -- Swim, swim, swim some more, and when you are done with that - swim again.

You can build leg muscles in 16 weeks no problem -- but you Can not build an aerobic engine that fast. You need to have your heart beating at an elevated rate for at least 10 hours a week.

So swim, and then swim some more.

Then add in some aqua jogging.

Ask your doc - but in three weeks - Walk. Walk walk and walk some more - no running - just walk - this will help rehab and strengthen the injury and prepare your bones and joints for the pounding of running.

When you start running - run on a treadmill with an elevation of .5% to 1% -- this is also to ease into the pounding of running and give your calf time to heal and slowly strengthen.

Apart from swim, swimming and more swimming I'd continue to work on core strength and flexibility.

Also you could probably get the green light from your doc sooner than 6 weeks if your really diligent about regular icing, anti-inflammatories then stretching and eventually strength when its healed enough. Ask about other treatments to speed up healing as well, there are many that can help healing.

If your putting down 20k+ in the pool each week by the time your leg has healed enough you could really back off the swimming to a minimum and concentrate on re-building running and cycling fitness.

---

---------------------------
http://www.nunnsontherun.com

No doubt about the swim swim swim. Great for your lungs and heart.

Once you get all pruney and water logged you should do some Yoga to build strength, and if your are doing it right it is quite a workout. You could also try the eliptical trainers at the gym when you get close to the end of the layoff.

---

This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time. - Fight Club
Industry Brat.

sorry to hear about your injury -- do you mind sharing exactly what is wrong with your calf? I'm curious because I've been nursing a calf injury as well.

Like everyone else has said, swim -- great for cardio fitness. Walk, elliptical, rowing machines -- those can all help too.

---

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Hi Alyie

My calf injury is basically a strained Popliteus muscle - it's a small one at the top of the calf/just below the back of the knee, deep in the middle of the leg. I'm pretty sure my injury occurred from the usual too much, too soon. I had just done a lower body strength session, then jumped on my trainer to convert it to cycling specific strength. A few too many one leg pedaling reps in a big gear and the next day I woke up in my present predicament. I initally cut back on running and did ellipitcal trainer instead along with really easy spin sessions on the trainer. That didn't work so after a couple of weeks, I started ART and stopped running/cycling completely for two weeks. It was still tender, but we thought gradually working back into easy spinning/ellipitical work would aid the recovery process. It didn't and now I'll just have to wait.

I think I read one of your posts a week or two ago about your calf issue. How is it coming?

---

-----------------------------------------------
evanoff.ca

Feeling a little better, I can run a couple miles every other day now.

Hope yours heals soon :)

---

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

 deep water aquajogging works really well. makes swimming laps look exciting but it works. I have a friend who used it after back surgery and he didn't lose much fitness.

Ask your doc if he thinks your calves are ready for aquajogging. Aquajogging is easy on the joints, but the water resistance makes it feel like strength training, which could be either good for your legs or too much for your legs right now.

I was off running for several weeks and did aquajogging. It did not feel hard and actually I worried that I was losing some fitness, but not so. When I resumed "real" running both my endurance and my SPEED were totally intact.

swim

---

�The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.� -Michelangelo

MoodBoost Drink : Mood Support + Energy.

If you want aerobic, spin like crazy in your small chain ring on your long rides at high cadence.

In this context EPO would very likely lead to another injury. Like slapping a 500hp engine in a rusted out Yugo and flooring it.

I have tried 10 hour rides and they do work quite well, especially on consecutive days. Be sure to start out like it's a 4 hour ride too. I think the death ride trip home is where the real do or die adaptation occurs.

The stepmill is an incredible tool. Gives me a better aerobic workout than being on the bike, and a better muscular workout than running. As I'm primarily a cyclist, I found it was a great way to be able to exercise and get the mental break of being off the bike. I lost about 5-7 pounds using it for 40-70 minutes 5-6 times a week in the offseason. When I came back to the bike, I had decent fitness, but my cycling specific muscles had definitely atrophied. Now several months later I've put that 5-7 pounds back on and things are going well. Basically, it's not as good as the real thing, but it's a great alternative. It's a hell of a lot harder than any elliptical machine, I can assure you of that.

Man, you have PLENTY of time to get ready for IMC...Not sure why so many are convinced that the specific prep. for an IM has to be like 20+ week long.

IM specific prep is 12 weeks, taper included.

Suggestions:
1. get a second advice (even if you trust your doc. a second advice is always a good idea)
2. deep water running as suggested (I did a lot of that...I may also suggest that you buy a waterproof mp3 player...dwr is boring...)
3. when you can start training and you have roughly 16 weeks left, have some weeks of Vo2max specific training. This will boost your aerobic capacity a lot more than really long stuff
4. then do 8 weeks of IM specific work, with a big focus, NOT on going long, but on going at IM pace...instead of 6h on the bike, do 4h30 to 5 with 3h at IM pace and run off the bike at IM pace...etc...
Just be specific.

You have time to heal, and get ready...plenty of time.

[reply]The stepmill is an incredible tool. Gives me a better aerobic workout than being on the bike, and a better muscular workout than running.
[/reply]

they have a couple of those at my gym...
living in a 4th-floor walk up, i can't even stand to look at them. but yes, i'm sure that they give a good workout.

for the OP: one thing to consider, re. swimming, swimming, and more swimming - if what you're really focused on is your aerobic base w/out hurting your legs, you can always swim with a pull buoy. you're working your lungs, your legs are just lying there. or, if you want, you could try swimming with the band, i guess. (never tried, though, don't know how that would play out).

just keep in mind that a)the rest of your body also needs to build up slowly; and b)once your legs are back in good shape, they won't be a match for your cardio fitness, so you're going to have a lot of workouts where your legs are sore even though you don't feel tired. if that happens, listen to your legs.

Swimming, deep-water running, LOTS of kickboard. Double check with the doctor on the last two, depending on the nature of your injury.

Then once you are back, it's all about the bike for you... Make you sure you mix in a fair amount of high-intesity stuff once you are back on the horse. The 10-hour ride at mind-numbing pace is, IMO, not going to get you any more fitness than a 4-5 hour ride with 90' or so of hard, tempo (Z3) riding.

You want to build fitness fast? After getting your legs back under you a bit (probably that first month or so), intensity is the key...

---

"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp