How to Make Rehab Sound Cool, If Not Totally Awesome

I thought I was dumbbell curl-to-pressing padded orange weights, until I realized that I was performing an Upper Extremity Workout on an Unstable Surface!

This past week I got on a plane and headed to Vail to see Dr. Millet for my 6-week post-op checkup. It was a bit of a pain as a) I am currently in Boston b) the trip isn't cheap, and c) regardless of money, Vail is kind of a haul just to be making 48-hour trips to slap hands with a doc and do some physical therapy. On the other hand, the cost is (almost) a drop in the bucket when factoring in the other surgery expenses, and both the doctor and the adjoining rehab department, Howard Head, really are that good.

First things first, my knee is doing great. I had some swelling fluid aspirated from the knee, but the analysis came back negative and it was only a product of not getting quite enough ice on it in the summer heat. The mobility and strength of the leg are sound. Second, I can finally engage in activities that activate my quad, such as biking with two legs, walking up and down stairs normally, and everything else that people (myself included) take for granted when they are healthy. I was so happy to be biking on the stationary bike and get my first real aerobic exercise in 4 months that almost got something in both my eyes and started misting up. I also broke out into a huge sweat and needed a towel to wipe down myself and the equipment after 20 minutes. Awesome!

But the really special part of the trip was leveraging my iPad's picture and video capabilities to record the next 6 weeks of my rehab exercises, narrated by Howard Head's Super Rehabilitator Thomas Olson. Thomas has seen me through some if not most of my rehab since the NASTAR Nosedive, and we have developed a good repoire. It so happened that I was showing him a picture from my photo gallery when we were planning the next 6 weeks of therapy, when we realized it would probably be best to capture the exercises on picture and video instead of typing out an explanation.

Thomas is very technical, which is great when I am so limited in mobility because it makes everything I do sound really intense. Here's a clip to show you what I'm talking about. This hurt like hell by the way!

I would have totally butchered doing this drill correctly in about 2 weeks time, and definitely wouldn't have felt as cool if I couldn't remember that not only was I lifting a 6 lb medicine ball above my head, I was doing a progression of an isometric lunge hold. All kidding aside, the 20 or so videos I have with me now are hugely helpful. I'm looking forward to working on these progressions until I head back to Vail for my 12-week checkup...who knows what kind of crazy stuff I'll be into by then!

Until then I'm gonna get stronger and watch the Summer Olympics and follow the training/racing in New Zealand. Go USA! GO ITA!!!

Cannonball!

You know that scene in Caddyshack when the caddies storm the gates of the swimming pool at the Bushwood Country Club for their 30 minutes per week of open swim? Almost every weekday afternoon at around 3pm you can watch it played out in real life at the community pool in Cambridge, Mass. About a 15 minute walk from the youth center, the Veterans Memorial Wading and Swimming Pool is constantly overrun by the 30 kids attending the Willis Moore Youth Center summer sports camp. While things usually settle down after about 15 minutes, no trip is truly complete without an exhaustive attempt at the perfect cannonball. As someone who is (supposedly) responsible for the kids I used to try to make sure that the other pool users were forewarned, but it's a lot funnier to watch the bystander's expressions the exact moment when he or she realizes their goal of wading in the pool without getting their hair wet is nothing but a pipe dream.

With this in mind, I'd like to present a formal analysis from last Friday's highlight reel showcasing a range of techniques that have been championed thus far:



Exhibit A: The Butt Drop

Maximum radial coverage, effective with more mass.

Exhibit B: The Face Plant

May induce temporary discomfort, but allows for permanent bragging rights

Exhibit C: The 80lb Cannonball

Showing classic form with knees up to one's neck, this method is especially effective in stealth mode

Exhibit D: The Tag Team

Brutally devastating, requires a high degree of coordination and used only in extreme circumstances. Bystanders truly have no defense.

Exhibit E: The Backscratcher

Because somewhere out there it's snowing, and it never hurts to practice!

I'm heading to the doctor in a little over a week for my 6 week checkup. So far things have been progressing very well, and I'm looking forward to graduating to a more intense rehab after getting my clean bill of health. Until then I'll be critiquing the many types of cannonballs performed by the able-bodied. Here's to summer weather and glacier skiing!

Sports Camp

Team Flash

While healing up from knee surgery, sitting around and staring at my knee was not an option. Last week I hooked up with the Willis Moore Youth Center and began volunteering at their summer sports camp. Armed with a coaches whistle and a set of crutches, I went Patches O'Houlihan on the 30 middle school kids, coaching them in my disabled state from the sidelines.

Each week the camp focusses on a new sport. Last week was basketball, next is football, and then we move to 4 other sports before moving back to football and basketball. It's clear that we started off with the group's most popular sport. On Friday I found myself way over my head talking with a thirteen year-old about the NBA draft the night before, specifically why Jared Sullinger may or may not be a good fit for the Celtics next year, and how far the Pistons are going to go with their new influx of talent.

Game Time!

Simon, an on-duty local police officer on a community engagement assignment, and I were paired together to coach one of the three teams. We are in charge of running practices and scrimmages against the other two teams each day, with everything building up to championship game on Fridays. This week we had a great group of 10 quick but undersized (save for about 3 kids, just about anyone can be considered undersized) kids who were excited to take home the title. Named Team Flash, we had moments of brilliance throughout the week but came in ranked the 3rd seed (out of 3 teams) for Championship Friday. This meant we had to win the play-in game versus Black Magic in order to play the super favorites The Rejects. After being down only two points at halftime, we let the game get away from us and Black Magic proved too much for Team Flash. In some form of consolation, Black Magic was able to upset The Rejects in the title game, proving that their black magic was too much for anyone that day. The Rejects were also missing their "big" man due to a family road trip....ah, the drama of middle school competition.

Simon and I blame ourselves for not advancing Team Flash further in the title bracket. While the loss was tough to stomach for everyone (some kids got a little emotional after the games) next week brings new promise with a different pairing of coaches and a shuffled set of kids. If you have any ideas feel free to send them in!

Instituting the triangle office

We need you to be BIG inside the paint!

Refusing to cry, even in defeat