WEEKS after working out with New York’s toughest trainers and halfway through a quest to run 500 miles in 2008, my left foot gave out – my second toe felt as if it were broken.
It turns out I have a tight left calf, which interferes with motion of the ankle. For me, that means pressure on the toe joint (the conditions I suffer from are called equinus and MTP synovitis).
Doctor’s orders?
* No running for six weeks.
* Only no-impact sports. Not low, no.
* Physical therapy – for calf and toe rehab.
* Orthotics for sneakers, which I’m told to wear even to work. Ugh. Visions of Melanie Griffith.
I consider the no-impact alternatives to running.
Swimming laps? Boring after 10 minutes.
Stationary biking or rowing machines? Snooze.
Biking outdoors? A six-mile ride in mostly flat Manhattan won’t make me sweat.
Determined to stay fit, I set out to find high-energy and fun no-impact workouts, starting with water.
“Water offers resistance you can’t get on land,” says Maryann Donner, group fitness director at New York Health & Racquet Club.
An Aqua-cise class at NYHRC blends kickboxing, running and conditioning moves. Somewhat challenging, it didn’t push me to my aerobic limits.
Instructor Judy Wyman, 60, suggested water jogging, which she did when she had a broken foot. I ran – in slo-mo – as fast as I could for 20 minutes. I was wet, but I didn’t break a sweat. So I swam laps for 10 minutes at Phelps speed! I breathed harder, but maintaining that speed was hard.
Equipment helps – including goggles, for sheer pleasantness, and gadgets to add sound waves to the waves. I tried out two: Nu’s lightweight Dolphin waterproof MP3 player ($90) attaches to goggles. The more cumbersome H2O Audio’s Amphibx, a waterproof armband for MP3 players ($70), wraps around the waist with a belt attachment. Once I got the earplugs to stay put, music definitely defeated laps boredom.
Back on land, I tried an Arc Trainer, which is similar to an elliptical machine but with programs such as cross-country skiing and mountain climbing. Time flies – and so does sweat – as you go up 10 levels and back, but after 20 minutes I want off.
I hit the jackpot with a spin class at the New York Sports Club. After 45 minutes of pushing, I was sweaty and pumped. “If you’re trying to keep yourself in running shape, you have to work hard,” says Tish Hamilton, executive editor of Runner’s World.
And that’s not easy.
When I’m running again, I will work these options into my regime.
“All of those things – the elliptical machine, biking, swimming – work different muscles than running,” says Hamilton.
“You’ll have more strength throughout your body and less chance of injury.”