The Rocket is back!

So sorry about your stress fracture, Lucia! It will heal, but you need to do at least an hour of aerobic exercise a day to keep your conditioning. Ask the doctor if you can do elliptical, it's better than biking because you can raise your HR higher. Also, you definitely can aqua jog, but I don't know if you have a pool available. Hang in there, and you may still get a BQ for 2009!

Thanks Maria. I'll ask about elliptical - good to know it's better than biking. I do have a pool available - I'm not sure how to aqua jog... do I need to put weights on my feet, or how do I get around the resistance of the water? It just seems hard...

I've never done aqua jogging myself, but I've seen people do it. To make it easier, you can buy a special belt (AquaJog brand or similar) and tie yourself to the edge of the pool at the deep end. Then you can stay in one place and not bother people who are doing laps. There are also special shoes you can wear, but I understand they are really optional and not that important. It's a great cross training, even better than elliptical, and you're right, it's quite hard. Most importantly, though, it can be insanely boring, so it's much better if you can find a partner. On the blog, Brent has done it, and also Nick aqua jogged a lot while recovering from his stress fracture. Also, Michelle Lowry does it once a week. I'm sure they can offer more detailed advice since my knowledge is all theoretical.

Good job! Way to go :) Hey have you ever tried yogatoday.com? Free yoga, new class everyday, three instructors. when do you get to the ortho dude?

My husband bought the belt. I don't know the brand, though. You need to be in water that comes up to your neck, at least. The special shoes add resistance, so maybe they are good for "speed" workouts. There are also hand things to add resistance. He only bought the belt, though. I saw a waterproof iPod holder in a magazine, with speakers. It was over $100, though. That might help with the boredom!

Awesome suggestions, thanks everyone! No need for ipod... I can entertain myself with my own thoughts :)

Shauna, if you don't mind asking your hubby what he thinks about the belt and the brand, I'd really appreciate it!

You freakin crack me up Lucia!

Walter, you should've met me last year, before my house was broken into, my car got stolen and totaled, my boyfriend broke up with me, my bike got stolen, school wasn't as stressful, and I didn't have a stress fracture! I was a lot funnier then! :)

Lucia - here is the brand I meant, it may be the only one anyway: http://aquajogger.com/default.htm

Lucia, my husband has the aqua jogger. He doesn't tie it to anything, so he ends up all over the pool and looks kind of funny. I think he likes it, but I'll ask him tonight.

Good lord, look at all the baggage you have to look forward to laughing at now! It takes grit! If you cant be an athlete, be an athletic supporter. (Ill put that as number 2 on the list of 12) Ive been through some crappy times too in the last 2 years. Mono was the worst for me because I had to completely stop all physical activities. Boring! Your strong and will bounce back.

Say it ain't so!!! So so so sorry Lucia! Look at your long term goal- you listed "learn to swim freestyle" maybe now is your time to comelete this goal? You are so super strong Lucia! You will get through this...http://running.about.com/od/gear/ht/howwaterjog.htm This is a web site to get you started on water jogging. I hope to see you Sunday! Talk soon.

Hey yeah Lucia, Jill is right, you can prepare yourself as a triathlete like mwah! lol Im not sure how much 'lete' I have in the tri's but you can get addicted. Start swimming 2-3 times a week and do 10 lengths and build up to 1 mile. I did it during the winter and now look at me!? Just look at me! Ok thats enough look away!

Thank you everyone for the aqua jogging tips! Jill, you're going to rock Sunday. And yes, I'm in the process of searching for a good swimming coach in the area, this is a good time for that. I can swim breast stroke but never really practiced freestyle much, so I need to learn. Aqua jogging works the muscles but doesn't seem to get my heart rate up much...

Walter, you're one crazy dude!

Hey, I cant swim or bike right now from my problems so if you're running vicariously through me then I need to be swimming and biking vicariously through you. I hope that didnt sound to sick! Ok so keep some sunshine on your face and our pr's will be new pr's. Alrighty then buh bye!