Surgery and Rehab

I'm not sure if many of you know, but I finally had the surgery to fix my shoulder. I had surgery on the 17th of July so tomorrow will be the beginning of my third week. I'd like to give you all a brief synopsis of what the surgery process was like and what rehab has been like as well.

The surgery they did was because I had what is called a Bankart Lesion. Basically, one of my tendons was completed ripped off and my shoulder joint was just sort of hovering near the socket held by the remaining tendon.

I was put under anesthesia completely, and they also put a "nerve blocker" in my neck which numbed my entire right arm. I felt nothing and remember little of being in the hospital save for them putting in my IV and preparing my shoulder by washing the area.

Once out of surgery and awake I was taken home - the surgery lasted about one and a half hours and they let me sleep for about an hour after. My arm remained numb most of that day and though I was uncomfortable, I was not in a lot of pain. As the numbing agent wore off I still felt pretty good and kept ice on my shoulder.

The second day was regimented and segmented by pill-taking: 2 Percocet, wait two hours, 3 ibuprofen (600 mg) wait 2 hours, repeat all day. The percocet was overall pretty ineffective at killing pain and just made me feel weird - I couldn't move my head without feeling dizzy and felt slightly naseauos most of the day. The ibuprofen however, worked wonders on the pain. At one point I took my dose of percocet only to have some pretty intense shoulder pain 40 minutes later (7-8 on a scale of 10). However, soon after it was time for my latest dose of ibuprofen I was feeling much better. That night the percocet kept me up with intense vomiting and queasiness. I stopped taking it and stuck to the vitamin I from there on out.

The third day things were much, much better. It was a Thursday and my first rehab appointment (yup, started that early). The ibuprofen fended off any pain and kept my shoulder feeling only mildly irritated throughout the day and night.

Since about the Wednesday after that I haven't taken any pain killers and my shoulder has started to loosen and strengthen a bit already.

As of today, I am about one week ahead of schedule as far as range of motion in my shoulder for the assigned physical therapy protocol.

I feel lazy doing nothing except rehab exercises (which are quite simple for the first few weeks), so my mornings usually go like this:

1) Rehab exercises (25 minutes)
2) Gym - stationary bike
a) 10 minute warmup (on Kilimanjaro Hill setting, level 15)
b) 6 minutes of 30 seconds on/30 off peddling as fast as possible.
c) 4 minutes of normal peddling (usually at about the peak of Kilimanjaro)
d) 9 minutes (or 18 reps) of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off peddling as fast as possible.
3) Physical Therapy (assisted stretching by PT guy, some exercises, ice) (3x/week)
a) On non PT days, I ice myself and then head to work.

I then do my rehab exercises again when I get home from work, and once more before I go to bed, each time icing afterwards.

What's most interesting to me are the similarities and differences between rehabilitation and a track workout or a game of Ultimate. Rather than pushing your body to an extreme state of exhaustion, it is more a factor of allowing your body to regain a familiar motion that is now inhibited. It is MUCH more like stretching out a pulled muscle.

You push to reach a thresh-hold, then slightly past it, then relax, then to the new threshold, then relax.

The key for me has been keeping my body in proper form, breathing deeply and evenly, and then pushing myself mentally - "just a few more degrees of motion" is what I started with, now, I just tell myself "degrees." At the same time I picture myself stepping onto a line, one of 7 people about to play at a tournament. The soft grass, the quick direction changes, catching a disc at full speed with no inhibition.

This whole process has been a big learning experience for me and I hope that you all can read this and perhaps reflect on it if, under some unfortunate circumstance, you all may need to have surgery for one reason or another, Ultimate related or not, someday. The lessons I've learned from working hard on the track and harder on the field have translated well to my rehab, as well as the memories of playing hard Ultimate without concern and with total trust in my body.

still not home

So its been four weeks + since I left NY and I'm not coming back for another week + cause I'm going on vacation straight from Lexington, VA to Myrtle Beach, SC. In the past few weeks I've gone hiking, running, ultimate playing, tossing, and working out at the gym (mostly cardio). It's been a lot of hard work (mostly because its an educationally intense program and I was in the most difficult program) However, despite all of the work I had been overloaded with, I've been staying active and doing whatever I could do stay in shape and practice for my favorite sport. When I hit the beach this week I'm going to toss some more and hopefully find others to play with. Hope to see all of you when I get back =)

NUTC

For the last two weeks I was in Massachusetts at National Ultimate Training Camp or NUTC and it was absolutely awesome. I learned loads and loads of things that I'm hoping to show all of you at summer practice soon, and I played a LOT of ultimate. You basically play ultimate all day and on the second to last day you have your tournament where all six or eight teams compete for first place. On the last morning before checkout you have the final game where the two top teams play for first place.

My first week there were eight teams and mine was called the Uncontrollables (our shirts were orange). It was a really spirited team and we had loads of fun and learned a lot even though we didn't do so well. Our name came from what we had been told at camp about not letting uncontrollables such as weather and the other team affect your mental game. I did a lot of handling on offense and then besides man defense I tried wing on zone D.

My second week our shirts were lime green and we were called Sublime. Our coach/counselor was Derek Gottlieb and he treated us like a winning team from the very beginning. And what do you know, we won the entire tournament and took first place with a final game score of 9 to 1 (game to 9). The winning team's players each get a NUTC disc with the disc design in gold color. This week I hadn't handled much at all but tried the role of a cutter and went deep a lot. In drills I threw deep and it was great (I know this awesome huck drill now). On defense we did some man but our team had really great 1-3-3 zone defense and this is what won us our tournament. I started off as wing but later I tried being middle in the wall (similar to center of the cup) and it turned out I was good at this position and I kept playing it.

One giant thing I noticed at camp were how few turnovers there were in games. This is all about decision making and I realized how important getting your O points was as well as how important really good defense was (although we know defense is important). The camp was really really great and I'd love to write about more of the things I learned here but it'd take forever, but I definitely recommend going for anyone who really loves ultimate and is willing to learn and work hard. Plus you meet loads of people from around the country including people from Paideia, YHB, Tennessee, Seattle, and the entire Northeast.

Biking in Forest Hills Park

I bought a bike on Sunday and biked 5 miles in Forest Hills Park - not bad considering I don't think I've been bike riding since I was in junior high school (or since you girls were babies). It was fun!

Message from China

guess what i did today? I CLIMBED THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA. talk about doing stairs. i'll post some pics up later when i come back. i also did more stairs today visiting the tomb of the first king in the Ming Dynasty. his tomb is seven flights below ground. basically i've been doing a lot of walking and climbing here and i feel in pretty good shape. i definitely made it farther up the Great Wall than my mom. yesterday, i went swimming in the pool at the hotel and did about ten laps (with a lot of breaks). having a blast in China. see you guys soon. Nicole

Hat Tourney in MD (July 14)

I went to play in a hat tourney in MD with my friends but we got there late so we only played 2 full games. Like Andy said, be prepared for a shock if you aren't throwing regularly because I jumped into a game without warming up, got the disc, and threw it straight out of bounds. It was pretty embarrassing. Other than that, it was pretty fun and relaxing, especially since the weather was nice too.

Workouts

So I met up with Constance this morning at 7:30 and we did some plyos and some jumps and stuff (I don't remember what they're called; sorry) that Andy sent her. It was really easy in the beginning but towards the end I was dying, trying not to vomit. (That's how out of shape I am) I felt like I going through winter track workouts though its much much much much more easier. So I would say.. try to get some exercise done! (omg it took me a while to figure out how to spell exercise.. >.>)

(oh snap we did the things that Natasha and Andy posted below.. :])
Della-

Hi!

hey you guys i bet you're all surprised to see me posting stuff up. well, i haven't really been doing much of any kind of workout, at least not like natasha and andy and i'm sure some of you are just like me, sitting at home stuck to your computer screens. well, the past few days i've actually done something. Natasha and Anna both inspired me to get up and do something. so i've been going out jogging, not a lot but i discovered there's a track near my house and i go there every morning (unfortunately, its through the scary woods near my house so i try to drag my sister along). Then i went to jersey to visit my cousins and they have a big fat dog named Bruce. i decided to get both me and bruce in shape so every day i was there i went jogging with bruce a couple times around the block. my cousins actually offered to let me take bruce home so i could go out more because i've been too afraid of my neighborhood to do much running there. at home i do some ab workouts and i'm working on my push-ups (i can almost go all the way down). Anywayz, i'm off to China where i'll probably do some exercising with all the shopping i'm going to do. hey, i'm losing calories: that has to count for something right? have fun this summer and try to get some exercise in. We don't want to come back to school and let the new rookies beat us! :) Nicole

I'm Fly Like a Disc

I know, I'm sorry about the title. Anyway, a bit after I started doing my exercise routine at home and jogs outside I got really sick and had to lay off of everything completely for a few days last week. Then I went back to throwing every day which is fun, and I can't really remember if I did much else. Then I started to worry because camp is coming up so I joined Palak at plyo workouts today! We did:

Richochet Jump 3x50+5 fast pushups/se
Side-Side Box Jump 2x10+5 divebombers/se
On Box Jump 2x8+5 fast pushups/set
Low Squat Jump into Jump Lunge 3x5 per leg
1-2-3 Jump 3x5 jumps per leg
30 yard accelerations x4
Consecutive Broad Jumps 3x8+10 fast pushups/set

This is basically what Andy posted a few days ago. Before this we took a warm up jog and stretched, and afterward we SCRIMMED! It was with some Stuy alum guys, most of whom I met for the first time. Good stuff. The workout was actually fun (and sort of funny to look at because it was Palak and I jumping up and down by oursevles while runners ran by) and I enjoyed it. I even got SORE QUADS from the squat/lunge things. It's awesome. Now tomorrow I rest and Saturday I'm off for camp.

Monday July 9th

I almost forgot! I got up really early on Monday morning and met my buddy Malcolm at Central Park to get some tossing in.

When I thought about it, I couldn't remember the last time I threw before Monday. I still can't remember, THIS, is bad. If you ask yourself "when was the last time I threw?" and your answer isn't at the least "yesterday," be prepared for a shock the next time you put a disc in your hand.

Malcolm and I threw for about 45 minutes and my backhand was terrible for about 35 of those minutes. It was either turfing every time, or floating up too high above him - and I was only about 10-15 yards away.

I have been throwing discs since I was 15, that's 12 years ago for those of you who are not so hot at math. And the small break in my throwing was enough to decimate my skill level for an entire 35 minutes. What would've happened if I had a game to play and only 20 minutes to warm up? I would've gone into a game after having turfed all of my throws, that's what. And that is NOT a good feeling.

Please, throw EVERY day. If you come back next season and aren't AT LEAST at the skill level you were at by the end of Spring, I will be sorely disappointed.

Tuesday, July 10

Another track workout today, and what a great day for it! These humid days make you feel accomplished pretty much no matter what you do thanks to the sweat dripping from your body.

11 minutes, 4 seconds - City Interval run to the park (1.2 miles)
15 minutes - full body stretching

Richochet Jump 3x50+5 fast pushups/set
Side-Side Box Jump 2x10+5 divebombers/set
On Box Jump 2x8+5 fast pushups/set
Low Squat Jump into Jump Lunge 3x5 per leg
1-2-3 Jump 3x5 jumps per leg
30 yard accelerations x4 from lay-down start.
Consecutive Broad Jumps 3x8+10 fast pushups/set

As you can see, Dusty has started to incorporate the fatiguing exercises at the end of a set of lower body plyos. The rest on these sets is shortened from 60 seconds to 45 to all for time to do the extra exercise.

It took us just about an hour to do the above and it was tough and felt great!

Saturday July 7th

Did the same workout today as I did on Thursday with a very small change - rather than a 5 minute jog to a nearby park, I did what my friend Dusty calls, City Interval running, to the ERP. This just means that I ran at about 60-75% (Dusty does closer to 90%) until I hit a don't walk sign - at which point I'd rest until the light changed.

He makes a good point saying it mimics a game in movement - lots of starting and stopping at random frequencies - plus you have to dodge pedestrians (simulating low-energy direction changes).

The run takes me about 8 minutes and about 1.5 miles.

Independence Day!

It is hard to wake up everyday and push yourself. Especially on a day when you know you will spend your day eating lobster and swilling beer milk. On days like this, I set myself a time and I put my workout gear on well before then. It's amazing how easy it is to workout when you say "well, I've already got my clothes on for it."

So, on the 4th of July, I found myself doing the following before a party...

5 minutes - Run to the Park
10 minutes - Yoga focused on legs, breathing, and letting go of thought

Plyo Workout:
Richochet Jump 3x50
Side-Side Box Jump 4x10
On Box Jump 3x8
Low Squat Jump into Jump Lunge 3x5 per leg
1-2-3 Jump 3x5 jumps per leg
30 yard accelerations x4
Consecutive Broad Jumps 3x8
60 seconds rest between sets and exercises

8x20sec on/10sec off pushups
8x20sec on/10sec off squats

That was Dusty's workout, at the end I added:

8x20 sec on/10sec off bicycles (for 4) then leg lifts (to finish)

I added the ab stuff at the end because I felt I was slacking on my pushups and squats (though my muscles were telling me otherwise). I figured if I could make myself do another 8 sets of something it'd teach me a lesson.

Just a quick note, if you're ever somewhere and can't get to a track/gym/whatever, you can always do the 8 sets of 20 seconds on/10 seconds off of any stationary exercise. Do them as fast as you can as hard as you can (ie: a clap pushup instead of a regular one, a bicycle instead of a crunch, a jump squat instead of a squat). It will kick your ass and three things will take you less than 15 minutes.

oh man i'm a zombie

hey guys! im in lexington virginia now, doing a summer program at Washington and Lee University that mimics being in college. which is great and all but i get minimal free time and very little sleep. however, each morning i wake up at 6 and go for a run. today i played soccer with one of the professors and a bunch of experienced players and im pretty sure that was my first time playing soccer.. i dont know what i was playing before but the ball was the same. ive got an ultimate game on thursday and i toss every chance i get. this is fun stuff =) hope you guys are having fun too

Potlatch 2007!

I went to Potlatch this weekend, which is a co-ed tournament near Seattle, Washington with 80 teams. It's tons of fun. I played with Magically Delicious, which is basically my brother's normal co-ed team plus some pickups (like myself). We did pretty well and won all our pool play games on Saturday and on Sunday we lost in semi-finals on double-game point in the C bracket (there are a total of 5 brackets).

Hope everyone's summer is going well!

Last Few Days

Aw I'm sad to see that only Andy has posted so far, although I know Laura (and Palak) did track a few days ago. Last summer I had stuff I'd do every day and I started doing a lot of it again. And I've been tossing every single day!

6/27: 500 calf raises, 20 pushups, 100 crunches, 1 min navy kicks, 100 squats, 300 side leg lifts, and weight lifting with 5lbers for biceps, triceps, and pecs (I know right).
6/28: Jogged a mile, and then the same stuff from the day before.
6/29: Same as the day before with extra tossing. Seem to be doing well until...
6/30: No jog, and all my usual exercises except no calf raises and leg lifts. Tsk.
7/1: Just tossing. Shameful. Shameful!!
7/2: Yay I'm back! Jogged a mile, tossed a bunch, 200 jumping jacks, 600 calf raises, and everything else same as the first few days.

Usually I do this stuff while watching a movie or a show, and so I don't have to concentrate on the exercise and I don't have to feel bad for sitting there and watching a show...and it's really not that much.

Hope your summers are going well! (I've been waking up before noon every day holy crap.)

Sunday Morning

Morning is a great time to get through your workout and get it out of the way. It'll also boost your metabolism for the day and get your blood pumping.

Here's what I was doing this morning at 8am -

5 minutes - Jog to the park
10 minutes - Light Yoga, focusing on slow breathing, calves, hamstrings, and quads

Plyo Workout:
Richochet Jump 3x50
Side-Side Box Jump 4x10
On Box Jump 3x8
Low Squat Jump into Jump Lunge 3x5 per leg
1-2-3 Jump 3x5 jumps per leg
30 yard accelerations x4
Consecutive Broad Jumps 3x8
60 seconds rest between sets and exercises

4 times through a full body workout:

Burpees x 30 seconds
Mountain Climbers x 30 seconds
Jumping Jacks x 30 seconds
Mahlers x 30 seconds
Split Shuffle x 30 seconds
Grasshoppers x 30 seconds
Rest x 30 seconds

The plyos aren't so bad, just tiring. The upper body killed me, as always. This workout provided to you via Dusty at Ultimate Journal.