Day off, Ankle Stuff, and Calorie Burning

Today is an off day for me: no swimming, no weights, and definitely no running. The ankle is perplexing me a little. Sometimes I think it's starting to feel better, and then I do something standing up for a bit, like washing dishes, and it swells right up again. I think that I'll go buy one of those support sleeve things for it just to keep the swelling to a minimum, not expecting anything else from the contraption in the "support" category. I have a proper ankle brace, but I actually think it did more damage than good when I was using it in my Ultimate Frisbee playing days. The more I used it the more my stabilizing muscles atrophied and eventually I was way worse off.

Tomorrow is supposed to be my first 10k run, but this is not to be. Instead I will strap on the old rollerblades and go for a bit of exercise that way. I remember reading in a cross-training for runners type book (the book is Runner's World Guide to Cross-Training) that rollerblading or skating is the best cross-training activity for running because it uses the mirror image muscles to running, those that tend to cause knee and IT band problems when you ignore them. My knee has been feeling better as I've been improving my hip flexor and glute strength, so this activity should not hurt. And yes, I will head home if I feel a twinge in the patella!

I also was checking on the calorie burning front with a calculator I found on the web how rollerblading compares to running, and it seems they are very similar (based on time spent doing the activity and not distance). Also, it looks like my 20k or so of biking each day from home to work and back again burns more than I expected (500-600 calories), which perhaps explains why I always seem to be hungry. (Isn't it lunchtime yet? I am starving right now!!!)

On that note, I am going to find some food. Have a great weekend everyone, in particular those taking part in races!