Please recommend me alternatives to running (broken ankle, cast now off, can't return to full-on running yet)

[magnificatAnimaMea]

Anyone got any suggestions for rehab using a stationary bike/swimming/specific exercises?

For the last 5 years I've been reasonably fit, though definitely not a fast runner. I was averaging about 25-30km a week on hilly runs; every few weeks adding in a 20-30km mountain run on a weekend.

Then in January I started upping the mileage to train for a mountain race, and everything started going wrong - back and hip pain from pulled sacroiliac tendons/clapped-out weak gluteus medius; shin splints; really sore left ankle; collapsed foot arch; stress-fractured metatarsals. Mileage dropped a lot from about April onwards because of the pain; I found out about the stress fractures when I broke the ankle in July, and have done basically no exercise other than sit-ups and press-ups and planks since then.

So now the cast is off, I have a lot of fitness and strength to get back, and am trying to avoid reinjuring everything.

Realistically I can swim at most 3 times a week because the pool is a fair distance away. I can do about 40 minutes (1500m, mostly freestyle as I'm hopeless at other strokes) before my ankle hurts too much/ I get too tired.

I have just got a turbo trainer for my bike, and I can cope with about 40 minutes before my ankle hurts too much and my nether regions go numb.

But online calculators suggest I'm only burning about 300 calories in those sessions, and i know I'm not finding them as big a challenge with respect to fitness as I would if I were running.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do? Both training programmes and specific exercises would be really helpful. I feel like a blob. Our local hospital doesn't have a rehab programme for minor injuries, and the GP just says "join a gym", which I can't afford.

Use a pull buoy in the pool for some of your workout (take your legs out of the equation) and do some technique drills too. Add in some sprints too and get the heart rate up. 3 times a week is a good place to build from if you're swimming for fitness.

Look up some training videos for the turbo trainer - Sufferfest etc. It's a bit less boring than just spinning away. There are a good few on Youtube and Strava premium has some included.

Consider using an elliptical trainer/cross trainer if you can too - lower impact but the motion is closer to running.

thanks TriJo!

don't have access to an elliptical (can't afford gym membership at the moment) but will definitely do the others.

Aqua aerobics are good for rehabilitation as you have the resistance of the water, without the load of the weight. I did it for a few months after Ds2 to get my fitness off the floor before I attempted running.

Worth learning other strokes? I used my lack of stamina during pregnancy to learn breast stroke. I can swim much further when I alternate strokes as it's a more balanced use of opposing muscles.

Try exercise that rehabilitates the ankles without the emphasis on cardio. Walking on uneven ground should help a lot.

Does your gym (or if your pool has a gym) have any of those stability platforms? Those wobbly things you stand on? Bodyweight exercise like squats on one of those will strengthen the weak bits.

Hi Mutton, thanks for the ideas. It's gradually getting better, though mildly complicated now by suddenly incredibly loose ligaments/tendons due to pregnancy. I saw a physio privately and have now got a lot of exercises to do - not quite up to wobble boards yet, might be there by the time I'm no longer pregnant!

Congratulations!

It's probably a matter of time. I broke my wrist and lifting weights sometimes felt a bit dodgy. That's improving without any specific attention being paid to the wrist. Similarly, I had a four finger gap between the abs after three babies and couldn't sneeze without peeing a little. The abs have closed up and I can do star jumps dry... and all I ever did was hill climbing, running, and cleaning houses. Perhaps specific physio would have made it faster but I'm very happy to be better now.

Yoga? Boxing?
If you look at sites like Groupon www.groupon.co.uk/browse/london?category=health-and-fitness&category2=gym, you can buy memberships for a month at a very very low price.