Today begins the first of two “slow” weeks as far as Project Walk is concerned. He’s only scheduled on Wednesday and Friday. After this two week lull, he begins his permanent schedule of Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We both thrive with a bit of structure, so finally having a schedule locked down will help dramatically to increase our productivity and over all quality of life. This week he’s returning to his previous gym training schedule (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday,) and will combine it with Project Walk for an active 6-day workout week.
Today, we went for a long walk in the drizzly weather at Menifee Lakes. It’s a safe, paved path along a beautiful little man-made lake. He walked three times farther than he did at the beach the other day. We were out there for over 30 minutes, including his brief resting times. There was a slight down/up hill grade and he handled it with pure grace. The hill wouldn’t even be noticeable to a normal person, but for someone with minimal stamina, it was a bit of a challenge. Going down it, he struggled to keep his weight off his arms. His triceps were killing him afterward. Going up the slope, he said he couldn’t quite “figure it out.” I’m still not sure exactly what he meant by that, but I know it has something to do with the lack of flex in his ankles. They don’t roll as he steps, so the placement is critical, and can be super awkward. I guess his knees were locking out when he stepped flat footed. This will certainly be addressed at his next prosthetist appointment, which is hopefully this month.
One of the most significant things about our walk today, is that he was getting sore immediately. Not nerve pain, or bone soreness, but muscle soreness. His butt and the backs of his legs were getting sore, the way they would if you started a brand new workout routine without having worked out in years. This is significant because they were sore from working. This means he was using his glutes and hamstrings to walk, something he really hadn’t noticed before. He really has come a long way in just a few short weeks.
Nick Fener 