You aren't even going to believe this story.....

Ok.....here goes in a nutshell.  Please feel free to offer me your advice.

Our 18 month old son just spent the last three days in the PICU ward of the hospital with a horrendous case of the croup.  It was terrible.  SOOO scary and heartbreaking.  A parents worse fear.  THANK GOD we are home and he is fine.

So.....as you can imagine, I spent the nights curled up in a recliner next to his crib while my husband stayed home with our other two children.  Last night, I heard Ben stirring in the crib.  It was one o'clock in the morning so I was pretty out of it.  I tripped over the chair and ending up in the ER myself with a sprained foot......Not even kidding. 

So, here's the dilemma.  I am a runner.  Running and training for a half marathon.  NOW WHAT???????  And in addition, I have been maintaining my weight at 115 (5'1") for about 3 months now and am TERRIFIED that now my exercise plan is on hold, I will gain.....SO, what can I do to burn calories and keep up with my endurance.   And do I have to reduce calorie intake (currently between 15-1800) while I'm on a "sabbatical"?  I am so proud of getting to 15 miles per week and have been loving it.  And how will I know when I can run again?  It's bad enough our BABY was sick and we are just getting through that......this is all way too much for me to handle all at once.

R.I.C.E  Rest-Ice-Compression-Elevate

Sorry to hear about the mishap *but* remember this to shall pass:)

I know this is not what you want to hear, but your body and your baby both need you to rest a bit.  The advice you were given above is excellent.  If, after a day or two of RICE, you have access to a stationary rowing machine, you can definitely keep up your cardiovascular fitness by rowing in place of your usual run until your foot is healed.  Don't rush back to running -- you will end up causing more damage and being out longer.  If in doubt, see a sports medicine specialist --

Hug your baby and then get your husband to hug you -- you both need it!  Good luck and godspeed.

I'm sure the whole episode with your son put your current dilemma well into perspective.  Just take it easy for awhile and let your body recover.  It really sounds like you could use some rest, physicallya and mentally.  Best of luck to you.

Rest is the best medicine for everyone! After a day or two of wonderful laziness, try swimming or a bike machine. One of the low ones. After an injury, the injured (insert whatever) is more susceptable to re-injury, so take it easy until you are fully healed.

Glad to hear the kid is okay. Now to get you okay.

As for the calorie intake, I would slide towards the ligher side, but, truth be told, if you've been doing training at that level, it may take a few days for your body to realize "hey, we're not doing that anymore," and shut down the furnaces.

I'm glad your son is ok. Mine is 8 now, but got it at least once every winter since he was born. Many times we had to take him to the emergency room because the albuterol and nebulizer just wouldn't help. Watching them trying to suck in and struggling to breathe is SO scarry. He is 8 now and last winter was the first time he didn't get it. It gets better the older they get as their lungs grow bigger. I'll never forget how scarry it was the first time he got it. We didn't know if he swallowed something or had a collasped lung or what the hell it was. I'm so glad that is over with. Take care.

oops somehow I posted on the wrong forum...sorry

Let me address your real issue: you're scared to death that by not running (or exercising much for that matter) your weight is going to balloon back to whatever it was before you lost it. It's a common fear -- especially for runners. I'm 41 and joke that I run because there is a fat woman behind me waiting to catch up.

I manage my weight almost exclusively by exercise. I calorie count, but I love food too much to stay within 1200 calories -- so exercise helps me maintain at a 1800+ calorie range. Recently had surgery that put me off exercise for a month and I had the same panic as you have. But what happened to me was that 1) I naturally consumed fewer calories because I wasn't as hungry; 2) I was naturally more concious of what I was eating as as a result my calories were mostly good foods; 3) I actually lost two pounds (likely muscle loss); 4) when I was able to exercise again I was so excited about it that it helped regenerate my whole workout and I came back STRONGER.

Your body needs to rest. If you run too soon on the ankle you risk lifelong problems. Trust me. I'm the one who was training for a marathon, got a raging kidney infection which landed me in the ER with a temp just shy of 105F, and two days later pinned a ziploc bag with my medical release form, $2 worth of coins and a note that said "If you find me, please call 911" while I proceded to run 12 miles. I was young; I could have killed myself. Take the time to rest.

Good luck with the ankle!

Original Post by scaroppo:

I manage my weight almost exclusively by exercise. I calorie count, but I love food too much to stay within 1200 calories -- so exercise helps me maintain at a 1800+ calorie range. Recently had surgery that put me off exercise for a month and I had the same panic as you have. But what happened to me was that 1) I naturally consumed fewer calories because I wasn't as hungry; 2) I was naturally more concious of what I was eating as as a result my calories were mostly good foods; 3) I actually lost two pounds (likely muscle loss); 4) when I was able to exercise again I was so excited about it that it helped regenerate my whole workout and I came back STRONGER.

 listen to scaroppo.

I'm no expert, but what about some nice, intense yoga sessions that don't involve pressure on your foot?  Maybe taking some time that would've been used for running to really stretch and take care of those muscles (and soothe your mind) while you're waiting to run again?  Just an idea.  Also, I'm glad baby is okay!

Swimming is also a good choice -- once the initial swelling goes down and you can put pressure on the ankle without pain.  Running is really hard on your joints and should be restarted ONLY once you are fully healed. But after a minimum of a week of rest you should be able to resume low intensity and non-weight bearing exercise like Tina_4792 mentioned, and/or swimming.

When you think you MIGHT be ready to run, try the eliptical machine first. I will give your legs and ankle a range of movement similar to running without the impact. But STOP immediately if you feel sore, tight or are in pain.

Swimming!  Swimming with a pull bouy.  You can do that today, if you want.  Just be careful getting in and out of the pool...

I recently hurt my hip just two weeks before my first half ironman triathlon.  I was crushed.  For five weeks I swam twice a week and that was it.  I didn't gain a pound.  I think I just ate less, not as hungry (like scaroppo said).  When I started training again, my running speed had increased by almost 2 km /hour.  My body really enjoyed the rest, I guess!

The thing with a sprained ankle is if you don't stay off of it at first, it'll come back to haunt you forever.  You're looking at quite a few weeks of rest, here.  Make the most of it and try not to focus on the loss (hard to do, I know.  The day of the triathlon I was fighting back tears.)

And remember it all comes into perspective when you can now say that your son is okay.  I recenly spent the weekend in the hospital with my 4 year old son and I found that the other stuff -- you know, the stuff that doesn't involve his life -- sort of became less important. 

Wow....I am completely floored by all of your advice!  Scaroppo....it's like you really know me!!!  You read right into my fear.  All in all, Benjamin is back to being his healthy normal 18 month old self....in which I have to chase!  That is the true success in this story. 

Secondly, yes, I am nervous about the change of my routine.  Especially since I am registered for the Disney Princess Half Marathon in March.  And being a "newbie" at this exercise stuff, I forget that there are many other things I can do.  Swimming sounds great and the Y has a terrific pool.  And Tina_4792, I have been curious about the Yoga classes they offer.  So thanks guys!!!  BTW....I have noticed a decrease in my appetite since my "hiatus" began.   I think this is going to be fine.

Tomorrow I'm going to do some light strength training, and possibly swim.  I'm actually looking forward to a change....although running is my true passion.

You may also be able to try out pool running (deep water running).  This maintains all the motions of running and works the same muscles but is low impact.  It has worked well for me!

All the rest of the advice was so good that I have nothing else useful to say.  I'm glad your son is okay now.  That's the most important thing.  :-)