Injury layoff of a week or so--ho long to regain form?

At the end of July I finished the Negaunee to Ishpeming (Michigan) Teal Lake Swim for Diabetes that I do every year. I did it in 90:13, which, while not fast is a personal best. Three years in a row personal best is pretty good at age 59. Anyhow, I started training to consider a marathon-like swim next summer (Mackinac Straits. Been *talking* about that for years.) I wanted do a couple of the Texas Highland lake swims at the end of October. If I do a 3 mile race at a faster per-mile pace than the 2.25 Teal Lake, then I'm on the right track. After picking my nose and drinking wine in August, I started training again in September. At the end of September, I was up to a 5100 yard swim. (I woulda made 3 miles, had I arrived at the pool earlier.) I started have some pain in my shoulder though. IU idd a coupel shot days. I switched from a paced mile to a paced 1000. Did 6 X 50 sprints instead of 12X 100. And the shoulder hurt a bit worse. Having had a couple YEARS of restricted activity in the mid-90's from a rotator cuff puts me into the "caution" side of the equation. I delayed getting a plane ticket, then cancelled in my mind, seeing as how the first week or 10 days of october was to be peak training. I sat down at my computer and was going to write a stinging rebuttal to Jim Thornton's post ("Well-elllllll! Obviously LiTtLe JiMmY has never had a real shoulder injury....") But then I re-read what Jim said (Not to hear what he was saying, of course. Just not to make fool out of myself with small errors as I ground him in to the dirt, you understand.) Anyhow, the upshot is that I got the *click* they're-both-right epiphany. I decided to keep swimming 3X per week. Only intead of the 10,000 yards I wanted to build to, maybe a quarter of that, and haveing relaxation as the speed goal. Maybe do some more kicking work. So I've done that. I'm finding it's much harder to motivate myself to get to the pool on time - or at all - and a little bit harder motivate to do my PT stretch band calisthetics and stretching (even though I know that NOW is the important time to be rigorous with that.) So, I've missed maybe a quarter of my swims. Now, I'm hoping that I can start increasing distance again. Maybe do 4000 yard+ distance swim sometime before Thanksgiving. I dont' know if I can or not. Shoulder doesn't hurt now -at least not much - but there is a little funny feeling twinge. I've had worse feelings just go away when I've decided to tough it out, but it isn't clear this one is going anywhere. So, I figure I start ramping up from my current rec-swimmer 1000 yards. I'll try to increase maybe 500 yards per workout to see if I can get up to do a 4000+ yard swim before Thanksgiving. I have to steel myself - If this is another long term deal, then I probably better off swimming little 1000 (minus) swims 3 times aweek than I would be doing nothing. If it's long term, I'll will probably heal faster if, whenever there is an issue I ease off the yards in an "err on the side of caution," with any pain. Some slow recovery swimming is probably better for the shoulder than not swimming. It will probably be easier to motivate my shoulder PT if I do some rather that none, too. On the other hand, I'm confident I could swim 5000 yards right now with no pain. UNTIL the next day. Then, that twinge would be my constant companion for a time. As in, "I've had friends who didn't stay married that long." It will be hard for me, because I do NOT do well with the uncertainty. In some ways, it would be easier to stop swimming than to say I'll increase by 400 yeards each workout UNLESS I get soreness, then I'll go back to 800 yards total. Or trying to figure out if there might be a problem in my shoulder after 2000 yards or am I just being lazy? Particularly if this shortens the down time from the 3 years or so I faced in the 90's to maybe 18-20 of short, slow swimming. The 18 months would be way, WAY better than the 3 years, but could also turn into "Every few months, I convince myself I'm healed and reinjure." That is a lot of patience. Not sure if I have it. In the GREAT AMERICAN U!S!A! spirit of Lance Armstrong and buddies, I'm contemplating talking to my doc about things like human growth hormone and testosterone supplements. some hardcore cross training might help me, too. Anyhow, so far this thread has provided a lot of good hope and guidance for me. I'm turning 60 next year. At my age, I can't expect to swim frigid, choppy-waved, swift-current straits without having a physical setback or two in my training. Thanks. Mr Thornton, I think I owe you a beer. I live in the same town as you. We're both on that awkward edge between middle-age and true geezerhood. Do you swim in the river with the triathletes somtimes? I know I've met guys named "Jim" there, but there's a lotta Jims. Ever meet someone named "Mick" down there ? Mick "You're in pretty good shape for your age. But that's like saying your dog has pretty good breath for a canine."

At the end of July I finished the Negaunee to Ishpeming (Michigan) Teal Lake Swim for Diabetes that I do every year. I did it in 90:13, which, while not fast is a personal best. Three years in a row personal best is pretty good at age 59. Anyhow, I started training to consider a marathon-like swim next summer (Mackinac Straits. Been *talking* about that for years.) I wanted do a couple of the Texas Highland lake swims at the end of October. If I do a 3 mile race at a faster per-mile pace than the 2.25 Teal Lake, then I'm on the right track. After picking my nose and drinking wine in August, I started training again in September. At the end of September, I was up to a 5100 yard swim. (I woulda made 3 miles, had I arrived at the pool earlier.) I started have some pain in my shoulder though. IU idd a coupel shot days. I switched from a paced mile to a paced 1000. Did 6 X 50 sprints instead of 12X 100. And the shoulder hurt a bit worse. Having had a couple YEARS of restricted activity in the mid-90's from a rotator cuff puts me into the "caution" side of the equation. I delayed getting a plane ticket, then cancelled in my mind, seeing as how the first week or 10 days of october was to be peak training. I sat down at my computer and was going to write a stinging rebuttal to Jim Thornton's post ("Well-elllllll! Obviously LiTtLe JiMmY has never had a real shoulder injury....") But then I re-read what Jim said (Not to hear what he was saying, of course. Just not to make fool out of myself with small errors as I ground him in to the dirt, you understand.) Anyhow, the upshot is that I got the *click* they're-both-right epiphany. I decided to keep swimming 3X per week. Only intead of the 10,000 yards I wanted to build to, maybe a quarter of that, and haveing relaxation as the speed goal. Maybe do some more kicking work. So I've done that. I'm finding it's much harder to motivate myself to get to the pool on time - or at all - and a little bit harder motivate to do my PT stretch band calisthetics and stretching (even though I know that NOW is the important time to be rigorous with that.) So, I've missed maybe a quarter of my swims. Now, I'm hoping that I can start increasing distance again. Maybe do 4000 yard+ distance swim sometime before Thanksgiving. I dont' know if I can or not. Shoulder doesn't hurt now -at least not much - but there is a little funny feeling twinge. I've had worse feelings just go away when I've decided to tough it out, but it isn't clear this one is going anywhere. So, I figure I start ramping up from my current rec-swimmer 1000 yards. I'll try to increase maybe 500 yards per workout to see if I can get up to do a 4000+ yard swim before Thanksgiving. I have to steel myself - If this is another long term deal, then I probably better off swimming little 1000 (minus) swims 3 times aweek than I would be doing nothing. If it's long term, I'll will probably heal faster if, whenever there is an issue I ease off the yards in an "err on the side of caution," with any pain. Some slow recovery swimming is probably better for the shoulder than not swimming. It will probably be easier to motivate my shoulder PT if I do some rather that none, too. On the other hand, I'm confident I could swim 5000 yards right now with no pain. UNTIL the next day. Then, that twinge would be my constant companion for a time. As in, "I've had friends who didn't stay married that long." It will be hard for me, because I do NOT do well with the uncertainty. In some ways, it would be easier to stop swimming than to say I'll increase by 400 yeards each workout UNLESS I get soreness, then I'll go back to 800 yards total. Or trying to figure out if there might be a problem in my shoulder after 2000 yards or am I just being lazy? Particularly if this shortens the down time from the 3 years or so I faced in the 90's to maybe 18-20 of short, slow swimming. The 18 months would be way, WAY better than the 3 years, but could also turn into "Every few months, I convince myself I'm healed and reinjure." That is a lot of patience. Not sure if I have it. In the GREAT AMERICAN U!S!A! spirit of Lance Armstrong and buddies, I'm contemplating talking to my doc about things like human growth hormone and testosterone supplements. some hardcore cross training might help me, too. Anyhow, so far this thread has provided a lot of good hope and guidance for me. I'm turning 60 next year. At my age, I can't expect to swim frigid, choppy-waved, swift-current straits without having a physical setback or two in my training. Thanks. Mr Thornton, I think I owe you a beer. I live in the same town as you. We're both on that awkward edge between middle-age and true geezerhood. Do you swim in the river with the triathletes somtimes? I know I've met guys named "Jim" there, but there's a lotta Jims. Ever meet someone named "Mick" down there ? Mick "You're in pretty good shape for your age. But that's like saying your dog has pretty good breath for a canine."