The Shelf

Topic: 30 Years and 364 Days
Keywords: Groin, Monterey, Harley
Word Count: 582
Next Likely Topic: The Next 30

My sympathetic achilles stayed that way for Monday, so all I did after Saturday's run was a trip to the gym on Sunday and Monday for upper body workouts, and I also did my full stretching routine (calf, quad, standing hamstring stretch, groin, "backside burn" [lie on your back with one ankle crossed at your other knee, pull that knee backwards towards your chest], sitting hamstring, quad, calf ... holding each for about 15 seconds) and spent about 10 minutes on the bike. The leg really doesn't hurt bad during occupational use, but it does feel a bit "off" high in the hammy and high up the accompanying achilles ... no basketball or hills workout tonight, I'm on the shelf. With my "night off", I'm going to study up on hammy injuries and make up my mind on whether to wait this out, or be proactive and get some therapy. Boston Rob from work says go straight to therapy, as Koala healed his hammy with one session of elctro-stim and hard-core deep tissue massage. If I decide to go therapy, I might as well go for it now. I still don't know how I did this to myself .....

Mother's have a funny way about them. After a brief discussion of my ailment on Sunday night, she asked "How many of these marathons do you intend to do?". She followed that quickly with "I don't know if maybe you're shooting for a certain number ...." In other words, I think she was asking, on the cusp of my 31st birthday, if I've decided to give up this folly of youth and stop abusing myself!

Her question is extra valid as tonight brings me to within 12 hours of completing exactly 30 years of living (I was born around 6PM .. I was a late sleeper then and the trend has continued). The weird thing is I certainly can tell a physical difference in myself, specifically longer recovery times, but other that pains I can specifically associate with my old knee injury, I don't think I perform any worse now than at 21. Actually, I'm probably a better athlete, by most any definition, at 30 years and 364 days than at 21. [insert trip to washing machine, loading of the dryer, getting a glass of tea, andddd I'm back] You know, right now, I kind of want to go find a little snot nosed, punk ass 18 year old and whoop him in tennis!!!! Maybe run the Spots hill course a few times and revel in his hill induced wheezing!!!! (not that I could do that, with my old and busted hammy) Andy accused me of going through an early mid-life crisis what with the new haircut and goatee ... maybe I am! Maybe I'm aging gracelessly!?!! Maybe I need to go buy a Harley, ride to Monterrey, pick up my Mexican bride (it never fails ... marriage follows a trip to Monterrey), and complete my early mid-life crisis?!??

Sounds like I need to spend some time tonight waxing philosophical about another year passed (and waxing requires beer, so it's a good thing all in all). With no physical activity, I'll certainly have the time, and should even be able to spare some time to price that Harley (o: