Small Victories

Well, it took awhile, but my back has finally healed to almost 100%.  In the process, I've...um...gotten a touch on the round side.  In spite of that, I had an absolute blast at our game today, the first in which I've played since my injury.  I was slower, yes.  I needed more breaks, this is true.  And I felt much like a bull walrus trying to sprint out there.  In spite of all this, I was thrilled to score two goals and get two "cleats-up" hits out there.  And no back issues whatsoever.  I was no superstar out there, but I had fun and managed to help the team a bit, so for those small victories, I am grateful.

What this means is that I'm fully functional, but somewhat deconditioned.  I'm somewhat disappointed in myself, but even had I been in tip-top shape, I still would have had to take 2-3 weeks for recovery, and I'd still need to rebuild, so now it's time to just get to it.  Tomorrow is Sunday, which is a pretty relaxed day around here, and I'll be able to sit down and make some notes on what I'll be training this week.  Sprints, both long and short, will be involved, in addition to a lot of barbell, kettlebell, calisthenics, bagwork, and the usual kung fu, krav maga, and bjj training.  It'll be a busy week, but it's time to get moving.

You know, I realize that I'm almost 45 now.  There are those who would say that it's a losing battle, so why work so hard?  Yes, the body begins a slow decline in functionality as it gets older, this is true.  But how fast it does this, to a certain extent, is up to me.  The folks I look up to are strong and capable and they are my age or much older.  I've always looked up to certain martial arts masters who were older, and as I rolled into my thirties and forties, I began to relate more with those older athletes out of necessity.  I lost the ideas of ancient martial arts masters of the movies being faster than any youngsters, but at the same time, I saw real people, real masters, real athletes, staying strong and viable well into their later years.  And of course, there was my dad...but that's a whole other blog.

So it doesn't matter to me one bit that I'm almost 45.  If I were 25, the process would still be the same...decide on my goals, make a workout/eating plan to get me there, and then get to work.  My results will be whatever they will be, and I'll make my adjustments based on how it all goes.  Yes, my younger self had a faster metabolism, and healed more quickly, but even that wasn't as good as others at that same age.  I would take what I have and go with that, just the same as I do now.  The idea of giving up and not training with the idea that I can improve, at ANY age...well, that's just alien to me, no matter that the end result might be.

Anyway, it's time to head to the drawing board and get this body in gear.  Let's roll.

Healing, Planning, Goal Setting

After speaking with our fabulous Green Goalie, Tom, I discovered that my 'turtle' move actually worked perfectly, and the damage was done to my back when I hit the big guy in the first place.  That's right, I did it to my own self.  It's been more than two solid weeks since I hurt my back, and I'm finally moving around almost like my old self again.  I've been able to do a kettlebell workout, and I've gone...um..."jogging" a couple of times.  Seriously, I made Tim Conway look like an Olympian at first, but it's better now.  Whatever's in that DoTerra Deep Blue Rub really works.  Today, I even managed a mile with jog, sprint, walk, jog, sprint, walk approach, and managed to get up to about a 90% sprint a couple of times...that's HUGE.

It's been really hard being unable to move around, and I've had time to think about what I'm going to do as I get back to full strength.  I know I could have been thoroughly pissed off this whole time, but instead, I kept my eyes open for anything to laugh about during my recovery.  Mostly, it was the funny noises and having to move so slowly that kept me amused, but I am more than ready to get back to working my tail off.

I admit to myself that I haven't been as consistent in my workouts as I usually am, and my eating has slipped a bit.  I'm a very self-aware person, and I generally pride myself on setting an example for my students, but I know that I can do better than I have been.  The CrossFit games are rapidly approaching and I feel woefully unprepared, even had I not injured my back.  What to do, what to do?

I'm going to start over.

I'm still pretty sturdy, so I've got that going for me.   I know how to get strong, I know how to get my conditioning back, and I feel like this little setback can actually be a blessing in disguise.  Sure, I've lost some spring in my step while I healed, but now I feel like I'm a blank slate.  I can write anything I want, train any way I want, do anything I want, and I get to feel it all almost like a beginner again. That's kind of cool.

You know what?  I'm looking forward to it.  It may be too late for me to do really well in the CrossFit Games this year, but by the end of summer, I plan to be my best, strongest, fastest self.  Let's rock this.