Summer

I need to get some sleep right now...but just wanted to write here...


...that summer is upon us!!! Can't wait to hit the trails again :)

That's all for now. Nite

Some thoughts on things: my dad, my health, and my "other" career

Here some things that have been on my mind as this spring semester comes to an end...

...It seems that I'll have to give up pick-up basketball for some time. Weeks, maybe even a few months..Hiking too (I know, I know, its not like I update that blog anymore). Because my left knee has become something I can't ignore anymore. I'm still troubleshooting it on my own (this is ill-advised and I don't recommend it), and I'm just about positive it's tendinitis, maybe an overuse injury. Makes sense: last semester I squatted 2x a week, deadlifted 1x a week, hiked, ran, and played pick-up basketball games wherever I could squeeze it in. On that note I should probably ease up on the squats as well...as in not do them for a while. Perhaps, a long while.

...I hate resetting. Hate starting over again. That's how my training has been since coming back from deployment. Starting over. The human body detrains and loses it's capacity to perform certain tasks in as little as a week for some people. I notice it, and I feel it. Then there's the military. Not going to bash hard, but they're outdated in physical fitness testing. Seriously. Who puts stock in sit-ups any more these days? Even the fitness industry, in all it's commercial-infused selling, has gotten smarter. Sit ups don't do anything directly to your abdominal musculature...because it's hip flexion. I'm generalizing as there's more to it, but there you are.

...Sometimes I feel like I run because I'm obligated to. "Gotta maintain that 2-mile run." "Gotta pass the PT test." I miss running without that kind of necessity. Just going at my own pace - slow, easy, and enjoying my surroundings. It's a mental thing, and I thought I would get over it. For some reason, it still bothers me after all these years. Maybe I'm just stubborn and stupid. Oh well...7 more months to go. That's something that still brings a smile to my face.

...It's been 9 months since Dad passed away. I'm not sad. He was in a bad state, when I went to visit him (he passed two weeks after my trip to Palau.) I know and realize the importance of taking care of my body. Always have, but this is that "spark" that inspires critical reflection. My diet, especially in the long run, needs to become more consistent. I do well, from time to time, but not all of the time. But I do wish sometimes it didn't have to be this way. Rest in peace dad.

These are random thoughts, I know. Probably won't make sense when I read it over later this week. But I needed to put them down on paper (screen). Decluttering and all that. Don't feel that much better, since I have finals this and next week to take care off, but the less things on my mind the better. Now to focus and finish strong. I'm excited for the summer: need to find some work to help the wife with finances (you won't find a harder working person), and I need to re-evaluate my fitness and re-hash my training around my new-found limitations. The body ages different from the calendar dear friends, remember that.

Cheers to wisdom, see you in a few weeks. ;)