For years I have watched sports, mainly football. You see the hot new rookies showing off their speed and talents, but you also have a large contingent of older veteran players, sometimes in their early 40s, out there showing their talents, their experience, and their sheer power.
You watch these guys, in any sport getting banged up pretty good, day in and day out. And every game, there they are again, putting out their best effort.
Then there is me. This last weekend, I played some basketball, mostly with teenagers. The athlete in my heart is alive and well. All the trash talk, all the pure love of competition, all of the extra weight, all that extra pain, it's all there.
I am feeling muscles in my legs I forgot existed. My back is tight and sore from top to bottom. I'm walking funny and slow. This morning, while running from my patrol car, through a heavy downpour into the gas station after fueling up, I ran like I imagine a crippled girl would look like running. I played basketball, and a little bit of tackle football last year, and I don't remember feeling it as much as I do now. What happened between 29 and 30?
There are full grown old men playing much harder than I am right now who feel "great" despite beating themselves up or getting beat up much worse than I probably ever have in my life. I don't even think I played nearly as hard as I did last year, yet I hurt much much worse.
Sure I was sweating like a soon to be heart-attack victim, and sucking wind like a guy having an asthma attack, but that's nothing new. I did that even in the best shape of my life when I was in the military and in high school football. I lost a few games of "21" on saturday to a teenager, and one of the kid's dad. But I took on an unknown teammate and dominated the games of 2 on 2. Sunday, I played "pig" and "21" winning every game I played. I played through the pain and slow moving syndrome I was suffering. And then last night I went to work. Getting in and out of the patrol car to check houses and commercial properties was pure hell on my legs, and the walking around wasn't much better.
It's supposed to rain off and on today, as well as tomorrow, so I'll have a couple days off to rest from the increased physical activity. Hopefully the next time I play it wont hurt as much. I have plans to do hiking up in the mountains of Wyoming later on this summer, and I would like my legs to be able to move and operate normally without it killing me.
5 comments:
Ahh.. You can make it. It really is up to you. I have trails that take us up the mountain all the way from "I'm way outta shape" to "kill the best of us" though I will admit the more difficult the hike, generally the better the view.
Be Aware...I'm no sissy...I will take any of the hard trails, even if it does kill me!
IF I do die however, I want you to make sure I get a big article in The Lovell, WY local newspaper..something along the lines of Town Namesake (or Patriarch..that works too) Dies Hero's death defending orphans from wild bear and cougar attack..or something else equally outrageous!
Soo.... "Tourist Succumbs to Fatness" is something to stay away from.
Actually it would probaby just depend on if the kids were with us. I'm sure they can pretty much hold their own with the old men. But it can be quite a journey. If we take the hard trail we should be on the trail by 6a. That way we can be down before dark.
I was thinking that it'd just be us....I dont want my broken fat old body having to lumber Bug around when he decides he just is too wiped out..and josh, while adventurous of sorts gets a bit whiny when things start becoming real work...I think he needs some more working out before I throw him on anything too hard.
That and I figure we can move at whatever pace is comfortable enough for us.
As for the succumbing to fatness thing..yeah avoid that!
Oh I forgot to mention in addition to going at our own pace...if we almost kill ourselves in the effort, only we will know, and we can come down later and brag about our natural manliness in overcoming mother nature's obstacle course with pure ease.
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