Taking on my physical woes, enjoying some lovely weather, and, of course, paddling my boat

I haven't mentioned it in a while, but I've continued to have that feeling of dull achiness in my arms.  Last Thursday I finally got myself to the chiropractor's office to see what she had to say about it.  She made some adjustments that she said would take some pressure off those muscles, and she showed me a few simple exercises that I can do.  So I've been doing them daily since then, and I'm scheduled to visit her office again next Thursday.  Right now it's hard to say for sure, but there might be some improvement.  I'll keep on doing my homework and see how it goes.

I had to miss my usual Tuesday paddle with Joe because I had to take my mother to the doctor, where she underwent a procedure.  I got out Wednesday instead, and felt good in the boat during a spirited 70-minute session.  I did three 8-stroke sprints in the harbor and did an energetic loop out on the Mississippi.  A barge rig was coming upriver as I headed back toward the harbor, so I spent a few minutes trying to surf the small waves it was producing.  The waves were somewhat low-amplitude and not clearly defined, but I managed to get one pretty good ride.  That was enough to have me feeling good as I re-entered the harbor and paddled back to the dock.

The mild weather has continued this week.  Wednesday and yesterday both were among the most gorgeous days we've had all year, with sunshine, temperatures around 83 degrees Fahrenheit, a cool north breeze, and moderate humidity.  I savored every bit of it that I could, knowing that it's unlikely to last.  When I got to the river this morning the weather wasn't bad, but the breeze was more west-southwesterly and not as cooling, and some mugginess was starting to creep back in.

I warmed up and did another three 8-strokers, then paddled a loop out on the river at a strong pace with some long surges thrown in.  There was no motorized traffic on the river at all, so I just concentrated on taking good strokes and keeping the boat running smoothly.

The high this afternoon was in the low 90s.  The temperature is supposed to be up around 95 this weekend.  That sounds more like the August I know.

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