Still searching for answers

We finally got a break from the humidity on Friday, as a north-northeast wind brought some drier air.  When I stepped out on my back deck first thing yesterday morning, I thought I was back in the semiarid West.  It was delightful with a clear sky and a pleasant northeast breeze.

It went on to be fairly hot yesterday--I think the high was around 90 degrees Fahrenheit--but the absence of suffocating humidity lifted my spirits.  And my spirits need all the lifting they can get these days, because my nagging ailments seem never-ending.  I've talked plenty lately about my left deltoid/biceps area, but my right shoulder/neck area, which has felt better but not entirely back to normal for most of this year, has been flaring up again in the last couple of days.

After doing my new rehab exercises at home yesterday, I paddled for 60 minutes down on the riverfront.  Once again I incorporated a lot of backpaddling to address muscle imbalances that might be contributing to my woes.  I did a loop out on the river and once I was warmed up my pains faded into the background a bit, but my concern over them has been outweighing my enjoyment of paddling lately, and after my race in Kentucky next weekend I think I may have to take a longer break and see if I can overcome them in some more permanent way.

This morning I did another round of rehab exercises, and then rode my bike out to Shelby Farms and around Patriot Lake and back.  I never thought I would say this, but in recent weeks I've been enjoying my bike rides a lot more than paddling my boat.  I've mentioned how tired and listless I've felt in the last couple of years, but I still have a desire to get out and be active, and bike riding seems to satisfy that.  The ennui seems specific to paddling.  My arm and shoulder woes are part of the reason, but I think my pursuit of excellence in downwind paddling in the last several years has something to do with it, too.  As fun as downwinding is, it's also the most physically exhausting paddling discipline I've ever tried, and I think I've had my eye on a degree of perfection that's just not attainable for somebody of my age and abilities.  I think part of the problem is that I don't understand downwind conditions as fully as I do other kinds of water I've paddled on, and as a result I'm working much harder than I should be out there.

Whatever the case, I need to change something, and I think taking a break to address my ailments will be a good start.

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