I started Tuesday with a gym session. In case you're wondering what I'm doing for a gym session these days, it's bench press with dumbbells (using the stability ball in lieu of a bench), backups on the stability ball, dumbbell rows (chest down on the stability ball), and a lower abdominal exercise on the stability ball.
After that I went for a bike ride. I usually paddle on Tuesdays, but this Tuesday morning the temperature was pleasant (mid 60s Fahrenheit), and rain was in the forecast for later, with colder temperatures to follow. So I "let the weather be my coach" and chose the activity I least like to do when it's colder: ride my bike.
My one mistake was failing to check the Internet radar before I left. I wasn't expecting rain until the afternoon, but in fact it was moving in right as I embarked on the ride. By the time I was on the Greater Memphis Greenline it was beginning to drizzle, and a heavier cell moved through when I was almost out to Shelby Farms. By that time there was nothing I could do but bear down and ride through it. I was wearing just a light sweatshirt rather than something halfway rain-repellent, so I got drenched quickly. Another heavy shower gave me a good dousing in the last mile before I returned home.
Oh well... no regrets. I admit I've been a little squeamish about getting out in the cold here in this early stage of the cold-weather season, and in the summertime as well there are moments when I dread stepping out my door into searing heat. But being an athlete means being willing to immerse yourself. Even if you're not an athlete, I think some immersion in the cold or heat is part of a healthy life. Indoor climate control is a very recent development in human history, and we've evolved to handle much harsher conditions than we think.
The good news for the greater Memphis area on Tuesday is that it was spared some severe weather that the same system inflicted farther south. I understand there were some tornadoes in the corridor from Texas to Alabama.
My left calf muscle was feeling better by the middle of this week, and this morning I went out to try another run. I still felt some soreness in the muscle, but it was not as bad as it had been a week ago, and running on grass seemed easier on it than the concrete sidewalk, so I ran on grass wherever I could find it.
I was feeling pretty good about my chances of making it the full 20 minutes this time. But then, about 12 minutes in, another part of me rose up in protest: my right Achilles tendon. I felt a shot of pain down there, and I stopped to stretch it gingerly for a minute. Then I resumed running, and I was determined to keep it slow and easy, but my old pal Achilles simply wasn't having it. He responded with a couple of sharp pops, and I knew right then that I was finished running for the day. I was about a half-mile from home, and I limped the whole way.
I'm typing this just a short while later. I've put an ice pack on the tendon, and at the moment it continues to hurt pretty bad. Sigh... my body is so darn fragile when it comes to running. Maybe I should let go of this idea of incorporating running into my routine... after all, a favorite saying of canoe & kayak athletes is "Runners don't paddle, so why should paddlers run?" I'll just have to see how this thing feels over the next few days.
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