Went roller blading in the sun today. #30 sunblock was a must. Aidan was the “fighter escort” on the bike. Quicker and more agile. We flew.
Healthful dinner with Annette and the boys. Then…CHEESECAKE. Annette was busy today but was up at 6:45 making cheesecake for the boys. It was fantastic. It won’t last long.
Yes. Yes. Yes. Pardon me? Yes. Still injured. Yes it is taking a long time. Very little blood flow to connective tissue and all that…. No I’m not getting any younger? Yes I’ve had it looked at. Yes.
Quit acting like I’m a teenager? Yes that’s good advice. Yes. No I haven’t lost any more weight. If I get sick? I’m sure I’ll be fine. Yes I am eating. I know I’m not 18 years old. Yes yes.
Nope I’m quitting BJJ for sure. No more running or dieting either. In fact I’m going to give up on enjoying life completely and develop an underachieving and self absorbed attitude just like everyone who thinks they know how to make my life “better”. Wish I’d kept my fat clothes…oh yeah, never had any.
I don’t think much of people who resort to the use of profanity. Guess that makes me a hypocrite.
I know that I am injured. Heck the tape on my shoulder is so tight that what little flesh I have is bulging over the edges. Is it getting better? Who knows.
So Aidan and I engage in random bouts of BJJ in the kitchen. Ceramic tiles, hot stove, lots of corners…PERFECT.
I keep my elbows in and baby my shoulder. I use a lot of leverage, mostly on his arms and wrists to torque his arms away from his body and then take him down to finish with arm bars on the ceramic. I think he taps because the floor is so hard.
Careful John CAREFUL.
Any how, I AM trying to get non BJJ stuff off this blog and over to….
Ran as planned. Heart rate told me I’m tired, or badly fueled, or both.
We had roast beef for dinner with my mum’s yorkshire pudding. I always have to call to get the recipe. Annette was the genius behind getting the roast right. IT WAS GOOD!
The big news from the weekend…Annette bought a mountain bike. A Norco LRT. Nice. We went out yesterday and it’s a perfect fit which is nice because sizing bikes for women can be tricky. The ride included a mandatory stop at Starbucks. Of course.
Bedtime. Ice the shoulder, brush my teeth and crash early.
I’m icing my shoulder between rowing and a run. I somehow found a way to row that positions the humerus correctly in the socket and felt no pain for 10,000 m and maybe 500 cal. Fairly easy pace. Max heart rate 174.
I’ll keep the ice on until just short of frostbite and then run.
The boys are just chilling…
Getting my head straight is a life long pursuit. Truly. I followed a link from Mark Twight (twitter) and stumbled on Rob Fusco’s site.
I like this post and the concept that ultimately, we only answer to ourselves.
“It’s not me versus you, it’s me versus me. You’re just in my way.”
“The only person in your head when you train should be you. It should make little difference whether you’re surrounded by dozens of people in a well-mirrored, well-lit “fitness club” or you’re completely alone in a small, filthy basement lit by one lightbulb. These factors are irrelevant. Your degree of effort should be exactly the same because it’s no one else’s destiny in your hands but yours. Sink or swim, fuckers. Your days of being mothered and fathered are OVER. The universe doesn’t give a fuck about anyone.
By my reckoning, the real advancement occurs not on my clipboard in numbers and times, and not in the values displaced on that day, but instead it manifests in the form of a true and honest fight with YOURSELF to reach a little deeper than you did the day before that, and the day before that. This ongoing effort in earnest changes the look in your eyes. Swallow the pill. Examine and judge your so-called peers. Count how many others quietly carry that driven, determined spinal strength in their eyes. Count how many take a real inventory of their weaknesses and really do what it takes to shore things up. You know how many I can count?”
This is just part of Rob’s article. I cut and pasted according to what caught my eye, not yours, so go to his site if you are interested.
I’m going downstairs to row.
Hard to say. I spoke at length with the physiotherapist to try and better understand what they hope to achieve with the stretches and exercises they have prescribed.
The idea, if I understand correctly, is to strengthen neglected muscles and to thus reposition the humerus in its socket. There is perhaps some logic therein. I do a very specific and repetitive type of exercise and thus lats and pecs (the push pull that I need for BJJ) have been over-emphasized, possibly contributing to the position of the bone head.
I rowed 5k today. Positioned my shoulder such that I didn’t feel pain, though now it is tender. I’ll run after dark if I have the will.
It is tough to re-tool my exercise regime. Habit is comfort and likely the reason I am injured. I need to focus on balance now. More core work to balance up the muscles I have developed with ones I haven’t. Maybe there’s a reason Gym Jones works shoulder flexibility and strength from time to time and a reason I don’t like to do the same. Often times it is the things one hates that one should be doing most urgently.
Live and learn. If I had been doing nothing I wouldn’t be injured. Not much of an alternative really.
Beautiful day.
So what? I want everything now! I’ll work for it but I refuse to wait. Damn shoulder. Spoke to Chris at the club tonight. God I hate the healing process. Need to get back on the mats.
Ice seems to help! Or does it. I dunno. Back to Physio on Thursday.
Weather is warm and fair. Hot but not sweltering. We have the ceiling fans going.
Kingston is a beautiful place in the summer.
Oi!
Well, we DID decompress. Brew pub suds, a nice walk, sushi in the front seat of the car, an aborted viewing of Ironman 2, a whole bag of frozen mint aero balls and a last minute dash to the grocery store to assuage a mango sorbet craving. AND a mysterious head and stomach ache. Must have been that glass of water I had at Annette’s.
Weather is warm is warm here in Kingston! And here I am, experimenting with ice. Being 46 has its drawbacks. Namely the time it takes to heal. And connective tissue injuries are notorious for taking a long time to heal. Limited blood flow battles inflammation etc.
I’m actually trying to freeze my shoulder. Here’s what I’m doing to try and rehab:
- ICE. Reduce inflammation and give it half a chance to heal. Zip lock bags and yes, I am enjoying the ice-maker on my Fridgedaire.
- Exercises as prescribed with the yellow theraband
- Stretches as prescribed
- ibuprofen, Omega 3 to battle inflammation
Anyone out there had any experience with home ultrasound? I mean they look gimmicky but they are cheap. What have I got to lose? Anyone?
I ran yesterday. When the boys cycle beside me I tend to sprint parts of the run. They jump when I cruise behind them on the downhills, running quietly on the balls of my feet at top speed and then say something from right at their shoulder when they think I should be far behind. It never gets old.
“You know that you’re a freak right Dad”
I am John McKay’s foray into cold management.
