24 thoughts on “γνῶθι σεαυτόν – Know thyself”

1. I had a back injury (extruded disc) that limited my exercise from May to September of this year, which was disappointing. Physical Therapy helped and I'm close to back to where I was, but with less muscle mass. So I didn't bike nearly as much as I have in the past and didn't hike much either.

   It is my goal to hike the entirety of the 315 mile Superior Hiking Trail. With a nice fall and a better back, I was able to knock off some portions late in the year and cross the 200 mile mark. I have a plan to either finish next year with an aggressive schedule or definitely in 2018.

   Also my son graduates from college in May and I promised him an epic hiking/camping trip. Isle Royale, Angel's Landing, a 14,000 footer in Colorado, or some backcountry trip. My winter will be to train for this as I will need it.

   Also I do yoga two times a week.

   1. I've been out of commission for about 2-3 months now with a bone spur/Achilles issue (which isn't improving at all). Totes sucks bells. Honestly, it just means that I can't run, so I should really be exploring other avenues like biking or a gym (!). Haven't gotten around to that yet though...

      1. I've been dealing with tendinitis in both achilles for a good year or so, which is a really crappy injury for a curler. I bought a pair of compression sleeves a couple weeks ago and have been wearing them for about a week and a half and they seem to be helping. They loosen up a bit faster in the mornings and don't hurt every day anymore. They flared up some on Saturday when I helped a friend move and had to go up and down stairs a whole lot, but I've also had two curling matches in a row with little pain.

2. I ran the TC 10 mile in October. Five minutes faster than my last time running it seven years ago. I was one ofvthe youngest in my age group so my ranking looks decent. I may just run it every five years so I'm always at the young end.

3. Rugby season is now over, and I've moved into semi-retired. The child (who I still need a nom de WGOM for) is due at the beginning of the spring season, so I won't be playing. Maybe next fall I'll go to a few things, but I'm definitely on the downhill of my career. 8 years of this takes a toll on a guy built like me, especially in the 3 seasons I played in Minnesota where I was in a much more physically demanding position.

   I went out with a bang though - we went to a tournament in Des Moines the weekend before Halloween. I scored three tries on the day. Well, was awarded three tries. The third one I kind of bullshitted, but the ref gave it so I'll take it.

4. I finally turned a corner and am able to "walk" without a cane. I've been a bit frustrated as I had long ditched a cane by this point with the first hip replacement, even though I have much better flexibility and strength with this hip at this point. My PT'ist correctly identified that one of my hip restrictions was causing the pain when I attempted to put/remove weight on the leg, and by standing/walking with slightly wider stance, I was able to progress. Also doesn't hurt that I've lost the post-surgery weight gain and am ~2-3 lbs less even.

   1. A good PT FTW.

5. About the only exercise I'm getting right now is walking to work sometimes (about 6 blocks) and bowling once a week. I just don't have time for anything else right now.

   1. Closest bowling option out here in H'istan is duckpin bowling, not that many blocks from my house.

      Pins are smaller. Bowling balls are like softball-sized with no holes. Three bowls per frame. Went there once for a work outing - quite difficult to get used to it.

      1. I've considered joining a bowling league now that I live out in the country and I don't get to see my city friends as much. I figured it'd be a good way to be social.

         1. Bryant Lake Bowl with its crappy shoes and chipped balls is the best bowling scene since...., OK Falcon Heights!! Where the ball was on the top of ridge from the back. Awesome Old School. And you scored your self. Maths!!

            1. I do miss self-scoring. There's something satisfying about penciling in your own strike.

               1. Mark it eight, dude.	SelectShow

6. My crappy old crossbow weight thing died a couple months ago (snapped a cable, would have been $150 to replace.) I got lucky though and found a near brand new Bowflex Blaze on Craigslist for a "my wife wants me to get rid of this now" price (same as the broken cable). It works a whole lot better with more exercises I can do and it even provides a reasonable set of leg exercises. So, I've been using that five to six days a week at four in the morning.

   I didn't do nearly enough bike riding this summer, though. I've got curling now for some cardio a couple times a week, but I've been contemplating finding a bike trainer for the winter because running is for suckers.

   1. There's a sucker born every minute, or at least 55 years ago for sure.

      1. Aye.

         My buddy and I didn't get drawn for the 2017 Bjorklund Half (major bummer) and the last time that happened, we opted to run the full ... and swore we'd never do it again. I've done Grandma's Marathon twice and the Twin Cities Marathon once. My preferred distance is the half.

7. This year, I trained for and completed the Bjorklund Half, the swim portion (ugh) of the Lifetime Triathlon, and the Tri-Loppet Off-Road Tri (canoe/kayak, trail run & mountain bike course), as well as a couple months-worth of weekly softball and 3 more months worth of weekly crewing on a racing sailboat (E-Scows (abs, forearms and back are in better shape were worked harder than they've been in years ... ).

   I walk 2-3 miles most days, but the only running I've done since September is to chase the kids - my paunch is returning.

   1. We did Lifetime Tri last year - nice, clean swim - no sharks, jellyfish, or kelp.

8. Acceptance isn't quite the right word, but I have recently acknowledged that fitness just isn't where I am in my life right now. I don't have the set up for it at the in-laws, don't quite have the time for it (my earlier LTE about having a couple hours a night be derned. I'm not going out running at 11 at night. I guess I could do some stretching or something.), and, maybe more essentially: I can't seem to summon the will power. That's all being used up in other ways.

   I have every intention of getting back to a reasonable weight in a year or two. And I'm working on diet off and on, but that can be tough too, since pop and sugar are really comforting for me.

   1. Why don't you just try to reduce calories and add a little weights/stretching while you watch TV? Then move on to more rigorous stuff when you are ready. Remember it's not about getting a killer bod, it's about being healthy so you have an enjoyable life as you age and are there long term for your wife and multitudes of children.

      1. This is pretty much exactly what I was thinking about after writing this last night. The calorie thing has been legitimately difficult as food has long been a stress relief for me, and there's been plenty of stress lately. I'm trying to cut back late night snacks as opposed to any specific food/beverage. But I absolutely can add some weights/stretching while watching TV at night. When I'm not using that time to fold laundry.

9. I did a crap job bike riding this year. I bought a new, awesome bike and I'm sad I didn't ride it. I think I'm going to buy one of those resistance stand things so I can use it inside during the winter and try to get myself into the habit. Any suggestions on a good one?

   1. I gave up an earlier version of this one to my wife as a present, back when she was competitively cycling. I recall that she thought it got the job done (I've only used it once or twice and it certainly worked me over).

      It hasn't seen as much use since we moved & added kids to the mix, but I'm going to set it up in the basement for her as an alternative to the elliptical she uses religiously.

   2. I have CycleOps trainer and its fine.

      In the winter, my bike shop has a thing where certain nights everyone brings in their own trainer and we ride while they play Tour de France movie clips, or faky races. Need many fans and door open cause once you get 20-25 guys sweating on their trainers, the calories burn like duck magret in a saute pan.

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