Return to Exercise & Late Night Flight Frustrations

The Way My Body Felt Yesterday

Yesterday I was sufficiently recovered from the cold from hell to get back to exercising.  I was dreading it a little bit because a week away from working out makes the return all the more painful.  I clearly remember back in my 30’s when I could be away from working out for a couple weeks and get right back into it. 

That all went away when I hit 40.  I started to notice that if I missed a day or two that the return was a little more painful than it should have been.  One of the benefits of getting older is that it seems this effect not only remains but increases as you get older, so I got that going for me.  In a small way it may be a good thing because it forces some personal discipline in that you realize how much tougher it will be if you miss too much.

I did my normal run in Worcester.  It was kind of strange running by piles of snow in 70 degree heat.  The run was fine until the half way (furthest from my ultimate destination) point when my lungs decided they didn’t want to work as hard as required.  When the lungs go the legs soon follow but I was able to make it back to the office with only a mildly embarrassing shamble that in no way could be described as running.

My swim last night was a little more encouraging, after the first ten minutes which were an absolute torture (lungs again).  I think my body realized I was serious and decided to stop rebelling.  I was also assisted by the distraction of a grotesque side show at the pool.  An overweight lady, who had to be in her 40’s, was cavorting in the pool with a teenaged boy.  She said in a loud voice several times that she hoped her husband didn’t walk in on them.  The boy, like most teenagers, seemed fascinated by the female attention – despite the epic proportions.  It was kind of like a car wreck – impossible to ignore and it did distract me from my cramping legs.

When I got home my wife continued her daily ritual of haranguing me about buying airplane tickets.  As a Christmas present, I promised to fly her sister up in January for a visit.  This started one of her serious “harassment” phases where she calls me at work and constantly reminds me to check on air fares.  Last night I went on line and found a moderately good price and bought the ticket.  My wife then said I should buy her a ticket for the return flight.  I was so annoyed with her at this point that I gladly put her on a flight back to Panama with her sister at the end of January.  She then said she wanted to be there for two months, so my pleasure was short lived.  I’m going to miss the harassment, truth be told.

I was trying to watch a recorded show when she pranced back into the room and announced that she was trying to talk her cousin through buying tickets on line so she could be on the same flights as my wife’s sister.  There’s a whole gang coming (should be fun).  Neither of them are very computer savvy and her cousin speaks no English.  When I saw they were using a web site in English I told them that it probably wouldn’t work with a foreign credit card and was summarily ignored.  Forty-five minutes later after dozens of interruptions to ask me somewhat inane questions they got to the point where the site said it did not accept foreign credit cards.  It was a little appropriate that the show she kept interrupting me from seeing was the latest Dexter, I was definitely getting some ideas. 

All kidding aside (I was kidding) (honest) this is what makes living with my wife such a great adventure.  She cares abundantly and not always comfortably but it’s always an adventure.

In The Pool Last Night