Change of Plans AGAIN! Right NOW!!

If there is nothing else you can count on it is me being willing and able to completely change my plans when I sense another way could be better.  I've been around long enough to be honest with myself and I flat can't motivate myself to go through the motions on a path that MAY work.  Today's change has nothing to do with my program as it feels great on my first full day.  My body told me to make a change.  A good change!

Today I started with the bike up the brutal hill up my street, which felt tough but more manageable.  I thought it would be a good warm up.  CRAP - on my very first squat my legs hurt so bad I couldn't go down even half way.  I racked the weight and tried again and even with light weight it just wasn't going to happen.  I guess that type of intense riding made my quads so tight and painful that I really considered quitting.  Pissed off I went in the house for a minute and came back out and said SCREW IT!  I put 10 lbs on each side and suddenly it was easy and I had no pain.  Now I have no clue what happened in this five minute span but I put the original weight back on and went right down for a set of 8 with no pain at all.  I don't get it but I'll take it.

Challenge #2, time for lunges.  I'm scared of this because I had to quit doing them before because they were irritating the same injury on my right leg that I just got two weeks ago on my left.  I put a 5lb. weight on each side and slowly went for it.  Nothing on either side - not a hint of pain.  Now am I stupid enough to do a bench step up set with weight on my shoulders?  I went really slow at first and again completed a set of 8 and felt nothing.  I'm sure it will hurt later when I run, or will it?

Did some errands and work waiting on school to let out as I need to do yesterday's 10 X bleacher ramps.  I'm going to trudge this with a stride length no longer than my foot.  Surprise!!  By #4 I was running about 30% with no pain.  On #s5-8 I ran at 50% with no pain.  SHOCK!  I did some rhythmical runs and found that I easily could have vaulted today from 4 steps.

I'm going to hate explaining this because it makes too much sense and I don't prefer this as a solution.  I got a mild strain on my right leg in November of 2011 and started my rehab right away.  I was still occasionally feeling the effects of it just a month ago.  The left leg was MUCH worse yet I left it totally alone for 13 days and it's nearly well.  I couldn't do a bench step up on my dinged right leg for 8 weeks yet I can do one on my injured left leg in 13 days.  OK - lesson learned.  No rehab - rest the leg completely and work on other things.

Right NOW!!  On Monday I changed my frame of mind to get ready for Italy and Brazil.  Just "thinking" daily that I'm getting ready for these meets is a refreshing change from the run in place experiments I did over the last year.  The first thing I noticed was my internal NEED to do things right now.  No shortcuts on stretching, no waiting until later.  Don't get me wrong in that I always make my training a priority.  Right NOW it's urgency.  I'm planning my training and scheduling my work and other responsibilities around my training again.  In short, I LOVE IT!!

Thanks for your support and for being here.  Oh, almost forgot, the main reason for the story is to say that I will now vault in three weeks at the California Senior Games.  I may jump from 6 or 8 steps but I feel I can easily be ready to jump.  SO, my entire master plan moves up a whole month.  I didn't think I would be healthy or conditioned enough to jump until July and now it will be June.  Pretty excited to make THIS change of plans!  Bubba

Van Halen - "Right Now" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMV-fenGP1g&feature=related