Cross training

I alluded to this in my last post, but I figured I'd go a bit more in depth as I search for things to write about and keep this antiquated blogspot.com domain active.

I played a lot of sports growing up: soccer, track and field, flag football, tennis, baseball, golf, and probably some others I am forgetting. In fact, in 8th grade I won the "Chiggy Rhodes Athletic Award'' at Trinity Episcopal back in N'ahwlins. What did that award represent? Well, it means I was the best all around athlete in my graduating class (of < 30 kids). So yea, it was a major award.

I stuck with soccer the most consistently, I'd say. I wasn't all that great but I enjoyed playing and I tried out for my high school soccer team but was relegated to JV squad. I didn't like how seriously the coach made us take it and only played for one season (maybe it was even less than one season). I picked up golf and rode that wave up until senior year of HS.

But then in college I decided to major in Intramural Sports (not really, but kinda really). Our freshman dorm hall was a great group and a solid core of us played together throughout the 4 years of school. Soccer was definitely my favorite and I was "better" than I was when I played up through high school (puberty can do wonders for physicality) as I got a LOT faster. Indoor soccer, outdoor soccer, you name it we played it. One year our team (DP) won the overall intramural championship; I couldn't tell you what that means but it was somehow points based.

Anyway, that all ended in 2007. Fast forward to 2017 and I haven't played soccer seriously (i.e. continuous games and not just kicking around) in 10 years. I am very fit, aerobically, but not laterally. I am good at steady state efforts, not sprinting and stopping. But I decide to play for a couple of hours anyway.

Let this moment be a reminder to everyone that there are consequences to all of your decisions...

Holy cow. I am sore in ways I had forgotten were possible to be sore. Hip flexors, quads, adductors, psoas, upper glute, side glute, calves, achilles, IT band, etc. It's my own fault but DAMN it's a reminder that I am not as young as I used to be! I feel as though I NEVER used to face consequences to decisions like this back in my early 20s. I could do whatever I wanted to do and emerge none the worse for wear in the days following.

Don't get old!