Taking stock before the season

I'm hoping that I'll be in a fit state to play cricket again this year, after the past 2 suffering heavily from injury related setbacks.

2010 - during the first few games, I was slowed down by a groin strain affecting my right hip. I could still Run Real Fast in a straight line but the groin strain affecting turning and accelerating. It also hit my brakes but that's not a problem usually. Just takes longer to get back in position.

I enjoy close fielding more than outfielding, there's more chance to make a difference when you're fielding close in. I aim to scare the batsmen off running by swooping quickly on the ball. I've not made a runout for a while but I keep the score down by discouraging the batsmen from running. The response to the groin strain was to field even closer.

But ... this was also the season of the possibly fractured leg. I never got that diagnosed (intentionally) but this one slowed me down for most of that season. I could run fairly ok on the soft earth of a cricket outfield but had real trouble on roads. And over the top of all that was the poorly shoulder which prevents me from bowling. No diagnosis ? All they'd have done would be to immobilise the leg by putting in a cast, which would have wrecked the muscle and been highly awkward. I could still put weight on the limb, so the pain was a helpful "take care" message. Painkillers would have blocked that message and maybe made me cause more damage.

2011 was a different matter ... I played (badly!) in two games and then had to drop out due to crippling back pain. I'm blaming the chairs in some of the new meeting rooms. And then I developed a skin problem on my legs which is taking ages to go away. The skin thing killed chances of cricket because I couldn't put a knee pad over it.

So 2011 was just two games and had me wondering if my legs would be in shape to allow me to take to the cricket field again.

I'm hoping for better from 2012 cricket but it's a good idea to take stock before the season to know whether it's a good idea. Hell, I don't really care whether it's a good idea, I just miss that feeling of the wind whipping past my ears when I Run Real Fast.

Shoulder - is still there. Hasn't fallen off. Hasn't gotten any better either to the point where it often feels like there's a cluster of strong fingers digging into it. But ... as long as I stay away from the outfield and hold my temper if I drop a catch (I lose it and do hard throws) then I should be ok. Just not a good idea for me to try to bowl.

Weight - mixed news here. I'm consistently down half a stone (my weight goes up or down a couple of lbs each day - tis normal) but I've kinda stalled there. I'm refusing to get downhearted about that, as the weight loss effort is more about being disciplined about what I eat. And I think I'm managing that. I'm comfort eating much less than I used to and I can't remember when I last had pizza.

Less weight will mean Run Very Fast instead of just Real Fast. What I have to watch out for is keeping the right kind of balance in my body, as being out of balance leads to damage from cramps.

Back - been suffering from this over the past week. I think it's more a motivational thing. Minor low level (albeit continuous) pain I can ignore if my head's in the right place. I just have to unlock the right motivation to see me through the pain.

Legs - are improving. Although like the weight, there's Good and Bad days here. It's hugely improved from what it was a few months ago and today, it's happy enough to allow a knee brace to be put on it. Knee pads are essential for me in the field as I make up for lack of skill & practice with enthusiasm. That can involve me stopping cricket balls with my knee so a knee pad gives them a fighting chance to stay usable.

However, this is a good day for the legs as tomorrow they may get angry red on me again. We shall see. At least the skin is fully intact again now.

General fitness - Even though I am at least 1 stone heavier than I should be for my height & build, I'm blessed with what could be called Natural Fitness. Without any preparation work, I'll be able to hit that first game running. Sure, I'll hurt like hell for about 3 days after but recovery time should let me be ready for the next game. And I recover the fitness very quickly. I just need to carry around less weight so there's less strain on the rest of me. Hell, I went up Snowdon without much prep work although my legs were trying to cramp up and explode. That was 26 miles walking added to the up and down the mountain combined with doing all the driving for the weekend. And that's just 20 months ago.

What else ... I got given a weird mouse for work because I got spotted having trouble with an RSI affected wrist. This is more of a cold thing though and is one of those things I can ignore if the motivation is there.

Apart from all that, things seem rosy. The kicker will be if those legs keep recovering to the point where I can put a knee pad on over the bad skin. Fingers crossed I can still remember some technique :-).

Motivation is another make or break. I struggled last week in work, which probably had a lot to do with the early start on Tuesday. The struggle manifests in not noticing having done stuff. I like/need to feel I'm being effective and struggle if I'm not. Trouble is in the "noticing" ... I look back on last week and realise I did get a fair bit of stuff done, I just wasn't noticing at the time. I managed to be one of the last people out every day too so when it comes to sticking in there to finish things off, I was doing ok.

But that's enough about work. Still lots to do there and last Tuesday's trip was well worth it. I got to see what I've helped build, which is awesome. It let me see the people down there too, which always helps for being on the same page with what you want to be doing.

How to close ... At age 37, I don't have that many seasons left for cricket but I hopefully have at least one more in me. The type of cricket I play, evening cricket, works well for that because it's made up of short games and easier competition.

Will I manage to persuade someone into being my motivation (hopefully she has strong fingers and patience!) ? Hopefully :-) Be even better if she's prepared to get some fresh air every once in a while ignoring the muppets on the cricket field :-). I tried to get Evil Ex to come along to a game or two as the fresh air would have done her good. And it would have been perfectly acceptable for the cricket to be ignored in favour of a good book and occasional "yes dear".