In training .... kinda

I caught myself today actively thinking of playing cricket again.

Now then. That's a sign of a step forward ...

Yes, I am getting to that age when "I'm getting too old for this" is definitely in mind when it comes to running around like a mad thing but - I like running round like a mad thing !

True - I'm not fixed yet but it definitely feels like it's getting closer. I'll be shivering away doing the full treatment thing tomorrow night but I've gotten away with only limited gunkings. I'm not quite there yet but my body seems to be closing in on being able to do its own healing now.

That tells me a few things :

The infection must be gone and it's down to repairs now
Discipline is good - half the reason it's taking so long to heal is that self inflicted wounds thing
Healthy eating is bad - or at least drinking healthy with the orange juice
You sleep heavier when you don't have to think of posture while asleep

Yep. Not fixed yet but instead of, to borrow a science fiction term, being at say 70% hull integrity I'm now up to 95% or better. Not 100% yet but the healed parts of my skin feel very smooth and it's been at least a month since I've felt that sandpaper texture on my hands at work.

At the moment, cricket is out of the question. Any little damage that happens isn't repairing too quick, although in general I'm heading back to that pasty white geek normal texture. With the commitment (translation - all enthusiasm, little skill) I put in on the cricket field, I wouldn't repair the damage I'd do to myself and would put the healing backwards.

But by the time summer comes along ? Hopefully I'll be back to full health by then with no more setbacks.

What will help me out considerably with the fitness is this car parking fiasco thing ...

Not taking the car in to work is irritating, sure. It means a lack of flexibility. Shopping is either heavily rationed (to fit in my bag) at the start of the week or it waits until Thursday when I have the boot of the car. It'll be Thursday this week, there's enough apples to last until then. That's weird innit ? Me having "No Apples Left = Shopping is Urgent" as a flag.

However. Taking the bus gets me using my legs a lot more. On the cricket field, my legs are my biggest asset (and possibly worst enemy too!). If I get my weight down again (it's gone up half a stone, which is still a stone less than when I started the diet) then those legs give me huge amounts of power and speed. I got used to being the quickest person on the team, which is why losing that speed due to being overweight got to me.

Where all the walking does me good is conditioning. Muscles like to do work. They get used to repetitions. More reps lead to being able to do even more reps. It makes for sturdiness and resistance to injury. One way my legs work against me is that small damage like a minicramp will hamper the whole leg. Conditioning is aimed at increasing the resistance to that damage.

The way I got the leg power I have was by doing a paper round. It was a free paper going to every house, so taking a bike would have been silly. I carried a big bag of newspapers around and walked as fast as possible. And I can walk darn quick. Those legs used to let me push start a car on my own (with someone in the driver's seat to do the necessary)

Hopefully the walks to the bus will get those legs back in shape. And maybe ... After a few weeks perhaps I should up the ante by putting weights into that bag ?

Picture Luke Skywalker with Yoda on his back.

Hey ! A mentor or someone to make getting into better shape worth it would be awesome too. Although they'll hopefully not be wrinkled, green or on a planet devoid of technology.

Cos I like my toys.