June 19 to 27

So Tuesday I pulled the chute on rugby training ... the knee just wasn't having it. Too puffy and too sore. So, I went anyway and tried to be helpful.

I don't think I was very helpful, but at least I tried.

The rest of the week was in the pool at Cedar Springs ... well, I mean the training part of the week. I wish I could have spent this week sprawled on the side of this pool.

There were morning and afternoon sessions, depending on the day. Lots of walking, rolling and stretching of the legs, hips, shoulders and back.

I've started working with a trainer and saw a physio in order to get my summertime experiences covered by insurance. Should be at least cheap for me.

Thursday was the exam night for the ASL class and so I headed home instead of to the rugby field afterwards. Meh, I'm glad it's done. I look forward to working on expanding my knowledge of ASL.

Saturday was not a good day - I didn't even make it through the warm-up before the knee let me know not to play. It was too sore and it was threatening to make me feel even worse. I sat myself.

Recovery sessions have been all this week ... on land and in the water. I'm back to thinking that I can start to run soon. I'll check that out tomorrow or Saturday. Man, it's going to be Canada Day soon.

And ... yeah. This was a tough year, man.

June 11 to 18

Tuesday June 11 was a long rugby training session, as a number of activities for my kids are finally over. I got a white board session done which helped a little with "the system".

The next few days were rough ones for my knees and hamstrings. I was selected to start second xv front row on Saturday. I'm glad to report we won all of our set piece - scrums and line outs. Throws were on and the timing was ok. I did get a few touches on the ball. The game was also won.

I left right after the game to get my kid home from a swimming event, left to go for a coffee, then had to go pick up another kid and take them to a different event. Then I got to do some swimming and water recovery. Sunday was the same. My legs and knee was sore and puffy. I wasn't sure what to do in the water other than roll the muscles, stretch, walk and jump. I did have a six-year-old yell at me that I shouldn't be splashing in the outdoor pool at Cedar Springs. I stopped and waited for him to leave ... and went back to splashing.

Puffiness continued Monday and Tuesday, too. Lots of icing and Advil to try and get the swelling down. I approached the Athletic Trainer at the Rugby Club, They chuckled when I asked them to look at a sore knee/hamstring combo.

As I write this on Wednesday morning, Hamstring is better but the knee is still puffy. Meh, let's see what the day brings.

June 3 to June 10

The early morning cardio continues.

Most days this week it was 25 minutes of straght cardio with one or two days of kettlebells/cardio HITT workouts. Rolling and stretching in the pool are great additions to this excellent habit.

After the game on Saturday, went to Cedar Springs and got into the pool. Did something very strange to my left ankle and it was sore for a few hours. I woke up on Sunday, thinking I was going to be moving badly and ... it was fine. Weird. Someone commented that it was a sign of arthritis. Great.

Need to keep moving. And stretching.

Nutrition is marginally better with a focus on soup and healthier options. Salads and lots of water for lunches.

Saturday was an away game in Barrie. We had the lead when I went on and got up a number of points but blew it with missed tackles and an inability to hold the ball and go into contact. We had to kill the clock and we just couldn't get that done. Shame, really.

At least we got the bonus points and we saw the system work when we held onto the ball. It looked slick, man. Seriously. I still do need a white board session with someone with a lot more experience with this system than me. And I need for the ASL class to be over and get back to two training sessions a week.

The other guy played for Barrie this weekend. Shame, really.

May 29 to June 2

Rugby training continues once a week. I'm getting tired of being a sub for the seconds team, but I am certain that all of this training is being noticed, at least on some level by people.

At least I'm noticing that rugby is getting to be fun again, and less sweaty gross stupidity that it has been in previous seasons. I know this is only going to get better as the grind of the seasons goes forth.

I'm training as hard as time permits at this time and I'm being consistent. There is nothing more I could ask. Time has become a real scarce commodity and I'm glad I signed up for the ASL 101 before I realized just how busy this spring was for me. I mean ... seriously. This has been unreal.

I'm very glad I'm able to keep on top of all the extra work; technology has been a real force amplifier here. That and learning to get up way earlier than I used to.

The treadmill and rolling after wards continued this week. I do need to do a crossfit training session soon, and I need to continue working on my nutrition. I'd really likee to start doing two-a-days, but not until after I get a few more things off of my late, thankyouverymuch.

We are away again this weekend, thanks to the International games in August. This, of course, isn't all that good for the club, but at least it's away and I like playing where we are to play. Shoud be a good game.