Wooo... this was "active recovery" day, BlogLand. As in, I had planned to run this evening, but our unseasonably warm rain turned into a lovely sheet of ice - with "treacherous" conditions, the weather guy said. No running on the sidewalks. Unfortunately, with a late work shift, I can't run after work at the gym... SO... it's alternate plan time!
I have to admit, I'm pretty ragingly sore from CrossFit yesterday. My shoulders and upper back feel like they've been beaten by hoardes of angry gnomes. However, I got home to find that my new piece of AWESOME had been delivered:
Yes, Friends, that is my new foam roller. Looks soft and foamy, doesn't it? Yeah. It's not. At all. It's REAL darn hard. Or at least that's what my angry back muscles said as I rolled them out. It actually brought tears to my eyes. I haven't even ventured near my perpetually tight hamstrings yet. *gulp* Oh my. I'm sure neighboring towns will think I have installed a torture chamber in my house, but the shrieks and screams that may be emanating from here in the near future...
So, tonight was a different sort of workout. I did roll myself out a bit, and stretched, but then I spent a solid hour and a half *playing* Just Dance 2 with a friend. If you do it enthusiastically (i.e., flail around with heart!), it can get your heart rate up a bit... plus you're laughing and having a good time. While I wouldn't say this was anywhere near a "workout" for me, it was a) better than sitting on the couch b) got the blood moving a little bit c) forced me to move my arms around, when they were really angry and stretch them out and d) went toward a greater purpose.
The friend that had come to hang with me tonight, is just at the beginning of her journey towards better health. She has been a staple in my life for 12 years, and is an invaluable friend. She has also stood by the ridiculousness of my workouts, and training plans, and eating programs, when many people close to me shook their heads and walked away. She has also told me many times that my continued progress and dedication makes her think that maybe her own journey *is* possible, where usually it feels pretty daunting (she's got a 150+ # to lose, and is threatened with high blood pressure). She's known me "when"; when I couldn't walk a flight of stairs with dying, when I couldn't run 10 seconds, when I felt suffocated by my own body, and has always been there. In that light, when she asked me if I would Wii with her tonight, and help her get in her daily 30 minutes of movement (the plan she has set for herself), I couldn't say No. I like to think this may be the practical application of what the Spartans meant when they fought for the man beside them. A sort of historical way of saying, "Yo, Man. I got your back."
Tonight, I pulled my friend off the couch. We "danced", we laughed, we argued over who was "doing it right". We played! (remember when you were young and exercise used to be fun?) I perhaps needed the mental break, as much as she needed the support buddy to stay moving. We went far longer than she intended to, but the minutes ticked by pretty quickly.
Thus, I consider today a success. My muscles are happy for the roll and the gentler movement. My brain is happy that I got moving, and my soul is happy that I could support a friend in a quest that I know is very long and dark, if you are by yourself.
Who have you kept off the couch today?
Tomorrow, though, BlogLand.... We RUN!
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