Hurt so Good

Yesterday it was my ankles. Right now it's my lower abs. I'm pretty sure I'll feel it in my arms soon. And, I may not be able to walk stairs at some point in the next 24 hours. It's true: I have all the tell-tale symptoms of a horrifically out-of-shape, cyclist who gets fat in the off-season. I don't know what muscle groups are still in tact after my last, three-week hiatus, I don't think there are any.

For Christmas we got a Wii and Wii fit. These were mostly for my wife, but I figured I'd try them just for kicks, or possibly to throw scorn at the "exercise" that game offers. However, I realized after two days of using it that it really does make exercise more fun, and therefore makes me want to do something for the fun more than the eventual reward. I discovered on the third day that if I combined the Wii with my regular workout that I could get a nicely balanced effort in the morning. However, after that third day our television died; the day after that I went on a break. I (obviously) didn't use the Wii since then, and didn't do my regular exercise until Saturday. (More on the Wii and television repair after they're finally running again.)

So, Saturday I actually got up the discipline to get back onto my schedule and do something active. Thirty minutes of cardio and some toning / strength training to accompany it. I felt pretty good about myself. That afternoon, my daughter -- remember this blog is about her too? -- wanted to walk to a neighbor's house to bake cookies. The cookies were pre-arranged, but the mode of transport was not. So, we put on coats, went out into the semi-cold, and walked to the neighbor's house. Google maps puts it at just under a half-mile. We went at her fast pace over there, which meant I got a brisk walk. On my way home, alone, I decided to pick it up a bit an jog. I know, I don't jog. I think that I figured out why. The shoes I had on had no heel padding, so I had to run on the balls of my feet. It felt fine while I was doing it.

Then, a few hours after finishing that massive run, my ankles hurt. Wow. I finally figured out that it was a muscular pain, not something serious.

So, today, after another morning workout, it hurts so good.