16 September 2023
Well, my first bowel movement was what you might expect – diarrhea again. The good news is that it didn’t prevent me from my morning walk. This morning was my short route (1.14 miles). It’s kinda nice getting up and out at 5 am when everyone else is still abed.
After my half grapefruit, second cup of coffee and crossword puzzle, I did my yoga stretches. I can do those without getting too out of breath but when I stand up, I get very dizzy – like the time I had positional vertigo. It passes but I have learned not to make any sudden turns.
Next I decided to brave the pool. At 5:30 am it’s still total darkness out.
Thank goodness I have a pool light or I wouldn’t know which was is up. I managed an almost complete set. The breast stroke is the most strenuous for me and I cop to cutting it short at 88 strokes instead of my usual 100. I had to wait quite a bit before I did my next set just to catch my breath. Otherwise, I finished my routine, albeit a little winded. The pool temperature was a balmy 88°F. It made for perfect swimming temperature.
When I first started hiking again, if I found myself on a particularly steep switchback, I would rest at the top of the switchback to get my pulse rate down. At first, it took me 2 minutes to not feel my heart pumping. Over the years, I’ve managed to work it down to 30 seconds. Looks like I’ll be back to the 2 minute mark on my next hike unless I can build up enough stamina with my walks, yoga and swim.
Now to wash clothes and clean house.
Mike Norville is looking for another quarterback, if you still have some eligibility left. Swimming laps should condition you for the role. Of course, the #1 quality is your ability to take a hit. That, in short, is why I stopped playing football.