My back has been killing me for days. It's a combination of doing things that aggravate it (running), not doing enough of things that help it (stretching) and things that just can't be good (cross-country flights in the middle seat seated next to Jabba the Hutt). Today I decided I'd rest it, which meant skipping my AM bootcamp class. I think I may need to get a better understanding of what it means to rest, however, as 6 PM found me at Columbia Island Marina as usual, ready to hit the water - after some extra back stretches. How wise was it to load the 50 lb. boat onto the car and spend a couple of hours paddling and rolling? Well, to tell you the truth I felt better when I got off the water then when I started. I'm a firm believer that, absent significant pain, movement is better than immobilization for healing muscle problems.
After getting off the water and having dinner with the kayakers I still had some time to kill before picking David up from his video master class, so I went and had a beer at a bar in Clarendon. Unfortunately, the threatened thunderstorms finally hit and I got soaked as I dashed the three blocks from the bar to the studio.
Morals of the story: (a) activity beats inactivity; (b) stretching helps a great deal; (c) Advil and Belgian beer is an excellent combination, and (d) like it or not, I think I can't really be a runner anymore.
