1 down, 5 to go: Week 2 of training for the Warrior Dash

Last week got off to a good start, but soon went downhill.

I did okay if you just look at the numbers. I ran four out of the five times I had set for myself and lifted dumbbells two out of three times.

But it wasn’t easy. Not because my Week 1 goal of a mile was too rough. But because I somehow screwed up my back, giving further evidence for a new group of friends to call me “Grandpa.” And I can’t pinpoint when it happened.

One of the Metamora Martial Arts students tested for black belt last week. I went to support him by being a body to beat on. A likely candidate that triggered the tightness in my back and the knot that throbbed for days could’ve been escaping Adair’s scarfhold pin he had latched on.

Another candidate could be the next morning lifting incorrectly, though I’m not sure exactly which exercise spurred on the pain.

Instead of getting more fit, as I thought I would, I ended up spending several sessions laying on my bed – which, considering its large dip, probably isn’t helping my situation – with a heating pad underneath.

My back still hurts today, so I decided to lift my lightest dumbbells – 10 and 15 pounds – in the hopes that I would have more control over the amount my spine moves. Luckily, I only had a few wincing moments in which my back told me no-no, while still forging ahead with the extra half mile.

I’m worried I’ve started doing too much too soon. After several weeks of virtual no physical activity, except a bike ride or a short run here and there, perhaps training five days a week with my heaviest dumbbells and barely stretching before squirming underneath a sweaty ikkyu wasn’t the best way to “ease” back into training.

Hopefully, this week will get better.

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