:: Life on Planet Dan-E ::

:: Friday, March 14, 2003 ::

I'm getting old.

That thought keeps recurring with more frequency these days as I continue to play sports or work out on a regular basis. There was a time in my early 20s when I could play tennis, volleyball, or football for two or three hours and not be at all sore the next day. Stretch? P'shiaw ok, whatever.

Now, if I don't want pull anything, I have to stretch beforehand and if I don't want to be sore the next day, I have to stretch afterwards. Signs of aging? Or perhaps it's the case of me not being as good a shape as I used to be, as one friend tried to point out. (Yeah thanks for the poignant observation you slow-running bastard.) That can't be the case as I'm as well conditioned as I've ever been (though I should point out that "well conditioned" for me means I can chase down a drop shot without needing oxygen afterwards... your mileage my vary) especially since that this is the first time I've been under 200lbs in almost six years. That reminds me of a conversation I had with my buddy PK while hiking through Catalina last summer, during one of our breaks where I was cramping and sucking wind:

Me: You know what's sad? At my age I should be in the best shape of my life right now.
PK: That's true.
Me: You know what's sadder?
PK: What?
Me: Right now, I AM in the best shape of my life.
PK: (Chuckling) that's also true.

Not that a little soreness ever killed anyone. I'm one of those odd types that actually like being a little sore, kinda gives me the feeling that I actually put in some effort doing whatever it was I did to cause this soreness. You athletic types might know what I'm talking about. It especially feels good to stretch a little and feel that slight pain of your muscles being loosened up. It's a good pain actually. No I'm NOT into S&M. Shut up.

It also startled me when I realized a while back that some professional athletes who are five to six year veterans of their sport are still younger than I am. Ugh. I don't know what's worse, that or seeing athletes I watched years ago retiring.

Speaking of which, just so I can date myself even more, I heard recently that The Police, The Clash, and AC/DC were all inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. Huh?! Has it been 25 years already? (For the uninitiated, artists can't get nominated for induction until 25 years after their debut album.) Seeing the bands I listened to in my youth now being honored in this manner is great for classic rock fans like myself but to realize that they've been around for that long a perioud of time is, in my mind, worse than finding gray hairs on your head.

But I digress. If there's one positive in all this, it's that my metabolism hasn't slowed down. If anything, it seems to have sped up a little. I still have the ability to put away scary amounts of food, which for better or worse, has always been one of my more unique trademarks. God help me the day I utter the words "anyone wanna finish off my fries?"

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 10:37 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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