Back to Life?

Improving. I use that word cautiously, seeing that my back's status is on an hourly basis - there are still twinges at unexpected moments, and I wake up wanting a new back, so I will not run with discomfort in the hip area like that. Over the course of the day it gets tighter and tighter, and by evening I have to stretch again to help it ease. But that's okay. Some mornings I wake up feeling a little frustrated - aching and arched back, tight hamstrings, mid-section fat, lousy left knee, lack of exercise. The waiting is annoying at times, although sometimes the laziness of not having to run is welcoming. I'm just waiting for Backham to sort itself out, and then hopefully by next week I can be out and trotting again. My back was good enough for some light weights and crunches, so here's hoping it gets better.

Today marks the start of World Cup soccer, or English riot season. You can probably tell I'm not looking forward to it. If England wins, the fans riot. If they lose, the fans riot. Go figure. And have some sympathy for the staff and clientele of the Portuguese pub who had the misfortune of watching their team beat England at the European championships.

My previous school's lesson plans have been binned. I kept them in case I might one day decide to risk classroom teaching in a state school again, but I think the conclusion that I've arrived at is: No. I don't want to have to spend every working day of the rest of my life quarreling with students over basic things like uniform, work, and language, or trying to deal with their lack of life skills like discipline.

Enough ranting. I hope to bring you more running news. There are some training plans from the Hal Higdon (I won't try to piglicize his name any more) web site that I might just try when I feel better. To be honest, I'm quite drawn to the 5K plan. Simply because the longest run isn't really that long.