"We can rebuild him"

If you remember Steve Austin in the £6m dollar man (1974-1978), the opening scene was when they said they could rebuild him after an accident as a test pilot.  This thought came to mind when one of my fellow athletes asked what part of my body I hadn't injured?  It was a good question and I had to think about it.  The answer was in my 53 years the only part, and possibly the most important part, that I hadn't injured was my "mind set" - that's what keeps me going no matter what state my body is in.  At 53 I'm not going to be packing on the muscle in fact just the opposite; my muscles will be wasting away unless of course I can do something about it to at least have a strong core which is what I am endeavouring to do.
But when completing the MdS in the Sahara Desert in 52 degrees heat with 12.5kg on my back, my shoulders were getting rubbed raw and I had 7 blisters on my feet the only non-injured part of my whole being kept me going - my mind set.
So yes I do pick up niggles and listen to my body so sometimes I can come across as a wreck but listening to my body is essential.  Last week I only went to yoga once and then swimming.  It was the first swim in 3 weeks and by the time I got out of the pool I had "golfers elbow" in both arms - this is a problem that started 6 months ago and flairs up now and then.  In the morning I was shattered so did no more training until Saturday to make sure I wasn't running myself down and threatening to bring back the man flu.
On Saturday morning I watched my son run in a 400m race and was inspired by the young athletes and their power.  So I went out for a 10k run in the snow and was enjoying it so much I did 18k.  Perhaps too much for my first run in 2 weeks but I need to get the mileage up.  I was a bit stiff the next morning but then went to a special Strength and Conditioning class for our tri club. OMG!  Plenty of exercises I don't do or like - lunges and squats.  It was really tough but good fun at the same time.  This morning I woke with buns of steel but so are my glutes!  Bending down isn't easy.  However the good news is my hamstring didn't give me any problem.  So this routine will now be built into my weekly training plan.
If they can rebuild Steve Austin then there's a good chance they can rebuild me.  I just need to keep listening to my body, step up the training in a planned way and build the strength and endurance in my legs and core.  It's bloody brilliant to be back.