Zero f’s, No limp

It’s been awhile since I have shared any annoying people at the gym stories but yesterday was a first in the nearly 40 years I have been going to a public gym. I started my workout and was talking to some of my gym buddies when all of a sudden I heard the sound of man singing. As I focused in I realized he was singing what sounded like church hymns. The guy was tall, rail thin, wearing a weight vest and his work attire of khakis and polo shirt while walking on a treadmill, singing.

He had airpods in so evidently he was listening to music that he was then singing to. It was loud. I found it hard to believe this guy thought nothing of singing hymnals in the middle of a gym. The lack of self awareness was pretty remarkable. What was at first odd and then funny became outright annoying. Church music is probably the least conducive sound you can imagine when trying to workout.

Before long myself and my buddies relocated to the other side of the building where his non-stop singing was less noticeable. After a period of time who walks over but Mr Singer to lift very light dumbbells. He stopped singing at this point but myself and others again left the area. Maybe he took the hint.

On the way back to the office my one buddy said this guy actually works in his office. He said he sings in the choir for a church. I guess he thought a treadmill at the gym was an ideal place to rehearse. The lack of f’s about everyone around him was pretty impressive. It was definitely a first for me and hopefully a last. If he decides to perform again in the future I will have little choice but to ask him to abstain, for God’s sake.

So I made my return to sand volleyball last night for the first time in approximately 6 months. My biggest goal was to see how my body would hold up. I knew my skills would not be great after not touching a ball in so long. I didn’t play great but I didn’t play awful either which was somewhat of a surprise. My team went 4-2 on the night.

The two biggest negatives was that I could hardly jump at all so most of my attempts at hitting were awful. Part of that is just being hesitant to put a lot of energy into jumping and of course my timing was terrible too. I had similar hesitation when going after some balls that would require a quick scramble or dive. There were several balls that I would have gotten in the past that I just didn’t even go for. It’s all the end result of not trusting my body yet. I have a similar hesitancy now when playing pickleball, not going for balls that would require really fast acceleration.

But the most important thing I wanted to accomplish last night was play a full night and be able to walk off the courts without a limp, which I did. Yes I felt various little tweaks as I was playing but that is to be expected since my body is no longer accustomed to volleyball movements. I woke up this morning still limp free so that was good news. I’m hoping this is the start of a slow ascent back to where I was around a year ago physically where I was playing pickleball four times a week and still playing volleyball. Physical ascents at this age are slow at best and have lots of potential potholes along the way but I will keep pushing forward. Giving up isn’t something I am very good at.

I’m looking forward to a good weekend ahead. Most of mine have been recently.