Jump Ahead

 Hello to all the faithful readers out there is the ethernet.  As you know, I have been dealing with an issue with a pinched nerve in my back that has been affecting my right leg strength.  My leg strength is back to 85% according to the squat machine at the gym.  I use the type of machine that has belt around your waist and you hook up to an arm that connections to the weight rack. This machine does no put any weight on my lower back and allows for leg strength development.  Progress has been made and I am also running a couple days a week at the Pettit Ice Center in West Allis as well.   Things are coming along.   

About 6 weeks ago I began doing weekly pilates classes.   The pilates has been very helpful in generating flexibility and strength in  my lower body.   The sessions are around one hour and they are very intense and I am enjoying the improvement in my body strength and movement. I plan on continuing these sessions until at least the outdoor season.    Pilates is really based on brain control of your bodily movements and if you get a chance, give it a try--it does work. 

I am doing the things I need to be ready: pilates weekly, massages every two week and I am visiting the chiro every two weeks for a spinal decompression.  Add all this up with my training every other day and I am pretty busy.    

In September, I did finally retire permanently --for the second time.   I went back to work in Sept 2023 and worked for 13 months at a sales position for a boiler water treatment company.   In the end, the sales cycle was really too long for what I wanted to do and they really did not pay enough to get the customer base I needed to stay with the company.  They are going to struggle to get professional sales people in Wisconsin,  they need to raise the payouts at least 40%.   So, I decided to walk away and get completely out of the sales profession.  I feel better and do not miss the grind and the heavy  travel as well.   I am 68 years old now,  that is plenty old enough to get away from that grindstone.    I did purchase a car -- a 2024 Mazda CX 90 PHEV--for this sales role and I still have a lease payment that is outside of my current Social Security based budget.  To make up for this short fall I do drive Lyft or Uber a couple days a week to provide for the lease payment.   I do not know which company I prefer, but they both provide an income that is paid weekly and is loosely 24 to 28 dollars per hour worked.    That makes the car payment with ease and buys the gasoline too. 

So, if everything goes well and I can actually get fit enough to compete, I have three meets for February 2025.  There is an USATF Regional meet, a USATF Wisconsin state meet and the USATF Indoor Nationals on the books and I will attend all three of these events.  The local meets I will enter the 55m , 200 m and HJ and at the Nationals I will do the 200M, HJ and relays for SoCal Track team. 

My hope is to control the back pain, I do need longer time between training sessions and really cannot run on back to back days, and continue to compete.   This indoor season will be very interesting and it will really let me know if I am wasting my time or I have a shot to compete at the highest level of the sport. 

Merry Christmas to all!