Importance of cross-training

After a couple weeks of taking things easy due to my shoulder and ribs, I'm back full-force in three sports: Friday softball, Sunday soccer and Tuesday volleyball. Certainly the morning after each I have felt the soreness, but none so much as this morning after volleyball. And I even jumped on the stationary bike Monday to work out the kinks from soccer.

Which brings me to the day's topic: cross training. There is a large amount of proof and data to show that children need to cross train. More and more we find that due to commercialization, parent pressure and coaches, that kids will begin to specialize in sports at a young age. This leads to a number of problems, mainly that kids get injured from repeatedly using the same muscle groups (and denying other muscle groups), kids lose interest in a single sport (because that is all they do), and parents become obsessed with their kids' performances (which takes the fun out of being a kid). The main thing though, is that kids are getting hurt because they only play one sport.

This is also an issue with adult recreational players. Each morning I have woken up with a new area of pain on my body. On Saturday (after softball), my shoulders and abdomen hurt (from swinging a bat, and throwing). On Monday, my quads and hamstrings hurt (from constant running), and my lungs were burning (from the cardiovascular routine). Then today, Wednesday, my shoulder, back and calf muscles hurt (from jumping, squatting and hitting). Each sport worked a different muscle group, therefore I stay balanced in my exercising, and do not over-emphasize a certain area.

I know several people who work out in between playing. Some volleyball people will go running or lift weights, some soccer people also play softball. But there are others who do nothing in between games. They will spend their evenings do whatever after work, but once a week, they will get out for some 'exercise' playing a sport. More often than not, these are the same people who are complaining the next day or the next week that they 'pulled something,' or they 'have some tightness' (I hear a blog on stretching coming up soon). Sometimes it is more extremely, in that a softball player will pull a muscle in their legs, or a soccer player will not have the stamina to play a whole game.

Cross-training allows each person to keep their bodies fit all around. And it is easy to do. On days off, take a long walk, or better yet, run around the block. Play basketball in your driveway or park. Walk up and down the stairs. Ride a bike, either outside or stationary. Not only will you be helping your ability to play and compete in rec leagues, but you'll be gaining better health as well. Do it alone, or drag your significant other along. Either way, do not just participate in one sport. Expand your horizons. And if you have kids, make sure they do as well, and do not force them to specialize in just one sport.

- Tom.

Who needs sleep? Think about soccer.

Sunday nights are generally the worst. I have trouble sleeping on most nights, but Sundays tend to be a little worse. I've relaxed all weekend, maybe stayed up a little longer than normal, and now I have to try to shutdown my brain for a couple hours of sleep, knowing that the alarm will be going off around 6:30am. Then Monday comes.

Last night I ended up drifting off to sleep after 1:06am (the last time I remember on the clock). I was catching up on a little reading for school (I'm in a Master's program), but found that once the light went out, all I could think about was the soccer game from earlier in the day. The game on Saturday did not keep me up Saturday night, but Sunday's game certainly played over and over in my mind.

On Saturday, I blew a wide open goal by deflecting a pass wide from about two feet away. I thought for certain that this would bother me through the evening, however it was virtually forgotten a few hours later. But it was the Sunday game that kept me awake. In a 3-2 loss, I scored a goal, made the assist on the other goal, and had another assist taken away when the goal was over-turned. About five minute into the game, I took a pass that the defender let slip, kicked once up-field with my right, brought it back to my left and found about five feet between a defender, the goalie and the post, and rifled a left-foot shot just past the goalie. My first goal of the season (scored six in eight games with five assists last season). In the second half, took a brilliant corner-kick, where I bent the kick out of bounds and brought it back over the top of the goal, but it just clipped the top of the crossbar. A teammate headed the ball in, but it was ruled out-of-bounds. Then as time expired, I sent another corner to the near post, and the waiting foot of a teammate for my assist.

And this is one of the reasons we still play sports as we get older: the thrill of scoring. After that assist, and as the incredibly respected ref blew the whistle, I congratulated the mate who scored, saying, "Small victories, small victories.' We lost the game, but in that one moment, we scored and celebrated. Some of us still play to win, and yes, in my mind last night I thought of twenty problems, or plays where we could have had a shot on goal, or made a pass, and I had visions of what I could have done with a few more shots... I want to win. But just getting a high-five, or a congratulations on a goal, or a good pass... to have the ref compliment you on your sportsmanship and solid play.... there is no pressure to perform, at least in this league. You miss a kick, you make fun of yourself and forget about it. And for a competitive person like myself, I was amazed at how easily this weekend went from 'I completely missed a wide open kick,' to 'Hey, I scored and got an assist.' A younger me would have thought forever on the first game, and probably would have affected my second game. But as an adult, now it's all about having a good time, and if you score... then you are just a little lucky.

- Tom.

White Sox 2010 - I'm gonna question Ozzie...

And probably pay for it later. He holds a grudge. And if he catches wind that I, a simply fan and 'never played baseball past high school' expert (fan), I'm sure he'll make a comment about me and leave it at that.

But as a fan, it is my right, nay, my duty, as a ticket holding and paying customer to question my manager. To that extent... I have to admit, that before spring training came, I was very happy with the state of the Sox, though I did question (and Kenny Williams will now hate me as well) the trade for Mark Teahen (I currently live in KC. My friends make fun of me for this trade). But picking up Juan Pierre, Andrew Jones, Jake Peavey, even Omar Vizquel, were great additions. But one thing has bothered me for two years now: Alexi Ramirez.

And yet every year, I draft him in my fantasy league. When he came up playing second base, I thought it was a good fit for him. I didn't like that Chris Getz was getting bumped, but Ramirez had raw talent. But I questioned his move to shortstop (and still do). Huge defensive liability. He has a good arm, I'll compliment that, but he plays out of position, and his arm, while strong, is wild. Two years ago I said they should use him as trade bait, which made even more sense when they decided to bring Gordan Beckham up as a third baseman. They raved on how good Beckham was, and he will be a much greater talent than Ramirez. So why move Beckham out of his natural position (short) and move Ramirez into a position that he rates barely average?

Alongside that, Ramirez has turned into an offensive liability. He's streaky, has never started a season well, and statistically is not getting better. There is still trade value, which could shore up some holes in the bullpen, or maybe a fifth starter. And finally, Beckham can go back to short. Great arm, Rookie of the Year candidate, 3rd base of the future... we'll see how you play at second, and we'll keep this streaky mediocre guy at short.

Case in point... Last night Sox play Toronto, lose 4-2. Ramirez was responsible for 3 of those 4 runs. Of course, he did not get an error, so they were all charged to Floyd, but here's what happens: Hit to the outfield, runner scores from second. On the relay throw, Ramirez, from deep in short/shallow left, was thirty feet off on the throw home which would have been close, but probably an out. That's one run. A couple innings later, no one out, runner on first. On the double play, Ramirez lobs a throw to first and does not complete the play. So with one out, runner on first there is a hit to Konerko, who throws to Ramirez at second, who again lobs a throw to Floyd and cannot complete the double play. That's two lobs to first that cannot complete and end the inning. Now with two outs, batter hits a triple and later scores. That's 3 runs that Ramirez directly caused, and in effect, lost the game for the Sox.

That's not to mention the .138 average (4-29) with zero home runs and zero runs batted in. He's played EVERY game this season. He's notorious for starting slow (everyone keeps saying, just wait until the end of May when the weather warms up). Seasons are not won and lost in April... but they are. Getting 5 games back early can be trouble. But what most irks me, was at the end of spring training, Ozzie complained to the media that Mark Teahen needed to start producing. He was struggling, trying too hard, but Ozzie went to the media to make a threat. There has been no such threat made to Alexi. He is struggling offensively (though I will go on the record as saying this is not just struggling, but will be a problem all season), he's not very good at shortstop, and he has cost you at least one game.

Am I saying I could do better? Probably not. I can't hit off-speed pitches (neither can Alexi), and have trouble holding back on the high fastball (so does Alexi). I however cannot field a grounder. I could throw just as hard as he did last night on the double play. If we were both outfielders, I could say that we are probably equal in defensive skills. But what I am saying, is that there are better options for this team. Alexi Ramirez is not the answer at shortstop and this one position and player could be the difference between making the post season.

- Tom.

Broken ribs... or abdominal strain?

This weekend has been quite painful, and the spring/summer rec leagues are just starting. Last Wednesday I played volleyball with the team in a scrimmage against a team just beginning to play in the league. I'll save my comments regarding the level of play, however Wednesday night, I felt no pain and did not injure myself. Thursday morning would say otherwise.

The act of sitting up in bed caused me to lose my breath and flop back into bed, which hurt more. I was awakened by stabbing sharp pains in my left chest, to the point where I could not straighten my body, or take a full breath. I've never had a heart attack or broken ribs, but imagined that this is what either felt like.

I stumbled through Thursday and Friday, much in the same condition, generally in a protective and slow motion. Sleeping was incredibly difficult, as sitting and lying have been the most painful of all positions. Friday evening, I (stupidly) decided to play softball, as this was the first game of the season. On the second pitch, my first swing, I must have been favoring that pain, because I swung very funkily at the pitch and consequently dislocated my left shoulder (that would be about #12 on that shoulder, another blog on that another time). Undeterred, I continued to play, going seven for ten hitting and playing left-center field.

As an aging athlete, I need to be more aware of my body and what it tells me. Is it heroic to play through a possibly broken rib (which on Friday I was believing I had)? It caused me to dislocate my shoulder (again), and yet I played for two complete games. No championship was on the line, no millions of dollars... so why did I force this?

Simply because I love the sports, I want to play, and I want to compete. Stupid Answer? Certainly. And I would probably play again under the same circumstances. And over the weekend, after playing, things had not gotten better, so this morning (Monday), I went to the doctor. The result is that there are no broken ribs, but there is definitely some bruising and strained/pulled abdominal muscles. No activity for the week (no volleyball Tuesday, no double-header softball on Friday), and back-to-back soccer on Saturday and Sunday is right now debatable as to whether or not I can play.

So in the back of my head, until the doctor says 'no,' then I can play, which is why I played on Friday, and why I didn't want to go to the doctor today. Because if I had not gone, and the pain subsided tomorrow morning, I would be playing volleyball tomorrow night. Now, as long as my shoulder does not hurt (which it does), I would deal with the rib pain. Not because the team needs me, or can't find a sub, but because I love to play sports, and feel that a piece of me isn't right if I don't play.

It's like what my wife said on Friday, 'Maybe it's time to stop playing.' My response, 'You wouldn't like me very much if I couldn't play sports.'

- Tom.

The aging athlete and food

After a rather interesting scrimmage of volleyball last night, the previously-retired-from-competition, now-possibly-coming-back-with-new-name volleyball team headed to Old Chicago for some post scrimmage libations. And as we ordered our pints of beer and nachos, one teammate wondered aloud about healthy choices to eat. I inquired about his health, as I had not known that he was a person who looked out for what he ate. Apparently he has one day per week that he allows himself to eat unhealthy, the other six are all good foods.

This got me to thinking overnight about the aging rec league athlete and what they eat and drink. Certainly the thirties and into the forties is when most people begin to lose their battle with the bulge, and most of the people I play any sports with fits that description. One of three things happen: One, you give up and indulge in food and drink, your athleticism (and health) be damned; Two, you change your lifestyle to better your health and continue at a high level of competition for a few more years; Three... well, is there a happy medium?

I've been struggling with number three. And I think this is the case with a lot of people I play with. Attempt to eat healthy for the most part, limit your alcohol intake and exercise, and you can stay in decent enough shape to stay competitive. Personally I can tell when I slip a little. Everyone has a weight they are currently at, and for the most part will fluctuate plus or minus about five pounds per day, depending on time and what you eat. A quick look in the mirror, and you will be able to tell if you are fit or not. Is it possible for you to lose weight? If so, why are you not? I notice that when I am five pounds heavier. My knees hurt a little more, I cannot jump as high or bend over as far. That's when I increase the exercising a little, and possibly skip that cinnamon roll the next morning.

But what really gets me is when people who are clearly out of shape, complain about their performances. I am not going to delve into the specifics of this, but the blame is on you. Diet is an increasingly important aspect of an aging athlete. For those who sit at a desk all day, you cannot expect to snack and drink soda throughout the day, and not gain weight. I know people who drink four or five diet sodas per day... that's not going to do it. If you want to stay in performance shape, three meals, small snacks, limit the alcohol, and... exercise!

Do I practice what I preach? Not exactly, maybe fifty-fifty. I do eat three meals, and they are for the most part healthy. I try not to snack, which experts say is not good, as you should eat HEALTHY snacks through the day. My problem is I have a weakness for pastries. I love pastries, and get into ruts where I eat them daily for a week. I also drink a lot: I'm a homebrewer, so I constantly have homemade beer in the fridge, and drink gin and tonic on the weekends. I drink enormous amounts of coffee, which is also not good. However, the biggest difference between me and most people: I do not drink soda. Practically ever. The tonic water with gin is about it. I drink copious amounts of water all day, which is the key. Where most people will go to the vending machine and get twenty ounce Cokes or Diet Cokes, (That's three servings you are drinking) and I'm drinking pints of water. When they get home for dinner, they're cracking open a soda, and I'm drinking orange juice.

Water and exercise are the keys. The exercise will help burn off those extra calories you eat during the day, and by simply replacing soda with water, you are staying hydrated and not over-indulging in empty calories, sugars and serving sizes. These are the two keys I have tried to maintain over the years, and it seems to be working all right. And for the aging athlete, hydration may be the most important piece. Alcohol will dehydrate, exercise dehydrates, playing your rec league sports dehydrate (double if you play softball then drink beers in the parking lot). So make the switch from soda to water. Force yourself to kick the soda habit, which I know is difficult. As I'm typing, I am craving a Cherry Coke and Hershey's with Almonds. So At this point, I'm going to post this message, and crack open a water, hoping the liquid in my stomach will make the hunger subside.

- Tom.

Outdoor Soccer 2010 begins!

Yesterday was the opening of the Lawrence Adult Soccer League outdoor season. I play on The Toadstools, a group of people just out to have a little fun playing in the recreation league. Last year was my first playing with this team, and the first I've played in seventeen years. I was surprisingly successful last season, playing eight games, scoring six goals with a handful of assists. So I am really looking forward to playing this year.

And for as excited and happy I am for the first game yesterday... today I am extremely sore. Not in pain, but overall sore. No other sport will scream at you, 'YOU ARE NOT IN SHAPE!' quite like soccer. Thirty minutes after the game and my lungs were still burning. But it wasn't until I awoke this morning that every muscle, every joint and every thought in my head hurt. Yes, I have a bruise on my forehead. Three beautiful scoring opportunities yesterday, the two headers hit crossbar and post (a third chip-shot kick hit crossbar as well). So yeah, my head hurts. It was a physical game as well. I was taken down twice by the goalie as he came charging and sliding out of the goal on break-aways during the game. Looks like I broke a blood vessel in my knee, but for as much contact, I figured to be in more pain.

So what does this tell me? As stated, I'm out of shape. My wife even said that she felt sorry for me, watching me try to run back and forth and play. She knows that I want to be at a competitive level, and if she realized that I was struggling, then I am struggling. So tonight, I jump back on the stationary bike, and ride. Have to work out the stiffness and soreness, so that maybe next Monday after game 2, I'm not as sore. And maybe, just maybe, I'll get a header or two to go in.

- Tom.