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My body seems to utterly resist staying strong and fit.

The hamstring pain was better. I could bend over farther than I could a month ago. Then last week I went to the gym. As I went up the stairs to the check-in floor, a pain shot through my inner left quadricep. It hurt going down the stairs too. I had to dial back my workout that morning. I have had to restrict certain movements all week. Even sitting in certain positions hurt.

My shoulder still hurts. It's better than it was before I started therapy earlier this year, but the pain never fully went away.

My Golfer's Elbow has returned. At least I don't need to go back to therapy for that. I have had to many issues with my elbows that I know all the best exercises to do for it. 

I have to dial back upper body work because of my shoulder and elbow. I have had  to dial back lower body work because of my hamstring and now because of what I believe is an injury to the sartorius muscle. I thought strength training was supposed to make these muscles stronger! I thought I was building myself up. I do mobility work. I take HRT. I am trying to get a good protein intake. What am I doing wrong?

To make matters worse, I fell off Riddle this weekend. It was almost identical to my last fall. She tripped and fell to her knees (she was still getting up when I was getting up).  I went right over her head. This time I wasn't badly injured. My head hit the ground before anything else did, but my helmet saved me there (I remain a helmet evangelist for riders of all ages, experience levels, and riding disciplines). I didn't break anything, but I did whack my right ribs pretty badly. I can't lift anything this week. I couldn't ride on Sunday either. (I also had to buy a new helmet since you're supposed to do that if you hit your head in a fall because it's likely damaged).

So right now my workouts are all just cardio. I either walk outside, walk on the treadmill, or use the stationary bike. I can't use the elliptical because it hurts to pull the handles.  

I think I might have figured out what could be triggering these injuries. I am following a lot of mobility YouTubers lately. I thought mobility was important. Our joints stiffen as we get older. Most of these so-called mobility experts say you should hold deep squats daily and also do regular dead hangs. Yesterday my quad pain was better so I tried the deep squat and I could only go so far before it started to hurt. Maybe my daily deep squats are harming me. They are supposed to be good for hip mobility! The hangs could be causing the elbow pain (I only do them a few times a week when I am at the gym). 

I also have arthritis in my hips. That can't be helping. The crushed disc in my spine probably contributes too.

I have spent my adult life doing everything right and look where it got me. I have friends who haven't used their gym memberships in years and don't have any active hobbies and they aren't complaining about knee, back, or hip pain.

With less than a week until Labor Day, I only have a few days left to get to the pool. The weather has been working against me lately. Plus I can't swim with this riding injury. I hope it goes away by the weekend and the weekend has good weather. I would love nothing more than to spend all of Labor Day at the pool with a picnic and some adult beverages. 

I was hoping to milk what was left of summer, but I guess it's time to let summer go. I was rained out of going to the zoo on Thursday, but my last big summer outing to the Dutchess County Fair. It was huge. We thought we saw everything we wanted to see, but found out we missed a bunch of stuff. We watched part of the horse show (a "chicken little" jumper class), did some shopping (I bought some jewelry and we bought some fudge), watched some skilled craftspeople, ate our favorite foods (pulled pork with mac and cheese and some ice cream for me and a crab cake for him), wandered through the antiques barn and the historic buildings, and walked through the cow, sheep, and goat sheds, petting anything that would let me pet it! We missed the Dessert Destination, the chickens, and the rabbits and cavies.

At one point a couple played steel drums in the entry plaza. I told Kevin it was hilarious that these two old white people were playing steel drums at what was probably the whitest event in the region. 

Had my first rehearsal for Oliver last night. It was a long rehearsal. This is going to be a lot of work. Nancy told me when I walked in that she didn't read me for the role of Old Sally because she said she needed someone funny and she knew I could be funny. That was quite a compliment. I wasn't that funny during the read through last night. I hadn't read the role yet and I hadn't had a chance to feel how I wanted to go with it. The people playing the Sowerberrys are long-time Curtain Call regulars. Kevin and I didn't stand a chance against them.

Let's see how it all goes. I have to do a lot of work before vacation starts on the 19th. 

Our upcoming vacation is a far cry from the summer fun of Chincoteague. I might as well accept it. Fall is coming whether I want it to or not.

I will be working from home most days because of the rehearsal schedule. At least I don't have to worry about refreshing my wardrobe for the season. That can wait a couple of months.