Well, that didn’t go too badly except for the brief period of time that I got left alone to defend the whole midfield. My legs held up fine and my speed was more than adequate. Predictably, I was easily winded, but I still managed to play about forty minutes of a sixty minute game, and without wanting to die afterwards.
Thirty-one years is a long time to go between competitive soccer matches, but it’s still the same game, and I even understand it a lot better than I did as a teenager so decision-making comes more naturally.
I really should have had two goals and I would have if my muscle memory hadn’t betrayed me. Most of the time, the ball went where I wanted with the pace I wanted, but not on my two scoring opportunities. I think by next week, those same plays will result in a ball in the back of the net, but I may have to take some time midweek to just shoot the ball on some empty soccer field somewhere.
It’s a weird thing to observe your own body and see what it remembers to do and what it doesn’t. You don’t really have any idea which commands it will easily obey and which ones it will have no idea how to execute until you try it out. It had no problem weighting a ball perfectly between two defenders to meet an onrushing teammate, but wasn’t able to time a blasted kick off a slow-rolling ball.
I was most happy about my legs and muscles, which didn’t give me any discomfort, but I’m going to need to hit the treadmill if I want to have the conditioning I need to play a full half hour in the midfield.
Most importantly, I met a good group of people and we had a lot of fun.
This post makes me happy.
Some light running will definitely help with the legs. Given that you live in a such a beautiful area, why not ditch the dreadmill and just hit the road for a mile or two, with some Dead going in the headphones?
It’s a personal thing. I’m opposed to running for its own sake.
Much safer than bouncing a soccer ball off your head or being tackled. I would avoid the head phones so you can hear cars coming up behind you.
That is awesome. I’m 48 and I’ve played Ultimate at least 2x a week for the last 15 years. For me, the mental health benefits equal the physical health benefits.
Playing sports has made up such a rich part of my life. I’m so happy I started as a kid and kept it throughout my life.
Congrats….But wait until tomorrow. See if you can move then. Fitness is really about recovery, not just wind.
Well, I’m already stiffening up and feeling soreness, but mostly in my torso which got twisted around a lot. But, remember, my comparison is football, so it was a strange feeling not to have to spend a whole minute gathering the strength to get out of my car when I got home. Even as a 30 year old, I used to need my hands to lift my legs out of the car after a football game, and it went downhill from there.
day after the extra work that’s the worst for soreness and stiffness. Maybe that’s just me, though.
Muscle memory and something left in the tank? Ho, ho, ho.
Calvin will be 74 on his next birthday and tries to play basketball 3-4 times per week. And, still refs boys HS varsity summer league basketball. On a knee replacement. Among other things.
Don’t over-do. You really need to start out slowly after a lengthy period of inactivity. WALK, WALK, WALK. Get stretched out. Calvin seems to recall a time not too long ago when the entire community thought you were joining your dog.
Yeah, if you haven’t done so, check with your cardiologist and have a stress test.
My experiences have mirrored yours. Over the years I have had to take several hiatuses from running or biking. And it takes me about 3-4 weeks to get my wind back and to reach that first plateau where you can really start to feel the difference. The key is to be consistent during that re-initiation period and don’t try to do too much, but make sure that you do enough to press yourself so that your body adapts. I have done it enough that I easily recognize the progression just by how I feel. And man is it a great feeling! Even at the age of 57 it still is kind of a rush to experience what your body is still able to do.
Hold off on the ‘ legs and muscles not giving me discomfort’ stuff until at least 24 hours have elapsed 🙂
And yes that IS from personal experience, why do you ask??? 8-P
Glad to hear you’ve still got it, though, BooMan!
HIIT will get you conditioned faster than anything else.
Yep. It’s also closer to the kind of exertion involved in soccer.
Another Frog Ponder made happy by these personal updates. Almost all of us can relate to the experiences you’re sharing here at one level or another.
My decades as a Warriors fan have been rewarded recently. Among the lessons I have received in these years:
Congrats.
Here are a few things I learned about getting back into sports that might save someone else time or injury:
— The treadmill is great for training to run on a treadmill, but not much else. We need solid ground to develop the muscles to run on solid ground. Even an indoor track is of limited usefulness, but better than concrete or asphalt, which are too hard. Nothing beats trail running for the variety of muscles used and for strengthening those small ankle muscles.
— Remember all of those people who were prone to knee problems and shin splints? That is now you. Take care of your knees. Do lunges and squats and whatever will help you avoid tearing your ACL. Take care of your shins. Do toe lifts on the edge of a step every day. Jump rope. At the earliest symptoms of shin splints, stop, heal, and rebuild. You can’t train your way out of the pain and it’ll sideline you for weeks. Take care of your hamstrings. Run uphill. Stretch when they’re warm. A lot of what we do strengthens our quads but only tightens our hams.
— The small, stabilizing muscles need attention too. IMO, yoga is essential and the best way to stretch.
— Roll, roll, roll. Before and after. A lot has been learned about training since we were in college and rolling will help you stay limber.
There’s more, but that’s enough for now. Time to go back into lurking.
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