shape

So for the 2nd out of 3 weeks, I played tennis and volleyball in the same night.  AHHHHHH, so much fun!!!AHHHHHH, so frustrating!!!

A few weeks ago I reconnected with my tennis buddy from high school.  She and I would play and play and play.  And now, work, and work, and work and work gets in the way a bit.  But we have been able to sneak out twice in 2 weeks, though we have tried for more, and hopefully, it will be more going forward.  Tennis is something that I played competitively for about 6 or 7 years.  I had "started" taking lessons in 2nd grade, and had messed around playing for a few years, but it wasn't until about 6th or 7th grade that I really started to forcus on it.  What else is an average height white boy going to do in a middle class town???So from 7th grade til 12 grade I played for my jr/sr highs.  I played UTSA events as well.  Tennis was life.  Summers I would travel to tournaments near where friends or family lived, and then would get to spend time hanging with them.  Now, I wasn't very good, but for the most part, I enjoyed it.  Well, I had a huge temper on the courts, I can't realy believe that my parents kept buying me so many new rackets when I would break them out of anger on a semi-regular basis.

This finally went away in college when I would start praying during my intramural matches.  Some of my most favorite times with God in college where while I was playing (and finally winning) tournaments.  I think I have 2 singles titles and 1 doubles title from college.  Those were amazing for me b/c I had never won anything else while growing up.  I did get 2nd in the first tournament I ever played in for my jr high.  That was in Uvalde, TX.  I still remember that after the match I had just about the best tasting chicken fried steak at the golden corral there.  I have about 3 rackets now, and there are at least 15 years old.  I am wanting to replace them, but not sure if I want to go to the expense of paying for a new racket.  We will see.

So getting back out on the court for the first time in 4 years, since I coached at the Baptist Academy has been fun.  I'm hittin better than I had thought I would, the problem is that I am not in very good shape...but wouldn't everyone say that almost???One of the things I had going for me back in the day was speed and endurance.  I remember it would be over 100 degrees and like 3 in the afternoon and I wouldn't think twice about not going out to play.  Oh, how times change.  I get winded so easily, it's annoying.  I have said to myself that i want to start running; and last year, twice, I did that.  Twice.  Twice doesn't make a habit.  I think if my I-pod hadn't crapped out on my it would make me want to run more, but alas it has, so I have that excuse working for me now. 

Tonight I also got to play volleyball.  It has been a lot of fun.  It takes me back to the summer at VCBC (Village Creek Bible Camp) where for the high school camp (1 week i think) we did nothing but play volleyball for like 4 hours every day.  Plus I think 2 of the family camps had parents that were really into volleyball so those week's rocked too.  I'm ok for my team, but I just love to go out and run around and dive and fall.  We have a good team, but have only managed 3 wins out of like 10 games.  We WON tonight!  So, we had fun.

But there was a time in our game where we had a really long point, and I was dying.  Plus we had a lot of points where I was moving all over the place, and I was dying.  I know playing tennis didn't help matters, but it's become frustrating to want to stop playing a point, just b/c I'm tired.  Maybe I need to save money and hire a personal trainer because in high school, I do really well with someone yelling at me, or just telling me what the expectations are.  If I have to do it myself, then i just don't do it.  It's like doing a paper in college.  I wouldn't do it until the day before, or I would get up at like 4 am to finish it.  I need something, or someone, ominous hovering over me or breathing down my neck to make me do something.  Why do I have to be obstinate like that???I don't know either, so I will just blame genetics and blame my mother and my father.  (I only blame them though because I'm an American and nothing is my fault and I can claim no personal responsibility.)

So where to go from here.  I just say still and thought about it for a few seconds.  I had visions of running.  Tomorrow, I will go running.  NO, let me say, "TOMORROW, I WILL GO RUNNING!" As for if I go the next day, well, no I doubt it because we are going to try to have some sort of volleyball practice, so maybe Thursday?  Yes, that one had a ? at the end of that sentence, but tomorrow, I WILL RUN!  You don't even have to ask me if I did, because I'm telling you now...but you can if you want.