Bad Habits Die Hard

In getting exercise, when I act both as the athlete manqué and as my own trainer or coach, stupidity tends to prevail. My instinct is to push constantly for personal bests, even though I try to tell myself to go slowly and not experience a setback by injuring myself. On Saturday and on Sunday morning, as part of each of the three two-and-a-half mile walks that I took, I climbed up and down a staircase with 57 steps. I put aside the knowledge that I am still very weak from my June 15 surgery, and I mused about whether I should try to get each walk up to five miles before my surgery on August 3. 

Now I am nearly immobilized by pain in my lower back, which I am not permitted by the doctors to treat with anti-inflammatory medications. I hope that this self-inflicted problem does not compromise my stamina too much heading into the surgery, or leave me to deal with a combination of abdominal and back pain after the surgery. I hope also that the back pain does not curtail either my ability to see people before the surgery or our plan to go up to Saratoga Springs for four days before the surgery.