Comeback #33.

The title of the blog says it all. I have had more comebacks (attempts at getting back in shape) than years in my life. I'll be 33 on August 9th, which is one day before my wedding. I was always pretty athletic during my childhood and adolescent years. I played soccer since I was 6, shot hoops almost daily since about that age, and participated in 3 sports my senior year of high school. During my freshman year at URI, I played at least 6 intramural sports: outdoor soccer, indoor volleyball, beach volleyball, indoor soccer, basketball, and softball. Sprinkle in running and weightlifting, and I became fairly fit. I even walked onto the cross country team my junior year. I wore the Rhody Blues for one race before an injury ended my short lived career as a Division 1 athlete.

I didn't have my first comeback until I was 23 years old. I needed it. I had just quit a job where I travelled around the country, ate 20 ounce steaks, drank 100's of ounces of beer, and did ZERO ounces of activity. At this time I developed lower back problems. Over the next 9+ years my fitness would seesaw back and forth, but ultimately lethargy would always prevail.

I've done things that would make it seem like I was still an athletic and healthy guy. I've run numerous trail races, including the Pisgah 50k in 2007. I hiked the entire Appalachian Trail in 2004. Yet tremendous setbacks have been mixed in with my triumphs. In 2005, I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, and this May, I learned my chronic lower back problems were because I have Anklosing Spondylitis.

All this has made me realize that I need comeback 33 to be the final comeback. Enough is enough. I can't even spell one of my conditions. I'm not too old and too sick to have an enjoyable life. I want to be able to live a long and happy life with Gina(my future wife). I want to be able to call up my friends and shoot some hoops or go fishing comfortably in a canoe. I want to be able to run and hike with my family...

In the past ten years I've learned an important truth about life and comebacks:

Lethargy breeds lethargy... and

Yaddaftatattin breeds Yaddaftatattin!