Saving and Wasting Time

Tomorrow is the end of Daylight Saving Time. I get an extra hour of sleep. Or I guess I do if I decide to use the time for sleeping. I'm not going to sleep that extra hour away. I'm going to ride my mountain bike in the morning. I have a ski mask and goggles to wear this winter as I ride. I'm riding the bike to see how it affects my hip joint.

On June 9, 2012, I ran a half marathon. During the training for the half marathon my left groin area started to hurt. I took some time off but knew I needed to train to be prepared for the thirteen miles. As I posted in a previous story, my groin tightened up at the four mile mark of the race and I had to bear pain for the remainder of the run. Since then, I have only run one other race a 5K in my hometown. I've tried to keep running but each time I do at about two or three miles my groin will tighten. Lately, I have a very light popping feeling periodically in the inner hip area around the hip flexor. I have also had a slight catch in the hip when I move a certain way. All of my research indicates that I have a hip impingement. I'm not sure if it is a cam impingement or a pincer impingement. I suspect it is caused from tight muscles, I'm guessing the psoas. Either that or a labrum tear. I haven't been to the doctor yet. I've been holding off and resting and doing some stretches and exercises hoping it will help. My greatest fear is that when I start riding my bike, the symptoms will get worse. If they do, then for sure I will be seeing the doc. I want to keep running and stay active, but have a feeling that running may be a thing of the past. Time will tell.

Time tells us other things as well. I'm not sure how the change in time will affect what I see on my way to work in the morning. Lately, I have enjoyed looking at Ben Lomond summit. The first snow of the season had it covered. At about 7:45 AM it is illuminated with sun light. What I find interesting is that the sun has not risen above the Wasatch Front. I'm sure physics could help me understand how the peak of Ben Lomond can be illuminated with sun light even thought the sun is still behind the other mountains. I'm sure it's a pretty simple explanation--something to do with angles and heights--but I'm not so interested in that as I am in just enjoying it. The sun light makes the snow so bright. The fact that the sun is not seen but its effect is, draws my mind to some metaphors for life. Seeing is believing. Believing is seeing.

Albert Einstein said, "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." Scientists are looking deep into nature and trying to explain the what, where, why and how of things, giving us a better understanding. I'm grateful for that. I'm also grateful for being able to enjoy nature without having to know all the scientific reasons for some things existence and behavior. Sometimes, I like to enjoy nature for how it makes me feel. When  I see a Kestrel hover over a field looking for prey, I can smile and enjoy watching without knowing the aerodynamics of its hovering. When I see trout dart up or down stream when I think I had put the perfect sneak on them, I marvel that the lateral line can sense such subtle movement and vibrations without having to know exactly how it all works. When I look at the colors on trout, I know that some of the markings and color are for camouflage, but I like to think that a creator might have added a crimson dot, a blue halo, or a red slash under the jaw to add beauty to the work of an artist.

I'm hoping my hip will be okay. Maybe my running time will be replaced with more hiking time. So far hiking hasn't caused pain. There are those who feel the time I spend outdoors is wasted time. I love when we go to Daylight Saving Time in the spring. It gives me more "light" and time to be outside doing the things that bring me joy. To me it's precious time.