Everybody Sweat Now!

I've been hitting the gym almost every day since I got here, a pattern that is not unusual among the ISAF population.

There are plenty of reasons for this. Psychologically, it's just nice to get out of the office and work out (plus it's fun). Professionally, physical fitness is an important component of being a military dude, even for those of us who aren't running around and kicking down doors. And of course physically, it just helps with general well being. Did I mention the DFAC feeds us pretty well? So we've got to work that off too, and I'm sure we're all hoping to head home in better shape than when we got here. It'd be embarrassing to gain weight in a war zone, right?

And despite long, busy days, it's not hard to find the time to hit the gym. I mean, it's not like we're going out and doing stuff with our families in the evenings or driving across town to a local restaurant. Seriously, if you're not in the office or the DFAC, there aren't a ton of other options. Well, there's Ciano's (pronounced chee-ahn-oh's), the Italian cafe that makes lovely espressos, but that's for another post.

Lately, I've noticed I'm sweating a lot more than when I started out. A LOT more. Now, I'm also exercising longer, pushing harder and running farther than when I started, but by the time I'm done with my run you'd think I'd been swimming instead. Not sure if that means I'm getting in better shape, if it's a function of just exercising longer, or if the gym is getting more crowded and therefore more humid. It got pretty humid in Virginia and I'm not sure I ever quite looked like this.

I did sign up for a 10K run on New Years Eve - by the time you read this, I'll probably be done. The run is sponsored by the Spanish contingent and they gave out cool t-shirts for all the runners. They also collected $25 from each of us, to put towards building a girl's school in Wardak province. So everyone wins.

The other fun gym thing is Monday night floor hockey. We play a fairly gentlemanly game, with all due consideration to avoid injuries, but there are a few players who can get a little aggressive - I'm definitely not one of them. We line the gym walls with blue floor mats / cushions, and spend a fair amount of time each game replacing fallen mats or trying to retrieve the ball from behind the mats. It helps keep the pace at a reasonable level.

 I manage to play alright, despite having no hockey background at all. I just imagine it's soccer with sticks - and last time, I even scored a goal. I actually may have scored twice that game - a guy on the other team said my second shot went in, but it was disputed... then again, we don't keep score, so it's not like we spent a lot of time reviewing the instant replay tapes.

I accidentally tried to catch the ball with my forehead once, which worked about as well as you might imagine. I felt better after sitting down for a few minutes. Speaking of not working out, I also tried to take pictures of the game. Apparently my camera works best if the subject is close by, well lit and not moving. So yeah, no action pictures from hockey, but I do have this fuzzy, off-centered one of everyone standing still. Enjoy!

Monday Night Hockey