I’m in a lot of pain this morning. My left shoulder, the one that is separated, is a giant cramp. I go through this often, times of cramping with a spells of no pain in between. Today hurts and it radiates across my entire back.

I hiked 2.25 miles in the snow wearing a 20 lb weight vest and 5 lb snow boots yesterday which is what set off my shoulder and back, but I need to get used to carrying more weight than that if I want to go backpacking.

I’m not someone who looks for pity so any time I mention pain or difficulties, just know it’s because I’m using this as a personal diary of my journey as well as sharing it with you.

To catch you up since Day 4, not a lot has happened aside from me going to the gym five times a week. I do cardio, then do a variety of fitness stuff, kettlebell lifts, squats, leg raises, platform step ups, etc. I’m ready for this spell of bitterly cold weather to end so I can get outside and start training better.

Indoor cardio equipment is a poor substitute for actually running, sprinting, or climbing stairs outside. Once I can get out of the gym and into the real world, I know the number of posts will increase. I’m just in a gym rut right now waiting for spring.

On a final note today, I’ve recorded several videos, but I haven’t figured out a way to post them on my website. My site provider, Squarespace doesn’t let you upload videos to it. I don’t want to post them on my YouTube channel since they are not my normal type of videos. Hopefully I can come up with a solution soon so I can start sharing more with you.

I’m going to go pop some ibuprofen, lather my shoulder in tiger balm (not sponsored) and then hit the gym again this afternoon.