Today is off for me as well, as was yesterday, and probably the next 10-14 days... I get to join the injured club, with a gold or platinum level membership.

I done thrown my back out again, this is the third time in one year. It's pretty severe too, can't stand up straight, had to go home from work. Ugh.

I really need to spend some time thinking about long-term back health by hamstring flexibility and core strength. I'm really good at being diligent and sufficient with recovery when I'm injured, but then I fall back into my old routne, which clearly isn't enough.

For starters, I'm thinking core work 2x/week and stretching everyday, esp. hamstrings, is going to be necessary for me to maintain a reasonable training load over time. Instead of stretching thoroughly ~4x/week, I'm thinking that a brief session after every ride and/or everyday is warranted, with a more extended session 3x/week.

I'm headed out now to the drug store to buy some hot/cold packs, hopefully one of those re-usable ones. Getting in and out of the car is going to be a pain though.