pain, thy name is "tennis"

I am experiencing pain.

Ow.

Ow.

Did I mention ow?

This is how you know exercise is working, right? :)

I started playing tennis again a couple of months ago. I hadn't played since high school. A friend invited me to play and I decided to try it out. I was in the best shape I'd been in in five or six years (I've lost 65 pounds in the last year and a half or so) and I used to enjoy playing tennis. I thought "why not?" We played for a couple of hours the first night – I sucked, but I had a lot of fun, and I was pretty sore later that night and the next day.

It's the running. It isn't as bad playing doubles – obviously you don't have nearly as much court to cover as in singles – but the running is awfully hard on the legs when you're still carrying 215 pounds around.

I've gotten into a once-a-week routine with a couple of friends, but I've played five times in the last two weeks, including a couple of hours Tuesday evening, and 2 1/2 hours bookended by half-hour walks on Saturday afternoon. Then another 2 1/2 hours tonight.

Singles.

Five sets.

I wonder if I would be this sore if I was still walking every day? I really need to get back into that routine – I'm not sure why I'm out of it. I'm hobbling around my apartment like a feeble old man.

What doesn't kill me can only make me stronger, right?

Right?