Sore today strong tomorrow.

Beep, beep, beep.  The alarm blares as he rolls over and reaches for the snooze button.  To snooze for nine more minutes may be the most important thing in the world at this moment.  His arm though seems shorter and stiff, harder to move the way he intends.  With much effort he finds the snooze button and his mind begins the confused thinking of why his arm seems different.  Drifting off to sleep he tries to re-position himself to find that warm spot in the bed, only to find that his legs also are not moving as they should.  As his mind continues to wander, now past the point of being able to sleep, he decides to get up and start the day.  Sitting up seems impossible though, his legs not the valiant trunks they once were, his abs screaming as if they are being used for the first time.  With a slight moan and a few cracks as the bones adjust themselves, he stands and begins to stumble to the bathroom.  The cracks and moans continue as he makes his way from the bed and his mind begins to remember why he feels this way.  He is reminded of the previous evening's events that have lead him to this present moment of pain.  He is reminded of the feeling of using his arms, his abs, his legs, his back for the first time in weeks.  Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he remembers going to bootcamp last night and thinking he could run sprints with the big boys in the freezing cold.  The memory of the push ups pushes its way to the surface his brain, the pain in his chest and arms immediately apparent.  Warming up the shower never seemed like a better idea.  Stepping in, the whole shower steaming, water as hot as he can take it, instantly soothing his muscles.  He knows the day will be rough, slow going, and come evening, snow or not, he gets to do it all over again.  Not a hot shower, not a full day of stretching, not all the time in the world soothes sore muscles like another workout.