Golf, Endorphin replacement for Running??!!?!?

My latest Physical Fitness/ Natural High question:

Will golf make up the lost endorphin rush that I've been looking for since the stress fracture diagnosis????

SURVEY SAYS????
Yeah probably not. But it sure is fun. I'm enjoying golf so much right now I'm wondering why I had such a hard time with it as a child? Why would I get so mad and have such a problem with loosing???......

Oh yeah. I'm competitive.

It's very easy to deal with competitiveness on the golf course... have another beer. Does nothing for your game, but you sure as hell don't care as much. Not advocating drunken golf so don't start, but it sure does take that edge off and you can just enjoy the day, the beautiful scenery.... the sound of a well struck ball.... I need to spend more time on the links. Yeah that's easy to say.... when Steve? you're trying to ramp UP your workouts for the Triathlons NOT DOWN! Well... as luck would have it, work sometimes involves golf. So. I just got a new Driver from one of my co-workers, I need to spend some time with it. The shaft is a lot more flexible than the one I should be hitting.... SO... if you know anything about golf... my hand get way past the ball before the head strikes it. NOT the best place to be if trying to hit the ball straight. So I've moved the ball further back in my stance and I'm hitting it mostly straight.... and tomorrow I'm going to buy a new driver with a stiffer shaft. (YEAH I KNOW! SOUNDS DIRTY......SO WHAT!?!?!?).

I'm enjoying my resurgency in to golf, it's been a very good experience. I've not been playing at all for the last few years and now were near as much as I did as a child. Grandpa used to take me golfing all the time, that's back when he hit a hole in one while we were out. I was all of .... Oh 10 maybe 12? He used to hope I would loose the temper and overly aggressive alpha male about everything mentality... Took me a long time to cool down. Didn't really get a grip on any part of that till maybe 16 or 18. Didn't have it all wound up till my mid 20's.... Still have a bit too much competitor in me at times though..... thus the dislocated shoulder from flag football... I mean seriously who dislocates their shoulder while playing FLAG football??? Who dives for an extra point in a game your team is winning 42 to 7?!?! That might answer the question? THAT was fun... rehabing from a dislocated shoulder and trying to continue to train for my first triathlon. Running was shear agony, and swimming was out of the question for a while.... biking... well luckily the pain from resting my weight on the shoulder wasn't bad enough to stop me from riding.... after a few weeks of rest and pain killers.... followed by a few weeks of rehab..... dummy started biking and running again... I had my arm / shoulder ace bandaged to my body when I did my first 10K ever... The Cleveland Marathon/Half/10K last year....2005 that is... NOW THAT WAS FUN.... didn't have any real pain to speak of until about mile 5... last mile.2 was wowzers! FUN FUN FUN!...

Where was I going with this.??? OH GOLF as a replacement for the endorphin rush of running. Yeah..... NO! but a fun past time to take up if you have some time and a lot of patience. Helps to have a set of clubs too.... not necessary, but sure helps... could get expensive renting clubs every time.

Maybe I'll see ya on the links... I might be the one chucking my 7 Iron into the lake.... or more probably I'll be the one smiling and having a good time swinging away trying to keep it in the fairway. Doesn't seem like something to get angry about anymore.... it's something to enjoy. So get out there and enjoy IT... it's is summer after all... and it will only be this nice for so long. Who cares about reruns of American Idol anyway?!?! Get outside... Weather its on the roads riding with us or in the lake swimming with us, or on the path running with us.... or on the links golfing with me!!!! get out here! Enjoy!

Hope to see you all soon.... Maybe we should have a CTC Golf outing??? It would be fun!!!!

Later Kiddos!!!