Field Fitness: Day 1 ~ Basecamp

Re-Entry: Scotland, Recovery, and the Road Ahead

It’s a Sunday night in early May, and I’ve just returned from nearly three weeks in Scotland.

In the months leading up to this trip—fishing rivers and walking links courses—I was coming off hip replacement surgery in December. What followed was a somewhat fragmented attempt at rebuilding. At times, motivation came easily. At other times, it didn’t show up at all. If I’m being honest, I arrived in Scotland feeling a bit underprepared.

And yet, the outcome told a different story.

From a performance standpoint, things held together better than expected. I spent long days on the river—six in total—often on my feet for ten hours at a time, navigating uneven terrain, slick rocks, and constantly shifting footing. It demanded balance, endurance, and focus. And I got through it.

On top of that, I walked 18 holes of links golf five different times. Not always comfortably, but consistently enough to call it a win.

So yes, there’s something to build on here.

Where things broke down was nutrition.

Travel has a way of disrupting even the best intentions. Eating in restaurants, staying on the move, and lacking the ability to prepare simple, protein-forward meals made it difficult to stay on track. Over the course of nearly three weeks, my diet slipped—more than I would have liked. It wasn’t disastrous, but it was enough to feel the difference.

Toward the end of the trip, during my final round of golf, I pulled something in my left calf. Whether it’s a strain or something more, it’s now part of the equation as I shift back into recovery mode.

And so here I am, at the close of the day, looking ahead to the summer.

I find myself thinking back to a period a few years ago when I was fully committed to a keto lifestyle. During that stretch, I dropped down to around 212 pounds. More importantly, I remember how I felt—light on my feet, clear-headed, low inflammation, and in control. It was a combination of intermittent fasting, occasional extended fasts, and a clean elimination of sugar, grains, and alcohol.

It wasn’t easy, but it was effective. And more than that, it was repeatable.

So tomorrow, I’ll step on the scale and begin again.

Not from scratch—but from experience.

This time with a better understanding of what works, what doesn’t, and what’s actually required to get back to that place of strength, clarity, and capability.

The trip proved something important: the foundation is still there.

Now it’s time to build on it.