“We fix pain…”
Today is my 3 month CrossFit anniversary and I completed my first full workout in 10 days. After 12 weeks of intense training, 4-6 classes a week, sometimes 2-a-day, my weeklong+ break didn’t come as a result of slacking off or burnout, but pain.
My biggest fear of hurting my back again had come true. And not even from a lift of the barbell or kettle bell swing. The odd angle of a catch-and-swing awkward motion as one of my kids jumped to me in the pool with reckless abandon off the deck put me out. Yep, with an if-y back stupid, simple wrong twist actions like that is enough to put you on your ass for a few days.
I made it to the gym a few days to foam roll, stretch and loosen up, but of course the anxiety and ‘depression’ over being hurt again set in. Pair an injury with the triple whammy timing of feeling like crap from a summer cold and cough with starting my period and yeah, I could have curled up with some ice cream and an ice pack and called it a day.
Sorry, guys but a woman’s menstrual cycle no matter what degree of crazy she is, wreaks havoc on our emotions sometimes. It’s called ‘hormones’ and unfortunately they are a real physical phenomenon that afflicts the best of us from time to time and fucks with our head and emotions. And let’s face it, men will never know or understand what its like physically or emotionally when you live a majority of your entire lifetime losing the lining of one of your organs every month. Fun times in Female Land, let me tell you.
A few things happened to pluck me from the downward spiral of hormonal, hurt, unhappy despair. When I was close to tears and feeling familiarly stuck on the couch counting the down the hours until I could take another Ibuprofen, I emailed Coach Ben a plea for a prescription to get past feeling sorry for myself.
Then Ben texted the magic words to put my pain into perspective.
“You’re not injured ... You’re hurt. Totally different.”
He was right! I just tweaked my back a little and if I let it rest without working out on it continually like before, kept it iced and loosened, I would be just fine.
With his next statement I was motivated to show my face at the gym.
“We fix pain...” He said.
Hell yeah.
Even if I couldn’t complete a warm up or WOD because at that point my pain level was preventing me from being able to bend without severe pain or lift my kids. That’s always the stab in the heart when they run to me with arms wide open and I can’t just scoop them up for hugs and kisses.
I lightly rowed as I watched my noon workout buddies bang out a Friday WOD. I longingly gazed at their action from the floor on the foam roller then iced down my lower back. I still felt better, physically and emotionally, when finished.
And when those damned hormones threatened to spill tears from my eyes as I talked to the 12:00 class coach (Come on, Leah get it together…. there’s no crying in CrossFit and especially in front of Coach Ryan!!!!) he offhandedly uttered the next inspirational phrase of the day…
“It’s not a big deal. Shit happens.”
Yes! So not a big deal. Shit happens!
CrossFit is the anecdote to pain, emotional or physical.
I walked out those doors and drove home smiling.
My biggest fear of hurting my back again had come true. And not even from a lift of the barbell or kettle bell swing. The odd angle of a catch-and-swing awkward motion as one of my kids jumped to me in the pool with reckless abandon off the deck put me out. Yep, with an if-y back stupid, simple wrong twist actions like that is enough to put you on your ass for a few days.
I made it to the gym a few days to foam roll, stretch and loosen up, but of course the anxiety and ‘depression’ over being hurt again set in. Pair an injury with the triple whammy timing of feeling like crap from a summer cold and cough with starting my period and yeah, I could have curled up with some ice cream and an ice pack and called it a day.
Sorry, guys but a woman’s menstrual cycle no matter what degree of crazy she is, wreaks havoc on our emotions sometimes. It’s called ‘hormones’ and unfortunately they are a real physical phenomenon that afflicts the best of us from time to time and fucks with our head and emotions. And let’s face it, men will never know or understand what its like physically or emotionally when you live a majority of your entire lifetime losing the lining of one of your organs every month. Fun times in Female Land, let me tell you.
A few things happened to pluck me from the downward spiral of hormonal, hurt, unhappy despair. When I was close to tears and feeling familiarly stuck on the couch counting the down the hours until I could take another Ibuprofen, I emailed Coach Ben a plea for a prescription to get past feeling sorry for myself.
Then Ben texted the magic words to put my pain into perspective.
“You’re not injured ... You’re hurt. Totally different.”
He was right! I just tweaked my back a little and if I let it rest without working out on it continually like before, kept it iced and loosened, I would be just fine.
With his next statement I was motivated to show my face at the gym.
“We fix pain...” He said.
Hell yeah.
Even if I couldn’t complete a warm up or WOD because at that point my pain level was preventing me from being able to bend without severe pain or lift my kids. That’s always the stab in the heart when they run to me with arms wide open and I can’t just scoop them up for hugs and kisses.
I lightly rowed as I watched my noon workout buddies bang out a Friday WOD. I longingly gazed at their action from the floor on the foam roller then iced down my lower back. I still felt better, physically and emotionally, when finished.
And when those damned hormones threatened to spill tears from my eyes as I talked to the 12:00 class coach (Come on, Leah get it together…. there’s no crying in CrossFit and especially in front of Coach Ryan!!!!) he offhandedly uttered the next inspirational phrase of the day…
“It’s not a big deal. Shit happens.”
Yes! So not a big deal. Shit happens!
CrossFit is the anecdote to pain, emotional or physical.
I walked out those doors and drove home smiling.
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