Working through an injury isn't easy

As a recent post revealed I have an injury and it has persisted far longer than my training schedule wants to allow. I couldn't figure it out at first, I mean what I actually did to it. There was no moment of snapping ligaments or tearing tendons--no shrieks of pain to signify any one event that caused this workout menace. But after a relunctant visit to the doctor, I suspect the culprit is what my mother has coined as my "Jack Johnson" problem.

"Who is Jack Johnson?" you ask. Well he was a boxer in the early 1900s who changed the sport for black fighters and became the first black heavy weight champion. What does that have to do with me and my injury. Well, I guess along with being a great fighter, he also was a man bent on doing it all and all on his own. So, whenever I refuse help, or try to do what most women would rather let the men in their lives do--the heavy lifting, Mardie likes to leave "Jack Johnson" ringing in my ears.

Oh yeah, so the injury, well on Memorial Day I woke early in the morning and by 10 am I had dug up a plot of grass; gone to Wal-Mart where I bought sand, pavers and a new grill for the occasion; laid said sand and pavers and set up the grill. There was a lot of sod left from my endeavor and on this past Monday I finally got around to trying to dispose of it.

I scooped the rock infested sod into a garbage can and I dragged, heaved and hoed that pile from the backyard to the front. Stopping several times to regroup I kept thinking, "Man I'm getting a really good workout."

The yard waste disposal truck came round and the man walked to the garbage can, removed the lid and made a feeble attempt at moving the garbage can. Watching from my office window and unbeknownst to said man I saw him look around in disbelief wave his hands dismissing the heap and drive off leaving me with the task of disposing it myself.

I tugged and dragged it even further to the wooded area across from our house and grunted through lifting it to dump it. I felt pretty empowered and thought, "What a very little weak man. Little ole me, I was able to do it by myself."

I proceeded to jog a mile, and go through a complete weight workout ala Tiki Barber. Well, about 3 in the afternoon is when it all came down on me. As I sat at my computer working I began to feel this nagging pain in my back, neck and arm. After about 10 minutes I couldn't sit up straight and eventually took four ibuprofen and hit the sheets to try and sleep it off. It has been a full week now and I still can't sleep through the night without pain or sit in one position without pain. I guess I showed that litle yard waste guy. He may have wimped out on the job, but at least he's not having a MRI tomorrow and I'm sure he's sleeping just fine even though little ole me showed him.

For the record, though, I have not taken off the week entirely from my workout. There wasn't anything wrong with my legs, so I still ran everyday and did my crunches. To be sure, don't aggrevate or go against doctor's orders with any injury but don't let it set you back to the point of ceasing all motion. It is hard to get and stay motivated when you have been limited by injury. Know your body and only do as much as you can without causing further harm.