No I'm not dying (well my life obviously does have an end point), I'm talking about the abuse I go through to train and compete at the level I do. After an amazing swim yesterday (my first of 2011) in which I swim better then I did last year at this time and I can almost go as far as saying, as good as I was swimming mid season last year. The result of a great off season lifting program. Anyway, today I pay the piper, I have an extremely sharp pain in my left shoulder whenever I lift my arm over my head and bring it back down. I'm in high hopes that this isn't the beginning of the end, that even though I trained smart and had no injuries the wear and tare may have finally caught up with me.
As a former D1 track athlete I remember signing a warning the day I was told I made cuts and would be on the team. It basically outlined that this sport at this level has consequences that may inhibit your mobility and affect your joints (including knees, hips, and shoulders). Like all young athletes I signed it with a sense of invincibility. Truth is that if you want to get to a high level of competition you have to put in the work (unless you are from the seed of gods and posses immeasurable talent). This work will break you down and lead to injury doctors like to call over use. I refuse to think of my body parts as having a limited lifetime with no guarantee like some American made car, but here I sit having not been able to throw a baseball post collegiate and now with nagging shoulder pain after taking extended time off. The knees and hips are sure to follow suit im sure.
What are my choices? 1. Taking it easy and slowing down...not really my style. 2. Surgery and more time off..I dont think its come to this yet. 3. Switch to a sport that uses a different body part...this option is very likely especially given the fact that I live in CO and there are so many opportunities for outdoor activity.
If you are a person like me who has made this a lifestyle all your life there may come a time where you have to face the facts. I almost feel like the people who wait, or have that epiphany moment later in life where they all of a sudden start running when they have never ran before, sort of have a leg up on the rest of us. We all have seen the 80+ year olds cross the line in Kona and hope that its us some day, but chances are that these individuals just got into competing at a sort of rebirth moment of their lives.
Remember the good times, revel in the moment and keep L.I.V.I.N!
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