How Do I Hurt Me? Let Me Count the Ways

by The Rabin Law Firm

I have been injured a whole bunch lately. And I want to get hurt while training or racing. No, wait: let me rephrase that. I wish my injuries were from training or racing. That would be an indication that I was really pushing it. Nope. Instead, I keep getting hurt doing nothing.

First, know this: I am not prone to injury. I played rugby for two years and while I experienced a whole bunch of pain, I never got “injured” playing. I played years of lacrosse, both indoors and out. Despite having large men smash me with long metal poles repeatedly, I did not get injured. Thirty years of dirtbikes and motorcycles, and only one small scar. I was a teenage boy, and then a young (man many years ago) and despite doing all of the stupid things that I will not mention because the statute of limitations has not yet expired, I did not get injured.

I have now been a competitive (in my mind – recreational to others’) athlete for a few years and have been training and racing really hard, including three Tough Mudders and an Ironman 70.3. I have also had a slew of injuries. The strange thing is, those two things are unrelated.

So what happens? Life and age.

In 2010 my “normal” knee pain got bad enough that I had to get it fixed. Surgery was the answer. Overuse? No. Cool sports injury? Nope. Mugging? Not even close. Some odd piece in my knee that was supposed to go away when I was young and didn’t. “Have that removed.”

Last year, one week before the Cazenovia Olympic triathlon, I was at my son’s football practice, where I coached, and simply standing around gesturing to these boys I injured my knee. No cool injury demonstrating tackling. Not even an injury doing sprints to prove I’m faster than the kids. Nope – just bending down into a proper football stance. It was swollen so much that I could not even get my leg around in a circle to pedal the bike until Saturday morning the following week (yes, the day of the race).

Two weeks before the Syracuse 70.3 in 2011 I was riding my motorcycle in a charity event. I turned to say something to the person riding next to me, and while twisted, hit a pothole, injuring my back. A bump. That’s it. Three doctors, two chiropractors and extensive physical therapy were required to get me going again. I was laid up for almost 2 months.

Walking in my back yard just a few months ago I stepped funny and rolled my ankle. It was a terrible sprain. I have swelling and pain still, more than 6months later and am waiting for an MRI.

I have NOT crashed my bike pushing too hard in a race, I have NOT pulled a muscle running fast, I have not even irritated my eyes from swimming in a chlorinated pool. Nope – I get hurt doing NOTHING! And that hurts the most.