"Hey, you wanna come in? I'm doing a Fundamentals class for someone else but since you need that too...?" he trailed off. I agreed that it would be great and scooted into the box.
We worked our way through the first day of Fundamentals--different squats, press, using the rower. Mostly we were using the PVC pipe, and I was doing fine. Stephan glanced at me briefly, then let me proceed. I've lifted before and know proper form, so this was really a matter of checking off boxes. It was still a 30 minute class of sets of squats and presses, though. The intensity of time wasn't there, but I was certainly warmed up for the workout anyway.
People arrived and we started our official warmup. It was hotter, but I was okay. Our workout was to be a fence run, two upper body exercises, and situps. I got myself set up with the 33# bar and stepped in line.
Run 1: it is bloody hot out here! I darted into the box and went to my bar. Cleaning it up to my chest, I nearly dropped it when a shock of pain ran through my left forearm. Dismayed, I put the bar down.
This pain is familiar to me. One of my four metal plates is on my radius--the forearm bone from your elbow to your thumb--that long ago mended the bone after it twisted and snapped in the accident. I get pain occasionally in my elbow and my forearm, rarely in my upper arm, and never, that I can recall, in my chin. This pain is a deep, heavy ache, a prohibition against movement or use until it subsides, and for me a reminder that these injuries are still with me. It's a cold burning pain, and there's nothing to do for it. It is the plate itself: the pain is a patch of skin about two inches long and half an inch wide, right underneath the scar that makes it look as if I tried to slit my own wrist. It's not a pulled muscle and it's not an injured joint. It's on the length of the bone, not at a joint at all.
I grabbed my forearm to apply pressure, the only thing that helps it. Mick was at my side like a shot. "You okay?" I am gratified by the fact that I am obviously being well monitored.
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. It's just this plate. It'll go away in a bit." I get this pain randomly. Sometimes it's overuse, true, but sometimes it's because the weather and thus the air pressure is changing. Sometimes there's no reason at all. I'm used to it, and resigned to it. I kept massaging.
I knew time was running on our 15 minute AMRAP, though, so I looked at Mick. "I'm going to have to switch to the PVC pipe," I said as he nodded. I'm not in any way trying to slack off at the workouts, but I'm also not stupid and I'm not going to force my precious left arm to work through when I've got this specific kind of pain. I'll work through tired muscles, I'll work through aching joints, I'll work through mental fatigue. But I won't work through this specific pain.
The next move was pushups, which were way out of the question. I looked at Mick for a modification, and he suggested wall pushups. I tried them and they were easy enough, but my forearm was really not happy. Stephan came to my elbow. "Try one handed pushups," he joked and walked away. Fine. One handed it is!
I flopped for my situps. No worries on the forearm at all. Out the door for the next run. It's bloody hot out here!
PVC pipe, one handed pushups, situps. Walk to the fence. PVC pipe, one handed pushups, roll up out of the situp without using my left arm. Round and round we go, where we stop nobody knows...
Time was called when I was in the middle of the situps for my fourth round. Almost got 4 rounds, so close! I cradled my hand close to my belly and caught my breath.
"Is it okay?" Stephan asked again.
I nodded. "Yeah, I just...I guard it, when it hurts. I carry it close to me." My right thumb massaged my left forearm. "Give it about an hour, it should be fine. This just happens sometimes." I shrugged. He nodded.
I am still injured. I cannot ever forget that. But that doesn't mean I'll every give up.
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