“Don’t Get Injured”

Frequently during Crossfit (and occasionally during aerials), the little voice inside my head will say “don’t get injured, don’t get injured, ….” It’s like a mantra. Basically, it is my way of telling myself to slow-down, consider carefully what I am about to do, and adjust as needed to make sure that I can do whatever it is safely. And, if I don’t feel safe, then stop. There have been plenty of times during a WOD when I have taken weight off the bar or traded in a heavy kettlebell or dumbbell for a lighter one. And there is no shame in it. It is just the smart thing to do. (Also, I figure that it is better to have tried a heavier weight and failed, than to not have tried it at all.)

Make no mistake, I want to push myself. But the antithesis of pushing myself is sitting sidelined for months healing from an injury. Of course, sometimes injury is purely accidental and unavoidable. But to the extent that I can avoid it, I know that I must. At my age, being injured is just too big of a set-back. It has taken so long to get where I am now. The thought of having to build back again is just unbearable. I don’t want to have to find out whether I have the spirit and perseverance necessary to build back. I mean some questions are just better left unanswered.

So I am conservative, very conservative – especially in terms of weighted movements. Ego, vanity, pride, ambition, enthusiasm, and even endorphins, have to take a back seat to safety. And that can be hard, but it is absolutely necessary in order to be able to maintain for the long haul. Of course, I get bumps and bruises and occasional nagging pains, but nothing that is seriously debilitating. So I just keep repeating: “don’t get injured, don’t get injured . . .” And so far, so good.