Word Perv

It began last Thursday when I went to the hash for a bit of running and drinking and socializing with friends. I hadn’t been out since early December and truth be told I had been on a hiatus for much of the last six months for a variety of reasons so it felt good to be out again with friends. The night was cool and it rained throughout the run, but we didn’t mind too much. During the run we climbed over a wall (we like obstacles from time to time) and in the process of pulling my body over the concrete obstruction, I scrapped my elbow. It wasn’t that it hurt terribly, but once done running I changed into dry clothes and every time I moved the fabric of my sweater drug across the exposed flesh and it didn’t feel very good. I asked for, and was given, a band-aid. Of course, since this is the hash and we’re known to be occasionally inappropriate this wasn’t any old band-aid. Nope, it was a band-aid that quite properly fit me. After all it is my favorite curse word.

I survived that incident, which was less severe than other hash-related accidents I’ve endured and moved along, heading into the weekend. Saturday morning David, my friend and running partner, and I walked out my front gate and began our usual 10-mile run. We turned off my street,  and were less than a half a block away when I spied a car ahead. I watched it intently, trying to determine where it was turning and if we needed to make our way to the sidewalk. Of course since I was watching the car I wasn’t watching where I put my feet and I didn’t see the spot where the pavement was broken, a piece rising up enough to catch my foot and send me reeling.

David said I fell in slow motion, so slow he thought that not once, but twice, I might catch myself. Unfortunately I wasn’t so lucky and I hit the pavement hard, my right hip bearing the brunt of the force, followed by the outside of my right knee, ankle, and both hands. He helped me up and moved me to the side of the road, never once laughing at my sudden display of utter grace. After I shook it out and ensured nothing was broken we carried on, pushing out 10 miles at what was only a slightly slower pace than usual. I blame it on the ache in my hip.

Sunday Jay and I went climbing. This time I went prepared with my very own, newly purchased harness. I got into it and synced it as tight as it could go, realizing I should have bought the extra-small instead of the small. But it would work for the day and I made my first climb, feeling a little more confident than my first climbing endeavor though still a bit nervous. I got to the top of the first wall and as Jay lowered me down I could feel my harness pressing against the bruises on my hip. It wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t comfortable either.

“You need to fall,” he said, wanting me to get more comfortable climbing, wanting me to trust the ropes and the person belaying me.

I didn’t resist too hard but I admit I was nervous as he instructed me to climb up 10-15 feet and then just fall back. I got up, took a deep breath and then let go, immediately being caught and feeling safe. He lowered me to the ground and I agreed – it wasn’t that bad and I knew I was safe. We did a few more climbs, me sticking with walls in the 30-40 foot range and him climbing walls significantly higher.

Finally he told me to climb a wall in front of me, one that has a slight pitch to it and was harder than anything I’d  yet attempted. “Use any holds,” he said as I started up. I got up a bit and then got stuck, the pitch of the wall causing me to use all of my muscles as I clung to it, trying to find my next hand hold and foot hold. Then suddenly, I was falling, having lost my grip and slipping off. He caught me immediately and I swung back, smacking the inside of my right knee and ankle as I crashed into the wall.

“Wanna come down?” he asked, and I shook my head no. I swung back into the wall and grabbed on, trying to overcome the part that had brought me down. I tried and again I slipped off the wall and was immediately caught, though this time I didn’t crash back into the wall. After a moment I signaled for him to lower me down as the muscles in my back were signing from the excursion. While I wanted to do one more climb I thought it best to listen to my body and let my back rest. Plus, my knee was now throbbing lightly.

After a weekend of self-induced beatings I decided to take a break from my usual Monday night Body Pump class and instead went to yoga, enjoying the deep stretching my back muscles were getting and feeling great when I walked out. Now if these bruises would just fade…