Cal.E. was able to use her phone privileges to call me during her one-hour respite. She called me since she is still unhappy with her dad for putting her in rehab. She does seem to be doing better, though. This is how the conversation went.
D.: Good morning, Cal.E. How are you doing today?
C: I am at peace, my friend, with you, myself, and the whole world.
D.: This is REALLY a change in attitude for you, Cal.E. What happened.
C.: Well, they do let me read in my present situation. I have been studying eastern philosophies. I have found inner peace. Now, I must get back to my cell and read some more. Namaste to you, d.c.
D.: Peace be with you, too, my friend.
And now, Chapter eleven of Beyond the Thirteenth Mile; The Iron Man Chronicles.
CHAPTER 11:
PAIN AND INJURY
Second transition area: Man, my feet hurt! My cycling shoes did a number on them! I will never be able to run now. I think that I have massive blisters on both feet. I will take off my shoes and see.
Well, no blood on my socks. That is amazing since my feet hurt so badly. I will change socks and rest.
No! I cannot do this; it’s over. There is Nicole. I will just tell her that I am pulling out of the race. She will be almost as disappointed as I am. She gave up a lot of her free time to help me. It just was not meant to happen today, I guess.
What? She has a point. I probably CAN walk 26.2 miles in seven hours. I HAVE been training for almost four years.
As Nicole said, if I can finish the marathon, then I will accomplish what less than one percent of the world population has accomplished, as long as I beat the time limit. I walk six to seven hours at work almost every day. I do not cover a marathon distance, but my muscles are trained well enough to withstand that distance by now. I just have brief breaks at work. If I rest at each aid station, maybe I can just finish the race and beat the time limit. It is worth finding out. I will just start by walking, like that group is doing. Joining them will be a nice distraction from thinking about my aching feet.
I do not think that they are injured, just painful. THAT is part of life, though. There is a BIG difference between the two.
I might as well put on my socks, running shoes, and knee brace (in case I DO decide to run) and “tri” (hehe). I’m delirious..
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There is a difference, as everyone who has ever laced up a pair of athletic shoes knows, from the infamous “weekend warrior" to the consummate professional, between pain and injury. Pain is something that an athlete must learn to deal with on an ongoing basis, while injury is not. Although it is sometimes extremely difficult to know the difference between the two, being well informed of the difference can save one both time and money. Knowing one's body well enough to know when it is informing you that there is something wrong beyond fatigue can help save one from unnecessarily damaging his or her muscle tissues or joints.
Most professional athletes have extremely high thresholds of pain, which serves professional football and hockey players well. A true "weekend warrior" with too much of a good thing can do serious damage to his or her body, though. Knowing the warning signals that one is injured will, in the long run, keep the amateur athlete from becoming injury and accident-prone.
Since most injuries are largely due to overtraining, setting up a schedule that will not overtax the new athlete's body is very helpful. Starting out slowly will help one to get his/her body acclimated to its new routine.
A "light week" (doing fifty percent of what one's body is capable of doing) is a good way to start. This should be followed by a "moderate week" of exercise (about 75% of your maximum capabilities, followed by a "hard week" (90-100% of the physical activity for which you are training should be attempted during this week.) Each of these weeks should include one or two rest days(even three is acceptable during your hardest week of training.) These three weeks should be followed by a "rest week" which is exactly what it sounds like it is a week in which the athlete does not exert him or herself to physical exhaustion. I personally believe that most people would benefit from a “rest week” every now and then when it comes to real life.) Do NOT sit on your duff, though. A well-trained body will atrophy quickly if this happens.
An "active recovery week" can also be beneficial when one is more mentally tired of training than physically. It is also a preferable alternative to complete and total rest (the exception would be if one is injured and is following doctor’s orders).
An active recovery week includes exercising with no time or distance goals involved. In other words, "stop and smell the roses." (It is my own personal belief that many people would greatly benefit from an "active recovery" week or even a day like this every now and then, as well as a rest week.
Of course, one should taper his/her physical activities beginning two weeks before a major event, and always consult a physician when nagging pain lingers. In conclusion, a novice should not up his/her physical activities by more than ten percent per cycle.
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Although it is not always wise for an amateur to "play with pain," it is admirable when professional athletes are able to do so (as long as it is not done against medical advice.) Two examples come immediately to mind.
In the 1972 NBA playoff finals, Willis Reed twisted his knee in one of the earlier games, prompting the New York Knicks center to miss game six of the finals, which the Knicks lost. This tied the series at three games apiece. Reed, cut in the mold of a modern-day Glen Fry, was determined to play game seven, even if he did have only one good leg.
The Knicks courageous captain hobbled out to center court when the starting lineups were announced. His mere presence on the court seemed to will his teammates to victory in the seventh game of the finals, earning the Knicks the 1972 NBA championship. (Reed was also named the most valuable player of the finals, a well-deserved honor.)
In 1983, Kirk Gibson was a star outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers. His remarkable play both in the field and at the plate helped get the Dodgers to the World Series. Unfortunately, Gibson strained both hamstrings during the series. The fact that he could barely walk left his manager, Tommy Lasorda, little choice but to sit him on the bench for the final and deciding game of the World Series. Gibson had no choice but to accept his manager's decision. However, when informed by teammate pitcher Orel Hershiser during the course of the game that Lasorda didn't even intend to use him as a pinch hitter, Gibson was totally mystified and more than a little perturbed. Gibson then headed for the clubhouse to ice down his hamstrings, informing his manager of his intentions on the way. With two men on and two men out, the Dodgers were down by two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Lasorda then called on his star outfielder to pinch-hit. Gibson responded in a heroic fashion, sending a fastball over the right-center field fence. This won both the game and the 1983 World Series for the Dodgers. Although Gibson could barely even walk around the bases, he did so in celebratory fashion.
These are two fairly well-known examples of professional athletes "playing with pain." There are many, many more, but to me, the keyword in this whole phrase is "playing."
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