1-Armed Swimming

It was only a matter of time. I wonder if it's possible to spend a year training intensively for an event like an Ironman and not get injured. Endurance athletes are accustomed to pain and discomfort. We learn to ignore small aches. Training only gets you so far. At some point you have to push through the pain. And if you have goals of a specific finishing times, the training intensity increases and so does the suffering.

I've had most of the running injuries you can think of, and even some you can't. You think your face is safe while you run until you find that last patch of ice remaining in the end of March. Luckily I caught my fall. Unluckily, with my chin.

I've fortunately never suffered a training injury from cycling. I've sustained my share of road rash and trail rash from crashes. But other than a couple bike frames, I've never broken anything.

I often hear people speak of the health benefits of swimming. "It's a full body workout," they say. "It's non-impact," they say. "You can't crash," they say. Though I have crashed into the side of the pool a couple times when I wasn't paying attention. Luckily I was wearing protective goggles. "It's a great way to stay in shape if you're injured," they say. When I started swimming I didn't anticipate it would be a source of injury.

When my left shoulder started to hurt over a month ago, I just figured it was one of those aches that would fade mid-workout or, at the worst, in no more than a day or two. It did get a little better with rest, Advil and ice, and then it got a little worse. I felt like ignoring it but, with 7 months of hard training behind me and over 6 months of training ahead of me, I didn't want to take any chances that would set me back considerably, or sideline me altogether.

So it turns out I have tendonitis in my shoulder and a little more wiggle in my shoulder joint than I should. And why should that be a surprise? I've been a cyclist for about 25 years and a runner for about 12. I have strong legs. But, as I said to the shoulder doc, this is the first time I've ever used my shoulder. As a result, I'm sorta' built like a t-rex.

Look at those arms. Those are basically my arms. I can admit it. I'm not embarrassed. I enjoyed Over the Top with Sylvester Stallone as much as the next guy, but I don't arm wrestle for a reason. So should it be any surprise that I injured my shoulder?

It's hard to slow down, even if just by 1/3, but it's better than taking irresponsible risks. My youngest daughter has given my shoulder a few "healing kisses." I appreciate the love and the concern but, honestly, I've built up an immunity to their medical effectiveness. Physical therapy and anti-inflammatories should have me back in the pool soon enough. Until then, I'll try not to back float through life.

Listen to your bodies, people.