Several years ago, I was at a three month professional development course that included intramural sports. As we went through the first day orientation, the school director took a moment and asked each of us to pull out our IDs. He then instructed is to look at the birthday printed on the card and ponder our age. He then told us to repeat this exercise every time we entered the gym and keep that in mind as we competed with each other. Apparently, students there had a track record of pushing too hard and getting hurt. This was good advice, but advice that was rarely implemented.
I was reminded of this vignette when I was getting ready to go out on the gym floor with Isaac this last Tuesday. Several of the other parents were commenting on the fact that I work out with the kids, and I mentioned this experience in passing as a way to laugh off the fact that I’m a whole lot older than anyone else who trains there. That’s when karma struck.
After a brief warmup, I got ready to throw the first flip of the night. However, the foam pit had a mat covering the foam. I was doing well with many different flips, so I decided to just go for it. Being over confident, I got a good run at it and launched into a side flip. Now… I’ve had trouble getting enough vertical elevation of side flips, so I tend to stay in a tuck almost to the end. But, this time, I got plenty of air and way over rotated. I landed hard on my ankle, and was immediately aware that things weren’t normal. The burning pain was all I needed to know that my night of training flips and flyaways was over.
It turned out to just be a sprain, but as I hobbled into work Wednesday morning on crutches my co-workers got no end of pleasure out of asking me how I got hurt. A few only asked if I was with Isaac then laughed and walked away smirking knowingly. Almost everyone knew the crux of the matter before they asked. My track record of injuries resulting from me acting like a kid at the gym is almost a running joke.
Oh well… Another few days and I can start working my way back into training with Isaac. It’ll be hard not to get hurt again given my tendency to recognize that something is risky and then promptly jump right in. I guess I need to get better at following my own advice. Maybe this time will be different… Or… Maybe not… But I’ll have fun either way.