Derby

[commodorified]

Roller Derby Fresh Meat, Week 2 (for the three people who care, and for my own records):

Did not cry. Did not puke. Right leg seized up three times in that "oh crap, that's the bursitis" way that means that I have got to go and rest for a few minutes and until I do so nothing is going to make that leg a) hold my weight b) bend c) stop burning as if it were on fire.

My new motto is "I will fall when I have no other choice, and not one second before".

On the bright side, I'm, um, getting better at skating on only my left foot?

Went for pho after and ate it very cautiously. I'm not kidding about the puking: that level of pushing my limits plus leg pain plus the shock of falling a lot = rebellious abdominals and an overwhelming urge to hurl.

Carried my own gear up the stairs and spread it to dry. (Seriously, last week fairestcat carried my gear bag upstairs for me after practice and random laid all my gear out to dry and air because a) my spouses are the awesomest and b) ... I may have whimpered when I tried to grab my gear bag out of the car.

Also last week was Jack, Cola, and Percoset in the tub and this week is Tramadol and Gin in bed. So that's an improvement. (Yes, I know that's dangerous. I have a chronic, incurable, pain-causing condition. My physician knows I do this sort of thing occasionally, and she quite frankly prefers it to having me use the strength of opioid I'd need without the booze so PLEASE DO NOT LECTURE ME. As one of the Vorkosigan siblings says in Mirror Dance or thereabouts, I am a PROFESSIONAL of pain.

Things to work on when I am fresh and off skates so that I will become able to do them at the end of the practice without flopping like a carp: Planks. Planks with leg work. Pushups. Standing on one leg. Squats on one leg. Leg lifts.

Things to work on whenever I get some free time on skates: footwork. Footwork. Footwork. More footwork. Getting up from a fall or single or double knee-stop or a baseball slide faster. Transitions. Environmental awareness. Jumps.

Comments

[zarhooie]

GO YOU! Doing full contact sports with a chronic pain condition can be hard, but it's SO TOTALLY WORTH IT. I loved rugby practice, and games, and hitting people as hard as I could, then drinking them under the table afterwards. Keep playing hard. :)

FYI: tramadol + a SMALL swig of codeine cough syrup targets the pain really well, but doesn't make me loopy. Not sure if that'd help you or not, but maybe!

[commodorified]

I'm going to be reffing, actually, but it's still pretty ass-kicking. :-)

[zarhooie]

Reffing is a valid life choice. You do have a chance of getting checked sometime, I suppose. Still! Good for you. :)

[commodorified]

I'd like to try LoCo (low contact) at some point, maybe with ORD, but aside from health issues refs don't pay for dues or for fresh meat classes, so I feel like I owe the sport a minimum of a couple years of JUST officiating once I get through.