Pain and Gain

Apparently I am getting old. I understand that I consistently push my body to its limits, so injuries are inevitable. However, in the past few years I have started developing aches and pains that come out of nowhere. For instance, a few years ago I woke up with a knee pain that made it hard for me to stand up from a seated position… and it has never gone away. However, nothing could prepare me for the completely random – and incapacitating – shoulder injury that came out of nowhere this weekend.

We competed in the Granite Gripper – the annual climbing competition at Enchanted Rock – where run out slab climbs and sharp crack climbs dominate. Neither of these climbing styles are my forte, so I took it fairly easy and knocked out 4 climbs within the first few hours. Then, while walking along the top of a cliff, my shoulder inexplicably gave out.

I was literally just walking.

I didn’t fall or anything.

I seriously need to come up with a better story.

The long walk back to the pavilion with all my gear was excruciating, and I spent the rest of the evening in a sling and near constant pain.

Awkwardly trying to finish a boulder problem after clearly throwing the wrong leg up. For the record, I made it.

John working a V4 boulder problem

On a brighter note, I had managed to complete enough climbs to not only defend my speed climbing title from last year, but also win the women’s recreation division. I walked away with a pretty fabulous slew of prizes:

• Arc’Teryx jacket (I found it on Amazon for $187)
• Small Marmot backpack
• $50 cash (which John immediately used to get a great deal on a set of nuts at the silent auction)
• Free month of climbing at two different climbing gyms
• Climbing chalk
• Event T-Shirt

And thankfully, now that a few days have passed, my shoulder is nearly pain free.

At the start of the speed climb