Patience and Progress
I've been through too many knee surgeries. 3 ACL reconstructions and a lot of removed meniscus. I battled constant swelling, limited range of motion, and significant loss of strength/mass in my right leg.
Today is my two year anniversary with Crossfit. Two years ago, when I was a bit fat and feeble, my wife and I decided to commit to at least looking better naked (it was valentine's day). Crossfit scared the hell out me, but I promised my wife I would try. The movements are intense and intimidating. I didn't really expect to make it very long.
Fortunately, I have great coaches at my gym. They pushed me hard without pushing me into bad ideas. I learned to scale movements properly to work within my limitations. I reduced the impact. I substituted running with rowing, etc. I worked very hard on improving my mobility in just about every joint. I clearly had knee issues, but I didn't realize how much I needed to improve in the ankles, hips, and shoulders, too. It took a while.
I did my first pistol squat on right leg not too long ago. I can sit comfortably at the bottom of a squat now. My oly lifts are jumping up quickly because I can land more effectively in a squat for snatches and cleans. I went from feeling awkward and slow to feeling more explosive and efficient. I can see the tear drop back in quads.
Sorry for the long story, but I'm super psyched today. I've gradually been re-introducing running, starting with a few 400's, focusing on pose/midfoot striking, and gradually letting the leash out. Tonight, I ran two 1 mile segments at a leisurely 8 minute pace in a workout that included lots of rope climbs, weighted sit ups, and 30" box jumps. Zero pain...zero inflammation.
I actually said the words, "I'll never be able to run again." I'm so glad I was wrong. I'm so glad I was patient.
Hopefully, if anyone of you are fighting through injuries, you'll find this helpful. I can't stress enough the importance of patience, proper technique, and joint mobility.
We all have the ability to surprise ourselves...sometimes it just takes a while.
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