Friday, April 18, 2008

I have a sports injury!

I would like to be able to tell you that I totally kick butt at rock climbing but that's not true. I did fare a little better than I predicted I would. In fact, on my first attempt I managed to make it to the top of the easy wall. That felt pretty good. I should have just stuck with that.

I decided to give the next wall a try and promptly fell off. Four times. Every time I fell I thought "Oh god! I'm going to kill my spotter!" The girl holding my rope to keep me from falling looked like she weighed about 27 pounds soaking wet. I don't know what kind of crazy physics were at work that kept her from flying up into the air every time I fell but I was impressed that every time I slipped she managed to keep her feet on the ground.

The last time I slipped off the wall I pulled a groin muscle and banged my knee pretty good. I have a nice bruise to show for it today. That's ok. It's an honest bruise. I'll be proud to tell people how I got it. Not like other times when I bruise myself and have to say things like "Oh that? I got then when I fell down as I was running to get cake."

Before we were done climbing I decided to try the easy wall one more time. As the 27 pound girl was hooking the rope onto my harness the end of the rope snapped up and hit me in eye. She felt really bad but I just had to laugh. If anyone in the world was ever going to lose an eye getting strapped into a harness it would be me. It's a symptom of my Constant Hair On Fire Syndrome.

I only made it about half way up the wall before my legs and arms got too tired so I had to come down. Meanwhile my mother and my aunt were also there and they were climbing circles around me. My doula/friend Jen came too and on her first attempt she managed to get to the top of the wall I kept falling off of. (She's really similar to me but like, 78% more awesome.) But that's ok! Considering that I've never rock climbed before and I just had baby not that long ago and that for me athletic activity usually means "reaching really hard to get the remote laying way on the other end of the couch" I think I did ok.

I'll go again. It was hard but it was fun. (My arms are like rubber today!) I am bound and determined to get my fat ass up that second wall even if it kills me. And it probably will. But at least it will be a cool way to die.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rock climbing! I'm impressed and jealous in a no way could I do that kind of way. I've never heard of anyone pulling the wall down on them self, but I think I could be the first. I give you a lot of credit for trying this and even more for succeeding. I don't think you should call it the easy wall. Unless it had steps. Or an escalator. Because then I would try it. It's the "first wall".

Ben said...

Take me next time!!

(P.S. What did you have for lunch today?)

Cathy said...

Cool! I so want to try rock climbing now.

Mrs. Schmitty said...

You Rock and have the war wounds to prove it!!

Bananas said...

You PULLED A GROIN MUSCLE?
Dude you are totally bad-ass. I'm just saying.

Sara Lingafelter said...

I saw your post on mybloglog... welcome to the wonderful world of climbing. Take your time, start out slowly, and give your body a chance to get used to the whole idea. My first year and a half of climbing regularly I was pretty much chronically injured because of overuse and not enough rest... once I dialed it back and gave my tendons a chance to catch up with my muscles, I injured myself a lot less and had a lot more fun. Enjoy!