There’s no Jesse Pinkman or Miley Cyrus going on here on the first day of November, I just tweaked my back….again (not from doing the below) and I’m a little pissed off about it.

Hilarious Lego Rendition of the Twerking incident – Image: Ochre Jelly

I’ve done quite a lot of whining about my back injury on this blog but things have been better over the last few months.  However, I think I “twerked” it a little too much in an exercise class last week because when I went to the LA Convention Center to volunteer for the LA Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon Registration Check-in last Friday, my back began to ache.

Even though part of me thought that the words “half marathon” crept into the L4/L5, L5/S1 area of my lower back and decided to loudly let me know (again!) that I wouldn’t be completing my intended #13in2013, I knew I had been pushing myself too hard so I to took my anti-inflammatory meds and decided to take it easy for a few days.

I had plans to go to a LuluLemon Rocktober Yoga Rave with Chris@WhatIRunInto and figured with a few days rest, I’d be fine.  I even had my Twerk-worthy Robin Thicke/Beetlejuice pants ready (thanks Jill@TreeFitness for the #FitnessFashionFriday info).

Then on Tuesday morning, I did a dumb thing – I simply turned my body to the left, felt a crazy jolt of pain and was rendered deaf, dumb, blind (and nearly boneless) for a moment.

If you’ve ever denied that you have an injury, all you need is that little electric reminder to make you remember that it’s your body (and not your brain) that drives the bus in your fitness endeavors.

Don’t get me wrong, mind set plays a tremendous part in living a lifestyle that is fit and healthy but taking care of your body is of primary importance.  Many of us don’t listen to the small cues our bodies give to protect and preserve our health until we have an absolute and undeniable injury.  I’m guilty of denial not only of the cues my body gives me but also the ones my doctors have said (“Running is hard on the back” is my favorite) but I’m trying to get better.

Message from my lower back fully received, I sadly canceled my Yoga Rave date (and what might have been my last chance in October to attend my first “Rave” anything) and took my “old lady back” back to my house and cried.  Being injured sucks.  It sounds like such a selfish, whiny problem to focus on but it’s been the bane of my fitness existence for some time and it’s frustrating!

I know that I’m not alone struggling with injury.  Many other people (like Cori@OliveToRun) have been publicly talking about their injuries on social media.  It’s not like I want company for my misery but sometimes it’s helpful to see my own feelings in words that others express more eloquently (or hilariously) than I could.

To add insult to literal injury, on the day that Jay and I were supposed to see Danny Elfman, at the Nokia Theatre perform “The Nightmare Before Christmas” on Thursday, Wild Boy woke up sick with fever.  As long time Oingo Boingo fan and a lover of “TNBC”, not being able to go to this event was quite a blow. So again, I cried, and then went to take care of the poor feverish kid who really had a reason to cry.

From London; Image: Nick J. Webb

Of course being a 6 year old, my little guy felt better the next day but surprisingly, so did I!  Wild Boy was happy and not feverish and I wasn’t as achy as before.  We’re both not fully healed – we both still need rest and medicine – but we’re on the mend.

Pain and needing to pass on events you’ve been looking forward to is never fun but I’m trying to convince myself that listening to the cues to take care of our bodies will be better (for us both) in the long run (Hey, there lower back,  I’m listening to you but I’m warning you there’s a Ragnar in our future and we’ve got work to do to get there.  We are going to do this race and  finish strong, do you hear me?).

What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard about recovering from an injury?