For about a month I was scared that I had another inguinal hernia. The first one I had was when I was in 7th grade. After getting an appointment on March 16th, I got the good news that it wasn’t one. However, there was no clear answer to what was causing the pain. I couldn’t do a sit up, cough, laugh, or sneeze without pain. The most likely explanation is that it was a type of strain that was just taking its precious time to heal and not getting the rest it deserved.
So, I took a few weeks off with very minimal activity. I’m back at it now with only small hints of pain that subside with each passing day.
The Leading Cause
For January and February, I turned up my running without taking away from my jiu jitsu time. Using the social aspect of my Garmin watch I created a running challenge with my friend in Madison, WI. I ran 69 miles in January and nearly 48 miles in February, backing off a bit near the end of February when the pain started. All this running along with my regular jiu jitsu routine was the most likely cause of the pain.
I turned 46 on the slopes of Keystone in Colorado on February 11 this year. Spending three straight days of skiing in Colorado along with my age were also key contributors to the pain I was feeling.
On January 7 2023, I found a fourth stripe on my belt after a workout up at Ironworks Training Facility. Those pieces of tape, although pretty meaningless in the grand scheme of things, provide a sense of accomplishment and pride, as well as some much needed reenergized motivation.
Now that spring is upon us and I’m feeling better, that motivation is kicking in. With only a paltry 5 training sessions in February and 6 in March, I’m itching to dive back in.
The Shaw Show 