An Unusual Pain

I love to workout!!! Most of my friends call me a gym rat because you can find me in the gym several days a week. They recently opened a new gym here and it the best thing ever invented. It was love at first sight! This gym has a cardio studio, swimming pool, aerobics classes, pilates machines, full basketball court and a track. Did you hear me? This gym has an indoor track. There are no other gyms in my city with one.

As soon as I saw the track, I flashed back to my high school days of running track and field. I used to HATE to run track and field, but I was good at it. My first year of middle school I went out for the track team. The sprinters were being timed in the 200 and everyone had to pair up. I was very small in size and also shy. I did the calculations and noticed that I would be the only person without a partner. I became nervous. So what did I do? I saw my friends running long distance and joined them when they made their way past me. In that moment I became a long distance runner. I went most of the season running the distance, but my track coach caught on. He noticed that during the mile I'd run at a slow pace for the first three laps. However, on the last lap I always had a great deal of energy and would sprint to run past all of the other runners to win the race. I did not run the other two years of middle school. However, the track coach told my mother that I really needed to run in high school.

So I enter high school and my mother told me to let her know when track season began. I sat in class daily listening to the announcements that track would start in a couple of weeks. I'd go home each day and my mother would inquire if they mentioned anything about track. I always said "no". I completely avoided track my freshman year. During my sophomore year, my mother caught on to what I was doing and asked the athletic director to personally call her when track season started. During the first practice we all lined up to run the 100. I heard all of the upperclassmen girls talking junk. I was intimidated. But, when the whistle blew, I beat them all. This is when I knew I was talented.

The three years of running track I never put forth my best effort, but I won many races. I went to State Track Meet for three years. Once I graduated college and returned home, I ended up coaching the girl's track team from my high school. Many of these girls had the same lack of enthusiasm that I had. That was the first moment that I appreciated track (although it was too late for me!)

Push ahead to 2007/2008 and the beautiful track that sat ahead of me. I relived my high school days and sprinted around the track for my cardio. I was often complimented on my speed and many were impressed. Not only would I sprint, I also started doing hurdles (without the actual hurdles). Today was one of those days. I was working it. Straight working it. My right leg would shoot into the air and my stride was tight! I think I overdid it, though, because my right quad started hurting.

Once I arrived home, I took a long bath to relax my muscle. While my quad started hurting, I had a new unusual pain. It was in the front part of my private part. What does that muscle have to do with the hurdles? When I say it hurt, I mean it really hurt. I couldn't even stand up all the way to walk down the steps. I found myself laughing hysterically because I didn't really know how to explain the situation to anyone. I couldn't get the trainers at the gym to massage my muscle because that would have been a straight invasion of my privacy. I didn't want to put ice on it for fear of freezing things that I may need later in life. I am just hoping it heals on my own. So as you go to sleep to night, please pray for me and my private part muscle. I will forever be grateful!