Monday, February 2, 2009

Cricket cramps turns into superbowl day off

I took all the precautions. I dosed up on magnesium and calcium for up to three days before. I made sure I didn't overindulge in food. I only had one game this weekend, not two. I took lots of liquids, a water, a 1 orange juice - 5 water mix, and the same mix with apple and guava. 4.5 litres of liquids. I only ate a light, nutritious breakfast.

Still, once I was out in the 37 degree heat trying to chase that little red ball, I was cramping like crazy. Hot damn I hate cramping. It is partially the price I pay for my laziness, but also has been a constant fight all of my sporting life, happening even when I was super fit. This one was even a variation - the normal extreme pain radiating off the hamstring that shoots the leg dead straight, with a wraparound conflict between the quads.

I kept playing, requesting a bit of mercy from the captain, and he put me in point - nothing requiring a big run came my way, thank goodness. When it came time to bat, we were not in much trouble, but we just couldn't score well enough. Nursing my injury, I dropped myself to nine. When I came in, it was 8 runs an over required. I tried hiting out, but kept finding fielders, and eventually got dismissed. I ran a few runs, but didn't make much difference. We couldn't make the runs. After the game, I did the right thing, and got straight back into the mag-cal, with a warm shower, and then went straight to bed.

11 hours sleep was not enough. When the 7am alarm went, I tried to make my feet and get to the shower - not happening. Still stiff as a board, I called myself in as sick, and rolled back over to attempt sleep. Not happening. I spent the next hour manually messing with my leg in order to get it moving, whacking and stretching in enough to make it to the shower. Once I got in, the hot water did it's magic and gave me reasonable movement, and I wondered what I would do with my day. Hey, wait a minute, it's superbowl Monday!

I called the only person I knew who would not be at work, Sui, and told him to get on over. It was time for a very impromptu superbowl party. Being typically Australian, he didn't even know it was on, and had never done the party before. I limped down to the shops and laid in the supplies - hotdogs, sauerkraut, a sixer of millers, a sixer of budweiser. The rule is that you buy the cheapest american beer you can find - they had a tie, so we grabbed one of each. Sui didn't think the dogs would cut it, so he grabbed some nacho's fixings as well.

I did all the hotdog cooking and preping, and then got myself laid out straight on the couch to nurse the leg. Sui was behind me, painting some 40k figures. He has recently gained the urge to paint, and I couldn't sit in a chair, so he got the crafty-artist seat.

Luckily it was a good game, with plenty of action and stayed nice and close, and the 100 yard intercept was awesome to watch. If I was well, I would have been at work and missed it, but it was nice to take advantage of my cringing agony to watch the superbowl. First one in about three years.

7 comments:

Nautilus said...

Cramps a bitch and it sounds like she's got you bad!

I was on target to run a 3hr 30min marathon (fast for me) when at the 37km mark I get hit so hard and suddenly by a hamstring cramp I actually thought I had torn the hamstring.

Got going again only to be hit twice more and ending up running a 3.42 instead.

Ysambart said...

It sounds like you are 20 times fitter than I am. A marathon is just never going to happen using my busted body! Well done you getting through at all.

And yeah, it was a good one, and I know my cramps are enough to tear my muscles, it has happened before, so once they start I have to be extra careful. Don't they tickle :)

Chaz said...

Never really got cramps but got shin splints bad once took nearly a month to get over it..(still did the city to surf, just with a crap time)

Chaz said...

YC have you got Dawn of War 2 yet?

Anonymous said...

I actually had the day on the couch as I have sprained my knee. First superbowl I've seen in maybe 10 years.

Ysambart said...

Dammit. If I had blogged it earlier maybe... maybe neither of us could have driven a car to the other persons house anyway! Heh. Injuries. At least it was a kickass game.

Ysambart said...

Dawn of War 2- My PC is (deliberately) about three years behind. I play on a $100 machine and have a limit of paying $10 per game. I just wait stuff out. I only played DOW 1-3 last christmas when I was given the three pack. It was pretty cool. With my several major hobbies, I have tricks to make each of them as inexpensive as possible. Otherwise having a real go at medievalism, miniatures, computer games, paintball and cricket would not be compatible with having food to eat :)