How do I listen to my body if it won't warn me?

As Masters swimmers, we hear this advice often when it comes to questioning if we are doing too much and taxing our bodies too much: “Listen to your body…” HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO LISTEN FOR IF IT TELLS YOU AFTER THE FACT??? Ironically, just after submitting this article to Swimspire, my body decided to crap out on me all at once. After having a positive period of several months of training in the pool where I was feeling (and doing) great, it all of a sudden went downhill. One day I felt great after a terrific workout, and the next day, I didn’t. That following day, an elbow injury* from February and a shoulder repetitive stress injury** from March—both land-based injuries that had not affected my swimming at all—came into the pool with me. I previously had been able to swim all four strokes with no pain; the shoulder only hurt at night when I tried to sleep on it, and the elbow was only sensitive to the touch and if I bumped it. I backed off when my shoulder and elbow started to bother me, and I spent the workout doing easy drills. When it came time to doing breaststroke kick, I started to ache in my right hip—the side I had operated on in December of 2014 for a labral tear and psoas (hip flexor) release. I immediately stopped and switched to freestyle, but that started aching, too. This went on for a few days. I kept backing off yardage and speed, and I avoided race-pace; however, it was too late. My left shoulder, right elbow, and right hip just felt bad. Knowing I would have the National Senior Games coming up next month, I thought it best to have my shoulder and elbow checked out for a diagnosis. I made the mistake of going to a chiropractor recommended to me by a former USMS member in my city who broke a World Record. This swimmer credited his chiropractor for staying healthy and being able to stay in competition as long as he (the swimmer) did, because he had chronic shoulder problems due to land-based injuries. To make a long story short(er), it was a big mistake. The chiropractor’s shoulder manipulation made it worse, and I may have a labral tear. My MRI shows bursitis and osteoarthritis, but my orthopedic surgeon says I may have a labral tear as well (based on yesterday’s exam). I didn’t let the chiropractor get near my hip, but my surgeon says I either aggravated the scar tissue (again) or tore the labrum (again). Meanwhile, I was also diagnosed with elbow tendonitis (tennis elbow). It was like everything blew up at once with no warning. As soon as I felt a problem, I backed off and did something else instead; however, I ended up out of the pool very quickly. Needless to say, I’m S.O.L., because three limbs are far from 100%, eliminating the option of kick or pull sets. Instead, I’m doing my doc’s prescribed “Thrower’s Ten Exercise Program”. Many of those exercises I was already doing to prevent a problem! Although I had been doing USRPT, I thought I was doing well in my training. I had cut my yardage down after my hip surgery, I built in easy days, I was doing dryland to stay healthy, and I felt GOOD! Just the day before my blow-up, I was getting really excited for National Senior Games and feeling very positive. I also thought I had overcome the physical issues of my past that I believe, in part, had to do with some hereditary auto-immune systemic issues (I AM my father’s daughter!). Instead, I think it came to kick me in the *&$. In no uncertain terms, my body told me it couldn’t handle my training regimen. My mind was 100% motivated; however, my body said STOP NOW! So, dear Forumites, for those who actually read this far, I’m at a loss. Staying motivated to get into the pool has never been my problem; it’s learning how to cope when I have to stay out or cut it way too short! *Elbow injury: I lifted a wood display case by the handle and pulled it up and over another case. I felt a pain in my elbow at the joint, but only to the touch. **Shoulder injury: The following month, we went to the Dominican Republic and volunteered at a cacao plantation that was part of a women’s co-op chocolate factory. To protect my elbow, I used my non-dominant “healthy” arm to pass small bags of soil (for seedlings) in a “bucket brigade”. Too much repetitive motion caused shoulder pain. Again, it was just sore at the joint, and it didn’t hurt when I swam.