Just over a year
ago our family dog tore a tendon in her back leg running into our retaining
wall while chasing crows. In a matter of seconds this dog who was use to
running 10km a day with the energy of a puppy was unable to walk or even to
stand up on her own. Her vet told us
that our best hope was that she would eventually walk short distances with a
limp and be extremely restricted to what she was able to do. This was my km maker, my peaceful buddy for
my walks and the furry family member that went anywhere possible with us, so
this was devastating news for all of us.
The routine we had was out the door and I found myself having to sneak
out of the house with my running shoes, ducking as I went by the windows, only
to return to her look of ‘I know where
you went and you forgot me!’ Unwilling
to accept her prognosis and determined not to give up, we set up a slow rehab
routine for her. It started with lifting
her 90lbs down the 3 stairs so she could use the bathroom to slowly walking
only to the bottom of the driveway and back to eventually after a couple of
months being back up to 5km a day with no limp! The process was slow and
frustrating for her but in the end gave her back a life she loved.
All this to say
that there is so much to having patience and progressing wisely when dealing
with injuries. I seem to be learning
about this continually in my training, usually the hard way. There seems to be a fine line as to how far
to push yourself. Go too far and you go back 3 steps from the 1 step forward
you just made, or never push yourself past what is comfortable and safe and you
will never get better or progress to your potential. This whole process can be
frustrating, discouraging and full of learning curves, but it’s in these
moments where you can learn an incredible amount beyond just the physical
injury, if you are willing and open. So as I try to figure out a couple of
issues at this moment I am trying to have patience, I am fighting the
frustration, I am trying to do all I can to take care of the issues and at the
same time not stop or give up but make wise decisions as to what to do and how
far to do it. Oh so much to learn!
Alana
Regier
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