Monday, 13 February 2017

Patience and Wisdom



 
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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