Roadblock
Injury is evidence of striving. It’s evidence of over striving, overachieving, perhaps over dreaming if one were to be more specific. As a runner, injury is far too common. A roadblock on what should be a straight path on towards the goal. The plan is too simple otherwise. Without roadblock, the spirit of the runner can simply push onwards, through hours of dedication and pain and boredom, peeling away weakness and revealing taut muscles and strong limbs capable of carrying the human body with speed and endurance. Potential would be so easy to achieve, the only restriction being one’s willpower. If there were no such thing as a pulled muscle, a stress fractured bone, running would be far less challenging.
But we are not as invincible as we dream ourselves to be. The best written training plan quickly becomes foolish when the body gets in the way. It is one thing to write 100 miles per week, and it is not unachievable to mentally get through. But just because the runner has the will and strength to run doesn’t mean his body does as well. It’s tempting to curse the injured limb. How dare my hamstring quit on me now, so close to my race? Where did I go wrong, that I broke my foot in my striving? How does something as stupid as slipping on stairs hinder me so severely?
Yet injury is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s so easy to feel so. The runner feels disconnected, no longer like a runner. He carries a guilty conscious to practices, watching enviously as teammates run into the woods, down secret trails, and hold their private counsels, discussing everything under the sun, nothing in particular, while he is left behind. He forgets that his spirit and theirs are of the same mold. The runner forgets that his injury is not evidence of failure, but evidence of striving. It is important that the runner does not become discouraged, as the injury is merely a roadblock to skirt around on the path to his goal. In fact, it is an opportunity to learn and grow.
So he dreamed big. He took a shot at the stars, ran until his legs gave out beneath him, and he was reminded he is mortal. So what? So much. The runner has discovered something painful about himself. He is not as strong as he had thought. Pain can only be overcome by willpower so long. He is not who he dreamed he was. But more than that, there are positive lessons to be taught, and a bit of naivety to be held on to. The runner has discovered a limitation, but that limitation is not permanent. Recovery is a long road, but it’s a beautiful reminder of how far he had come, and is an encouragement of how far he can still go. The few short miles struggled through on the first day back are the most joyous struggle the runner can experience. The excitement is back. The runner begins to strive, and push, and dream again. But this time, there is wisdom and caution. There is balance between joyous, naïve optimism and cautious, wise restrain.
From there, no one can predict the next roadblock. Perhaps the next roadblock is the tape across the finish line, requiring only a gentle surge to break past and celebrate victory. Perhaps the next roadblock is bigger than before, requiring more strength, more determination, and more pain tolerance. Patience. What matters is the dreaming, the striving, and the achieving. Both outcomes are evidence. A victory is evidence of striving, and injury is evidence of over striving. And neither are things to be ashamed of, but rather lessons to be learned and opportunities to grow. It is only a roadblock. Stop staring at it and start going around it.