Turning a Walk into a Run

It has been over two months since I injured my back and I have managed to make progress, although it has been minimal.  Each day I awake with the hope that when my feet touch the ground I will feel “normal,” whatever that even means anymore.  Each day my patience is tested over and over, begging to give in to the urge to run for miles and miles or drop to the ground and pound out push-ups.  Each day I defeat that urge with the realization that I am a runner whether my legs touch the pavement in quick successive motions or stand idle.  The starting line is always waiting for me, so I am doing my best to get there no matter how long it takes.

Dealing with an injury is never easy.  I’ve experienced too many injuries, with each one being its own unique challenge, to think differently.  I will say that since I became a runner I have never experienced an injury such as the one I am currently facing.  If you had told me two months ago that today I would be unable to run for longer than fifteen minutes or lift weights I would have laughed and said it’s impossible.  But, so goes the nature of my injury and that aggravation that accompanies it daily.

Progress has been unbelievably slow, but I have managed to keep a smile on my face.  I have learned to focus on the positive aspects of my predicament by taking pride in the small victories that take place every single day.  Sometimes it’s the ability to sit up straight for a minute longer without feeling pain.  Sometimes it’s the ability to run for a second longer without my back tensing up.  Sometimes it’s the ability to stretch just a little further.  Whatever it is and no matter how miniscule it seems, it’s still progress.  It’s a step forward, instead of a step back; a sign that things are headed in the right direction.  In life you have to focus on the positive aspects of your days and filter out the things that lead to disappointment.

Things don’t always have to be so hard.  Sometimes we tend to make things harder by dwelling on the bad and forgetting to acknowledge the good.  You have to make sure that you always do your part to make any circumstance a viable reason to improve your outlook and diligently work to focus on fixing the things you can control.  For me it’s been eating even healthier than before, which has led to a vast improvement in energy.  It has also allowed me to focus on projects that would have otherwise been left unattended.  You have to do your part to move forward, even if it means you only move a centimeter.

You have to remember that there’s a silver lining in everything, but sometimes you just have to look for it.  Progress, or at least great progress, doesn’t just happen overnight.  It’s a process that takes time and has both high and lows.  You just have to make sure that you remember all the highs and learn from the lows.  You have to build yourself back up and make yourself stronger and wiser.  I may be injured, but it doesn’t mean I have to put my life on hold.  It just means it may take a little longer to get to where I am going. I figure for now I might as well enjoy the ride and make the most of it.