Injuries

Getting injured is a part of any sport. Actually getting injured is a part of life, especially if you live an active life. Whenever I get hurt, people inevitably tell me that I'm accident prone. No, no I'm not. I'm active. I may get hurt every once in a while, but for the amount of activities I do, I'm actually quite safe.

I have always said that I would never let my running or cycling take over my life, that I wouldn't be afraid to live my life just because I might get hurt and risk missing some time. I've been thinking a lot about this, especially now that I have to take a few days off because of my ribs, and the subsequent back spasms brought on by favoring my left side.

It's hard to know that because of something you did, that in one instant, all the fitness you have worked so hard to get will all be lost, to know that day by day, that fitness is leaving you, and there's nothing you can do about it. Maybe I should just stay in my room except when I go out to run.

I've decided that I can't live my life like that. My wild side is something that makes me who I am. I may get hurt now and then, and that may not be the best thing for my fitness, it may not be the best way to get to my goals, but I truly believe that living a full life, that experiencing everything you can trumps being cautious and timid.

That may mean getting hurt occasionally, but the beauty of endurance sports is that the pursuit of fitness never ends, it is ever-present. An injury gives you the opportunity to come back more motivated and hungrier than ever before.