I have broken…
Last week was the first time I ran up a mountain again. My injured foot felt normal. I started to trust it again.
I started to look a bit further than just the next day. I sat down and planned the next two weeks. Slow reduction of hours on the bike and an increase in running time. Cautious planning. But with a gut feeling that I will soon be back in the mountains full-time.
Wednesday – Easy flat recovery run. I take a left turn in the woods. I step on a foot-sized rock that I have stepped on for the past four years. This time it feels soft. Why does a stone feel soft?
I feel my body mass shifting. The rock gave way. I’m closing in with the ground. Left arm first.
This is where things get fuzzy. I fell. I don’t know exactly how. I shake it off and have a quick check. My hand feels a bit stiff. So do my quad and my hip.
Nothing serious. I finish my run.
6 hours later my wrist is a bit swollen. It’s the first time a thought popped into my mind about a more serious injury.
6 hours later I can’t sleep. I can’t move my hand. I’m in pain.
6 hours later I leave the hospital with a shiny new cast.
I have broken my wrist. Four weeks in a cast. There goes my return to running.
Somehow I’m not sad. I’m not angry. I’m actually quite motivated. This summer threw so much adversity in my direction that I completely adopted a flexible mindset.
I can still ride on the indoor bike. I can still figure out if I can get an arm splint instead of a cast to make the indoor sweating a bit more tolerable.
I have puzzle pieces laid out in front of me.
There are more pieces than I need to create a nice picture. I only have to figure out what pieces fit together.
My running return will be delayed. A piece that will not fit right now.
Other pieces will fit.
Foot, leg and core strength? Sure!
Upright on the home trainer, spinning along? Big, yes!
Mental preparation for my next race? Of course!
Long walks with my camera? For sure!
More time for reading and writing? Already looking forward to it!
The point is that setbacks are always an opportunity for growth. Will I not feel like sitting on the trainer again while the weather is nice outside on some days? I’m certain. But I also know that the vision I have for myself is bigger than a four-week setback. It shows someone who takes responsibility. Someone who knows that nothing always goes up. Someone who knows that there is always more than one option.
When I look back on my life it’s rarely the phases where everything worked out all the time that I remember. It’s the times in which I struggled and overcame that give me confidence and hope today.
A collection of setbacks that cast a small shadow on today's life because I was strong enough to let them be an opportunity for growth.
This broken wrist is a growth opportunity.
What are your opportunities for growth?