Everyone possesses qualities they consider to be limitations to their goals, including creative goals. In the Ted Talk we viewed in class, a physical limitation was present that prevented the artist from creating the art he desired to produce. While in producing visual artwork I’ve rarely run into any physical barriers, I’ve certainly experienced them in other forms of expression and outlets. More specifically, in my career as a long distance runner.
Running is, in my opinion, the most demanding sport I have ever participated in. Not only are there significant physical requirements involved in running, there are mental obstacles one must overcome in order to excel in the sport. While my mental stamina and mindset improved with each day of cross country or track practice, my body was unable to always keep up. I ran into multiple physical complications throughout my time running in high school, but the most challenging one by far was a stress fracture that cut my cross country season short, and put me in a boot and crutches for 3 months.
When I received the news that I would be out for the season just as the regional meet was approaching, my stomach immediately dropped. All of the work I put in to prove myself to my coach, my steadily improving times, and my goals of stepping on the line at the state meet suddenly vanished into thin air. I was heartbroken, and didn’t know how I would manage being thrust onto the sidelines, cheering for my teammates that I knew I should’ve been on the course with.
While I allowed myself a few weeks to mourn, I knew it was imperative that I changed my attitude. If I wanted to come back from my injury a stronger, improved athlete, there was no time to feel sorry for myself. The days I would have normally spent running I instead spent cross training at the gym, lifting weights or swimming laps in the pool. I attended physical therapy and carried out my exercises there religiously. I even received acupuncture and massages in order to fix problems that were believed to have caused my injury in the first place.
While my first run back from my injury in January only lasted about five minutes, I had never felt so liberated. Instead of feeling intimidated by the amount of physical toll I would have to endure in order to reach the level of fitness I had achieved months earlier, I viewed my road to recovery as a challenge. I was determined to not only reach my previous times, but had lofty goals to improve them in the next cross country season. And when the time finally came for my first 5k since my injury, I nearly beat my personal record from the previous year, placing first on my team.
I went on to experience the best season of running I ever had thus far, reaching the goals I had set for myself and using the struggle I faced through my injury as fuel to improve upon my skills. I not only became a stronger athlete physically, but mentally as well. While it would have been easy for me to blame any poor performance on my three month absence, I instead worked even harder to not let it define me as a runner. My hard work and determination allowed me to become a leader within my team during my final season of cross country, placing in my regional meet and competing alongside my teammates and closest friends in the state meet. I worked to embrace the struggle the previous year forced upon me in my athletic career, and was rewarded with feelings of accomplishment and sentiments of pride from others. However, more importantly, I was rewarded with fond memories that I will always remember and treasure.
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