Lessons On The Run

Yesterday I ran 3.2 miles on the treadmill in 27 minutes! Not a very fast run, yet not bad for a guy my age. What makes this run memorable is that it came only 16 days after my knee surgery! The story behind this run and the lessons learned along the way is the real story.

Before my arthroscopic surgery to clean out some old scar tissue and smooth out a small meniscus tear, I made a decision to get back to full strength as fast as possible. I asked my surgeon what I could and could not do, and set my mind to the task ahead. His response to me was “let pain be your guide”. He promised I would not harm his work, but cautioned that my knee would loudly remind me if I went too fast.

The first few days, stretching and ice were my dual companions. Push my knee to move like it used to move, and then strap on the ice to soothe its objections. Every stretching session I pushed a little further past the last, enduring the pain, but managing it also.

Life is the same. If you are going to go after a worthy pursuit, it will probably cost you a little pain along the way. Unfortunately, it seems we live in a world where pain is something we try to avoid not manage. We want our dreams, we just don’t want to suffer any on the way to achieving them. People want employers to call them out the blue and offer them their perfect job without ever having to take the menial position. We take weight loss drugs because eating right and exercise is just too hard. We divorce because actually talking through our problems and maybe getting some outside help is just too big a hassle. Sure, I wanted to walk out of the operating room and head straight to the gym, but I knew that was not going to happen. When faced with challenges of life, the decision is always the same. Am I willing to do what is necessary, including the pain along the way, to get to the desired destination.

Back to our story…

Day 4 post-op I decide to make a bold move. The knee is feeling pretty good. I have good flexibility and pain is minimal so off to the gym I go. I get on the elliptical and do 4 light miles. Not bad! Day 6 I go for four more miles on the elliptical, but this time it is 4 hard and fast miles. Pretty good! I go see the doc on day seven and he removes the stitches, gives me the thumbs up to push ahead, so off I go. And then on Day 9 I get on the treadmill! I start slow, moving the speed up every tenth of a mile. By the time I get to the half mile mark, I am running at the 11minute mile pace. I kick it up to the 10 minute mile pace and I am feeling remarkably well. But all of a sudden I feel something weird. I look down at my knee and there is a light brown ooze streaming from my knee. NO! Honestly, I was more worried about who was seeing my knee erupt like a small volcano than I was whether I had done any damage. I quickly stop the treadmill, wipe off the river of knee juice, and go to the nearest bench to look at the damage. Once again, my knee had acted a lot like life itself.

When was the last time you were in pursuit of something, when life handed you the unexpected setback. You get on the scales and discover that a week’s worth of sweat and fat-free food has netted you a 1 pound gain in weight. A job interview that is going extremely well is met by the “you are the perfect candidate, but we are not going to fill this position right now.” What you do in these challenging times is what separates those who get to the finish line and those who don’t. As I sat on the bench at the gym, I knew what I must do next. I had to gather myself, evaluate the challenge, and push ahead!

As I sat on the bench at the gym I realized two things. One was that the knee still felt good. The pain was minimal and I had good range of motion. Secondly, my Doc had told me that I might have a little oozing from the incision. The fact that it was a lot and not a little, probably was an indication that I needed to slow down a bit, so much to my unhappiness, I headed back to the elliptical. In fact I headed back to the elliptical at that very moment for four fast paced miles!

This is a great tip for all of us in pursuit of a goal. When you get knocked down, or back, or sideways for that matter, get back up and going ASAP! You can feel sorry for yourself, blame others for the setback, or persevere! The Bible tells us that trials produce perseverance, and perseverance produces all kind of spiritual and personal growth. The challenge is actually good for us. the key is to look at the setback as a teachable moment. Ask God for the strength to keep pushing forward, and for right attitude to keep us in learning mode.  Too often people who get knocked down, stay down, when God is actually trying teach us some life altering truths to better equip us for the next hurdle we will face along the journey of life.

Let’s wrap this little story up. I took a gym break until day 13 to let the incision fully heal. I kept up my stretching, the ice treatments, and a Tylenol once a day, but no more treadmill runs. On day 13 it was back to the gym for four hard miles on the elliptical. Then I jumped on the treadmill. Now, if I am honest I have to tell you that I was a little nervous. I really wanted a pain-free, ooze-free, 1 mile run, but all I could think of was the mishap I had just 4 days earlier. I start the treadmill slowly, once again speeding it up every tenth of a mile. A quarter mile in to the run I am feeling good. At the half mile point there is still no problems. At the three quarter mile point I am at the 10 minute mile pace with nothing flowing down my leg. And then before I knew it, the run was over. A small victory for my recovery! There was a bounce in my step, along with a light limp, because I had beaten back defeat and disappointment, and now I was ready for the big test.

DAY 16! My wife along this journey has been the voice of caution. She is a treasure! She is the check in my unbridled drive, the words of wisdom in my moments of foolishness, which is why I waited for her to go out of town before I attempted the final test When I got on the treadmill, I decided now was the time to attempt to run a 5K at close to my regular pace. I started the treadmill and cranked it up to the 10 minute mile pace. A mile later, I pushed to the 9 minute mile pace, and then at the 2 mile marker I went to the 8 minute mile pace. Now I am running! And everything appears good. There is a little pain and a little uncertainty in the knee, but I am doing it. Twenty seven minutes later I have completed the 5K. Sixteen days of discipline, hard-work, and a setback or two, have resulted in victory! And yet, without the pain and perseverance, there would have been no success.

It is that way with nearly everything in life. Success takes time, effort, and patience. A setback must be a learning moment, not a stop. Find the joy in the journey while keeping your eye on the finish line. Understand that as a believer, God is with you every step, in every falter. He is at work in you and for you for His pleasure. What goal do you need to get back to pursuing? Have you been knocked down lately and failed to get up? Are you in blame or defeat mode? Let’s GO! There is work to do, hurdles to cross, and for me, miles to run! I’ll see you at the finish line.

steve