--Jeff Martone
"And I'll re-define anywhere."
--Metallica
Unfortunately it's injury time again. This inevitably happens when training hard, and definitely happens when training stupid. I have a tendency to be somewhere in-between hard and stupid, and so come the injuries.
This time my guess is that it's a form of golfer's elbow, or at least that's what some hasty internet research makes it sound like. I never knew golfer's elbow existed, but I guess it is akin to tennis elbow, only in the opposite direction. Huh. We learn something every day.
Injuries are certainly frustrating, but they are also a source of strength. Through the process of recovery we are forced to redefine ourselves. Ironically, the greater the recovery, the greater the potential redefinition and accompanying new strength. Of course, the strength I am referring to seems usually more mental than physical.
When I was much younger I learned (or so I thought) the best way to value something was to have it taken away for a short while and then restored. The brief "doing without" period makes us not take "the thing" for granted and causes us to value it even more. Or so it seems. Buddhists, on the other hand, would say to just let "it" go; the strength comes from the independence of doing without.
Several years ago I was really into CrossFit (which is probably not a surprise) and ended up tearing up my shoulder pretty bad. I went to a speciality doctor.
Doctor: "How old are you?"
Me: "38".
Doctor: "How did you get hurt?"
Me: "Working out on gymnastics rings."
Doctor: "How long have you been 38?"
It took me six weeks to understand his joke. It took me a lot longer to recover. The doctor's prescription was to not do anything "overhead". Really, it hurt to do most things except run. And so I did a lot of running--at least more than usual.
The idea of not being able to ever do CrossFit again really bummed me out for what seemed a long time. Then I realized that CrossFit was an activity I enjoyed, but it wasn't who I am. Big, big difference.
Realizing the difference was a huge source of self-empowerment. Even when I returned to CrossFit, I wasn't as hung-up or anal about the workouts. If I missed a day, or performed a workout with less weight than outlined, it wasn't the end of the world. I still kept accountability of my performance, but I was a lot less rigid about it. Again, CrossFit is an activity I enjoy, but it is not who I am.
This story pales in comparison with dear friends who have dealt with some real significant injuries: heart surgery, spinal, ankle and foot problems, and stomach ulcers. However, they all have one thing in common. Like the Phoenix, they have returned from their "setbacks" stronger than ever by redefining who they are.
Just as injuries are going to happen, so will "failure" in life. It is never any fun, and we surely would rather it not happen, but it inevitably will. But the gain that stems from "post-traumatic growth" is disproportional, especially in the long run. The mental strength increase will eventually cloud any losses, temporary or permanent, in the physical department.
(At least, this is what I tell myself as I ice my elbow for the next few days...) : )
