Every one of us has times when we need to know that things will get better.
I love to run. It’s one of my passions and has become a new hobby for Mr. Mo and I to enjoy together. Last year we completed several 5K & 10K races, and three Half Marathons together. We enjoyed ourselves so much we couldn’t wait to plan our ‘even more ambitous’ 2014 race schedule! Then, four weeks ago in a burst of typical over-enthusiasm I decided to go for a long run. I sort of “forgot” how I’d been spending a lot of days and nights and weeks sitting in a chair in a hospital room or sitting in the car driving to and from the chair in the hospital room and how my body had NOT been actually running for a very long time! But, my body reminded me 2.8 miles later when I heroically ran “one more hill” to make “an even 3 miles”, and suddenly felt something in my right lower leg *SNAP!* like a giant rubber band.
Not good.
After a week of hobbling around thinking I could “tough it out”, I finally went to a doctor (just what I needed – more doctors in my life!). Sure enough, I was told I’d torn my soleus muscle! In all honesty, I’ve never heard of a “soleus” before. But, it turns out it’s a pretty important deep tissue muscle. If it gets hurt, it requires patience, special exercises, and lots of time to heal properly and be ready to run again. Almost makes me want to go around shouting in dramatic Shakespearean prose;
“My very soul hast been torn! O all heaven and earth, weep for me!”
Or not. Wouldn’t you know it? Mr. Mo and I have already registered and paid for at least one racing event each month in 2014! Our next race – a 10K (6.2 mile) – is in just a few days. I’ve been diligently working with a Physical Therapist and doing my exercises faithfully. Today, the PT agreed to give me permission to participate in this week’s race 🙂 IF I agree to “walk it”. 😦 He warned me that if I’m not very careful right now, I could cause much more damage and then I would have to walk the rest of the year! However, he promised me that if I continue to follow the prescribed plan, perform my exercises, & allow myself proper time to heal, I will be an even stronger, better runner in the end. Cool! There’s a really awesome reward waiting for me at the end of my painful & frustrating muscle-healing journey!
But…I have to keep walking to earn the reward.
Whenever I need some encouragement and a good old-fashioned pep-talk Elder Jeffrey R. Holland is the Man! I really needed this one from him today – on soooo many levels! Things are going to get better. – MoSop
“Some blessings come soon. Some come late. And some don’t come until Heaven.”
Latter-day Soprano 