“The only guarantee in endurance sport is it’s going to hurt. And in endurance sport, you pick your level of pain. You have to learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Yes, there is the matter of talent and training, and you train to delay the onset of pain. But it’s gonna come. And it comes down to who can tolerate the most pain.”
Professional triathlete, Chris Lieto
The above quote was quoted in the Fleet Feet article: Cry and Move On
I was drawn to this article because I have been unable to run in the past week and a half due to an intense knot in my calf muscle. And the marathon is in two days.
Two.
I'm beginning to panic. I want so badly for the race to go well for me. My 20-miler was a dream. I enjoyed the run, the day, the scenery...all-in-all a great run. And I haven't had one since. Just pain. Shuddering up my leg. I can't even make it a quarter mile let alone 26.2 miles.
What to do?
Time to buck up. Run with my heart, my determination, my excitement, the enormity of the Chicago event...run with no other expectations than to finish. Finish strong. Run the best to my ability given my current circumstances.
The author closes with, "To give in, to relent, is to hide not only from the pain, but from your true potential. Don’t sell yourself short because of pain. Don’t adopt a habit of surrender. So it hurts—so what? Pain is just a feeling, and feelings pass. Are you going to let a feeling beat you?"
It's been 5 years since I've dreamed about running the Chicago Marathon. And pain or no pain, I will run.
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