“Frustration is the first step towards improvement. I have no incentive to imrpove if I’m content with what I can do and if I’m completely satisfied with my pace, distance and form as a runner. It’s only when I face frustration and use it to fuel my dedication that I feel myself moving forwards.â€- John Bingham (No Need for Speed)
That quote struck a cord of familiarity – I feel frustrated now while I’m running, because at some stage I know that I could run faster than I am at the moment. At some stage I could run 30 minutes without the need to walk every 3 minutes. Sometimes during the course of running/walking, I feel the need to go a little further, a little faster. Then I realise that if I overdo it now, I’ll regret it later. My body needs to get used to the effort it takes to run again. It has to learn anew how to run, no matter how much frustration flows through my veins. Improvement might be slow, but in due time there will be improvement and when I look back on the day that I started, years later, I’ll notice a huge amount of improvement.
Going out too fast too far too soon will only result in injury, delaying that much wanted improvement.
I remember years ago I sprained my ankle – it became so swollen it looked like a tennis ball and went purple all around my foot. For weeks I hid it from my coach and mom in an effort to be able to go to the National Cross-Country Championships. I ran through the pain (I know, I know, I shouldn’t have) and finally made it to the big day. During that race the intense pain I felt had me frustrated with myself and the fact that I just couldn’t go faster as I wobbled along. I lost focus on the race – something I would regret for seasons to come. I shouldn’t have run, I know that, but at that age (16 years of age), you might only have a single goal in mind and not think any further than that goal. Had I taken some time off I would still have been able to run during the National Championships, but I would have done much better than I did. And I wouldn’t have had to rest for the next 2 months and miss the next big championships that I was looking forward to so much.
So for now I’ll be content with the frustration of not being able to run without walking, knowing that soon I’ll be fit enough to run for 30 minutes … and then I’ll let the next frustration take over.
