I didn't listen to that inner voice that said you're pushing too hard, you need to back off and take it a little easier. 

 

Well, I did and I didn't.  I listened to it when it came to most of my life.  I have throttled back on the work mania and taken more time to go with the flow and enjoy ... thanks, in part, to your help.  But I didn't listen when it came to my training!  At all. 

 

In hindsight, I guess my body wanted a break too, but my little voice might as well have been speaking Chinese when it said to slow down and rest.  Type A strikes again.

 

But I'm getting ahead of the story.

 

I started a muscle building program at the beginning of summer.  I completed my 12-week program, even though I hit overtraining about two-thirds of the way through. I then took two weeks off and plunged right into another grueling 12-week building program.  About two-thirds through, first one elbow began hurting, then the other.

 

Although my husband ... and my gut ... warned me to take a week off, I pushed through, determined to finish what I started.  Then my knees began to hurt, and I still didn't stop!  I had a plan in place and a goal in mind and I was going to reach it.

 

Next, I pulled a hamstring.  Did I stop?  No.

 

How crazy is this sounding?

 

I kept icing all the injured areas and wearing joint braces and taking Motrin, all the while continuing to train because stopping would mean I FAILED. Ultimately, the pain became unbearable and I had to stop - two weeks before the scheduled finish of my program.

 

I went to the doctor.  Diagnosis: osteoarthritis and tendonosis.  I'm now facing physical therapy and other treatments, as well as what could be a delay in my upcoming competition prep for the 2010 season.  And, for all I know, I may have done permanent damage.

 

That's the bad news.  The good news is that although it may have taken the equivalent of the proverbial two by four to the noggin, I think I'm a little wiser for the pain.

 

 

More than anything, I think I learned that if you ignore the little pebble tossed against the windowpane, your guardian angel will throw a rock to get your attention.  Ignore the rock and she'll roll a boulder right through the middle of your house until you can't ignore the message any more.  Better to heed the warnings early.

 

I need to chill a little and learn to go with the flow rather than willing myself to fight through obstacles.  The message:  Listen to your inner guide and be more flexible. 

 

Tune in to what your intuition is telling you and trust it.  It's your connection to Source ... that which is most concerned about and protective of your well-being.  It knows what's best for you.  I got too locked in on one, and only one, acceptable outcome.  I ignored all the warning flags and couldn't see my way clear to modifying my plan when the pain and my intuition were saying, "slow down" and then, "STOP!"  All because I thought it would reflect badly on me if I didn't finish.   That seems silly now.  Pride goeth before a fall.

 

Lastly, my dedication and persistence, which is normally a strength, became a weakness when I took it to an extreme.  Hmmm.  Think about how that applies to you in your own life.

 

I don't know, maybe the only way we learn to listen to the warning to keep our hands off the stove is by being burned.   All I know is that with plenty of time now away from the gym to reflect on all this, I can promise you one thing.

 

I'm listening now.

 

Barbara