How do you respond when your PLAN falls apart?
When your plan falls apart, how do you respond?
We all want things to go ACCORDING to our PLAN. Rarely does life agree with us.
How we respond to life's challenges will determine how far we can go with our STRONG LIFE pursuits.
This morning I was set to begin week four of my new running program.
My knees were bothering me from the last run two days ago but I figured they'd be fine by today.
Nope.
I only made it through ten minutes of the run/walk before I had to stop running.
Inside me there was a battle raging. I don't want to quit but I know it's not smart to continue this way.
I decided to walk uphill for the rest of the workout.
As the pain in my knees subsided, the battle within my mind continued. I knew I had to push myself and continue when it was uncomfortable.
Quitting was NOT an option.
I'll go an extra five minutes, I told myself.
Once I finished that, I went another five.
And another.
At the finish I was good and sweaty, my heart rate was up and I felt proud of myself for pushing through.
Even though my plan didn't go as I wanted, I still made the most of the session.
A younger me would have kept running and delayed the recovery process.
The new me listened to my body and realized my knees were telling me something.
They need a break from all the squatting I did in recent years. Adding all this extra cardio (especially running) has been a lot to adapt to.
I need to let the knees heal up more before increasing the running as the program outlines.
Even though I'm following a program, that doesn't mean I blindly follow it, no matter what.
After two decades of training in the gym, I know when to push forward and when to pull back.
There's always SOMETHING you CAN do in the gym.
It might not be what you planned. And that's ok.
Live to fight another day.
Still push hard and challenge yourself, but know when to adjust on the fly.
It's a skill. You don't just learn it by going to the gym.
You need to pay attention. Listen. Adapt, adjust and be open to change. That's how you grow and evolve on your journey.
A good coach will help you with this process.
You can grow much faster when you have an outsider looking in to assess what you really need and what training will be OPTIMAL for YOU.
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