Look How Far You Have Come

My physiotherapist manipulated my swollen Achilles tendon. “So, how far do you run every day?” she asked. “Mmm, about 14 km a day,” I replied. “What’s your time?” she asked. “5 minutes 45 seconds a kilometre,” I replied.

“You have Tendonitis. Reduce your running to 8 – 10 km every other day, slow down your time and avoid hills,” she commanded.

It has been quite a blow since I’m training for the Comrades Marathon in June and this has put a crimp on my plans.

So, for the past two weeks I run 10 km at a pace of 6 minutes a kilometre every other day. I feel as if I’ve gone backwards. I feel as if all my hard work is for nought.

But have I gone backwards? How many folks would like to be able to run 10 kilometres in 6 minutes a kilometre? How many folks would be able to run 10 kilometres in any time? Something that I’m doing injured. What I think of as a failure at the moment would be a huge achievement for them.

I’ve forgotten that I’ve never averaged 5 minutes 45 seconds a kilometre in all the years I’ve been at it. And, it’s closer to 5 minutes a kilometre when I run at the coast. It has only been since July 2016 that I’ve started averaging this time. Before this I’ve clocked in at around 6 minutes 10 seconds a kilometre. Even running injured I’m still doing doing better times than I’ve ever done before. And, I’m doing it at 53. This has to be some kind of achievement.

I think I’ve come far when it comes to running, at least.

If I dig a little deeper, I find that I’ve come far in a lot of other areas besides running. As a writer I’ve notched up a solid record of writing. I have more than 3 million words under my belt; six book and close on 400 articles published. As a professional speaker and trainer, I’ve conducted more than 500 interventions. I’ve spoken in Iran, Australia and Italy. So, I think I’ve come a little further than I thought I had and had some fun in the process too.

I’ll bet if you dig a bit you’ll realise that you’ve also come a lot further than you thought. You’ve achieved more than you ever hoped you would. And, sometimes you have surprised yourself and achieved things you never thought you would. You are valuable and valued by all those you come into contact with.

Your path and purpose may not always be clear. But know that the world has been waiting just for you. It’s waiting for you to pitch up. It’s waiting for you to claim your destiny.

Go on, look how far you’ve already come and look how far you still have to go. Look at how much you’ve done and how much you can still do. Look at how much you’ve grown (even though you think you haven’t). This must fill you with excitement. If you’re standing and conscious it means that you’re still in the race. You still have a crack at fulfilling your heart’s desire.

Look how far you’ve come. Be still. Be grateful.