Hello,
Fo the last 8 weeks I have been in training for a marathon. The race takes place on the 12th September and the training is building up to it's most intense. it have been a great challenge to go from running 7 miles a week to over 40.
Last Sunday I ran 21 miles at the fastest pace yet, however, by the Tuesday morning, I was unable to run at all. The intense training had taken its toll and my left knee was swollen and very painful. I had what is know as "runners knee", a debilitating condition caused by several factors, most that I was unaware of due to being uneducated in the area. Surfice it to say, I was not at all happy about life last Tuesday.
The emotions I was having were mostly centered around contempt for the offending body part. My knee was the vllian and I wanted to punish it for stopping me training. Obviously, the attitude towards the knee did not help he healing prosess at all. In fact, it almost stopped any improvement dead in its tracks. Where was my compassion and caring for all it had done so far, standing up to the immense battering of running 40 plus miles a week? There was absolutely none. Zero.
This stale mate between myself and the knee carried on for another couple of days. Even when I received a set of exercises to help handle "runner knee" from a very helpful fellow Rotarian, I looked them over with little interest, still upset by what the "knee had done to me".
Last Thursday I finally woke up to the fact that if I did not do something, the condition would not improve. So in the morning I swam and in the evening started with the exercises. Slowly at first, but as I did them I noticed the knee was getting a little better. I attempted to run on Friday morning but the pain was still there so I stopped after a short distance. I did get in some cardio and did some more of the exercises. The knee improved again over the course of the day. On Saturday morning I managed some more cardio exercise and tried to run. Again, I had to stop due to the pain.
It was then I realized how I had been treating the knee spiritually. Like a leaper, ostracised and cast out. Wow, now how would I feel if I was treated like that? Not good, that's for sure! So some bridges needed rebuilding and trust re-established. Where was my gratitude for the fantastic job my knees do. Not only supporting my running, but all my other activities?
After completely dispelling any further "bad thoughts" I had about the knee, I started looking at how grateful I was for all it had done for me. Amazingly, wave after wave of remorse and upset came off the knee. Seems I have been abusing this area spiritually for a good while. After flowing gratitude to the area a few more times, all the contempt I had been feeling started to really run out, to be replaced by gratitude and good thoughts about how the knee could help me now and in the future. By Satuday evening, the entire area was feeling much improved.
This morning (Sunday) I went out to run. Not only did I manage to run 3 miles, but at a good pace and with no pain at all. After completing the run I flowed an abundance of gratitude to the area, building on what I had done the day before. I also did the exercises again, this time with enthusiasm and love.
Such a miraculous turn round demonstrates the truly awesome power of gratitude.
Have an awesome week,
Malcolm
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