When Your Body Talks, Listen

Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?

Six months ago, I slightly aggravated my Achilles tendon. It
honestly wasn’t much of a bother, until I pushed through the paces of a
marathon during the Ironman Australia triathlon in April, and wound up
sidelined from running for two solid months. Only in the past two weeks have I
ventured out to run again, and to be completely truthful my Achilles did not
feel 100% improved. But I wanted to run so badly, I ignored the signs of
continual discomfort, the signs telling me that I was not quite ready.

Last week, I was enjoying a few days off in Colorado Springs with a friend. We went for
two beautiful runs – a short one near Seven Fallsand a longer jaunt in the Garden of the Gods Park.
I tried to tell myself that my Achilles was fine, but the soreness I felt told
me otherwise. As my friend and I explored the region, we stopped for lunch in
the funky downtown of Manitou Springs. We were leisurely strolling, deciding
which way to go, when I made a sudden change of direction. I failed to see a
wire guideline anchoring a young tree to the sidewalk and caught my
flip-flop-exposed toe on a sharp end of the wire. I won’t frighten you with the
colorful details of my injury, but the end result is that I have a chipped bone
in my foot and 13 staples holding together the wound.

This, of course, will prevent me from running (or doing much
of anything, for that matter) for at least two weeks. And even though the accident
was completely unrelated to running, and is on the opposite foot as my bum
Achilles, I can’t help but think of it as a message. I wasn’t quite getting it
through my sometimes-thick-and-exercise-obsessed head that my ankle required
more rest – thus an accident which forces the issue. Henceforth, I will listen
the next time my body talks!

– Holly Bennett