Hi. I want to share a story from my personal life with you, that you may find helpful in living your own. When i was in high school i ran for 2 years in cross country and 3 years in track. I was a sprinter, and my favorite race was the 400 meter run. In my last year out i was the fastest runner of it at my school. And you know what? My favorite race to remember out of all of them wasn't any of the times that i got first place and a gold medal. It was the race where i seemingly experienced the biggest defeat. It was the 400 meter run, and was at a home meet during my last year of track, with a number of strong schools present. I had the benefit of having the innermost lane, which i always liked so that i could see where the other runners were throughout the race until i passed them. I realized just how fierce the competition was 150 meters into the race, when i wasn't catching up with people like i usually would. So i poured it on all the harder. When we came around the final turn with 100 meters left to go, one of the guys was way ahead of everyone else; another guy was around halfway between me and the lead runner; and then another guy right beside me was just barely in front of me and not slowing down any -- and i found myself fighting just to get 3rd place. The roar of the crowd pushed me further, especially because it was a home meet and all. But with 75 meters to go, i could feel that my legs just couldn't keep up the fast pace anymore and needed to slow down. Most people would have naturally done so, i think that normally i would have. But i was really wanting to get at least 3rd place, and felt certain that at any time the guy beside me was going to start slowing down and i would pass him, and so i kept pushing on as fast as i could anyway. And then with 50 meters left to go, it happened. Right there in front of the bleachers with everyone watching and cheering, my left leg gave out on me. It just couldn't handle what i was asking of it anymore. I stumbled several steps, arms swinging wildly as i tried to maintain my balance, and then managed to tuck my head in as i tumbled head over heels. The "Awwww!" of the crowd reverberated through my ears, but i was so in shock from the impact and the adrenaline that i didn't feel the least bit embarrassed as i sat there for a second recovering. And then, though i felt very dizzy and weak, i managed to push myself up off the ground and jog as fast as i could the rest of the way to the finish line. Half of my supporters seemed greatly disappointed, while the other half applauded me for having finished the rest of the race anyway. But the reason why that's my favorite race to remember is because it's the race where i know that i gave it everything i had and then some. All of my other races in both cross country and track i sometimes wonder if maybe i could have pushed myself a little harder and ran it a little faster, but for that one race i pushed myself past my breaking point and found out exactly where it was and what i was capable of. And i think that the same goes for our day-to-day lives. When great challenges arise and we're pushed past our breaking point, though we may bitch and complain "Why me??", it is at such times that we learn what we're capable of in how well we handle things. Lykan
Nice story, I think the story also tells people that they should pay attention to their bodies more. But I think it is good to test your limits, you never know what will open up before you.
