Coach Tip Tuesday: Sometimes There isn't a Shortcut

Moving right along into the week…it’s Coach Tip Tuesday!!

What are we going to talk about this week??  Well, I’m here to tell you that sometimes there isn’t a shortcut.

You’ve heard me talk about it before - how we’ve become an instant gratification society and how this mindset tries to carryover into endurance sports.  Everyone wants what they want NOW.  But the truth is, there isn’t any substitute for time.

It takes time to make major gains.  It takes time to recover from injuries.  And nothing that you do can expedite that process.  More or more quickly is not better; better is better.

Many of you have followed along with the #VaderArmSaga and watched my journey play out over the last two and a half years.  And there it is right there: even though I listened to my body and I did everything (literally - everything) that my doctors advised, that my coaches advised, and that my physical therapist advised, it still took over two years to get to the point where my arm wasn’t broken anymore.  And now, even though my bones are intact and it’s been nine months since my last surgery, my body still doesn’t function 100% the way it’s supposed to and I’m still in recovery.  There wasn’t and isn’t a shortcut on the planet that can get me to full recovery.  I have to wait it out…it going to take time.  And yes, I’ve already put 2.5+ years in, but I need to put in more.  And that’s okay.

Putting patience into practice is difficult for folks, and even more so for the Type A personalities that permeate the endurance sports world.  It takes very real mental fortitude to continue on in something without seeing continuous or immediate results.  Honestly, I believe that that’s why so many people start on exercise or wellness journeys and end up stopping.  It’s hard to stick it out for the long haul.  But, like so, so many other things in our lives, the result is worth it if we do practice patience and stick it out.

If you’re managing an injury or working towards a goal, know that you can’t get around the time factor involved in either of these things.  C.S. Lewis said it best: “The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.”  All the shortcuts, icing, gadgets, dumbbells, stretching, running, and riding in the world won’t speed up those sixty minutes.  Like it or not, sometimes you just need to play the waiting game.  And you know what??  The end result is that much sweeter when you do.