How Knee Pain Made Me a Better Person
Last week I finished a half-marathon in Pensacola, Florida. My wife and I decided to try and do a race everywhere we travel, so we signed up and ran the Gulf Coast Half Marathon and 5K. It might have been the most beautiful race I’ve ever done, winding through coastline neighborhoods, palm tree covered trails, and opening up to the white sandy beaches of northwestern Florida.
All that to say, you would think I would have been happy. And I was, but it took a minute. Leading up to the race, I experienced lots of soreness and knee pain from trying to train for the race in too short of time. While most of the time I’d say I do well at being positive, I was complaining a lot. I was sore, didn’t have enough food, and was pretty tired going into the race. But as I ran those first few miles, I found myself continuing to spiral in those negative thoughts. I felt convicted. Look where I am, I thought. I’m literally running a race in perfect 70-degree weather on one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen. So, while it may have seemed cheesy, I just started looking around and smiling. In my head, I started repeating everything in the world I could think of that I am grateful for. I kept going until I was thinking positive thoughts.
The rest of the race was amazing. I felt a surge of joy from enjoying the atmosphere around me, encouraging other racers, and waving at police officers and volunteers. At about mile 12, I even ran past a photographer and tried to smile as big and cheesy as I could. He just started laughing and said, “you’re making it look too easy!” Inside, it definitely wasn’t easy and my knees were about to give out, but I remembered that we can all choose to be grateful even when we want to be negative. I’m sure you’ve had a moment like this, too. We’ve all had a date night, a family vacation, or a typical day that we find ourselves complaining a little too much. It’s easy to let the negative take control. Sometimes all it takes is slowing down for two minutes and being grateful. It takes making the choice to find the positive and enjoy what you can in life. If you find yourself making the same mistake I did, just remember: you’re only a few choices away from gratitude.
