Posted on May 18th, 2009 in
General
It is a magnificent day here in the northern plains. Bright, sunny, warm, you know, how it should have been a month ago. Still I am very grateful for the fundamental change in climate as we careen into summer. In the last two days the wife and I have taken the chance to ride a couple miles on “Thor” my trusty Honda VTX1800N. On those rides I have been mulling over the classic “Is the Juice worth the Squeeze?” question.
Friday training was solid, hard, and fun. Pretty much like always. Except during class I felt a twinge in my back and noticed as I was heading out that I was inclined to walk funny. Turns out I pissed off my sciatic nerve. Now I cannot recommend that anyone do this. It is uncomfortable and annoying. Talking to a knowledgeable trainer I opted for rest and stretching verses going to doc. It is, I might add, measurably better each day.
So is tweaking a major nerve worth training? Or straining a joint, cracking ribs, cauliflower ear or a sundry list of other minor but annoying injuries? They are the practical cost of admission. Sure I pay a monthly fee to train, and I own a gi and there are some nutrition costs. Yet those can all be boiled down to money. Not that money is trivial, it is rarely so. Still money is a problem of budgeting and sacrifice. Lessons that will be learned one way or another. Let me put it this way. How many people do you see in the gym in January, decked out in training duds, going gun-ho? There are lots and lots. How about in April? Not so many. Statistically a percentage of those “non-attendees” will continue to pay their membership dues, even though they will never shadow the door of the gym again. In fact the gyms count on it. So for that reason the money while a cost is really not the focus here.
The focus is on the real costs. Time is huge. In fact I would say above all time is the crucial piece of the puzzle. Lets take the 6 pack stomach for example. Ask anyone, men or women alike and they will all say they want 6 pack abs. Why not, they are attractive and rare. They are rare because they take time, dedication, discipline, and sacrifice. Everyone wants them, but few people have them. Frankly because wanting is easy, achieving never is.
The trick is passion. If there was a secret to any success story it would be passion. Simple because to be passionate is to suffer for something. Because you are passionate, while it is suffering it is not seen as an unachievable obstacle, but just another challenge. Something else that will be worked through.
I love Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. That does not mean it is easy, comfortable, or even fulfilling. What it does mean is that I work hard to be smart how I train. I am not looking at this week, but two, three or even ten years from now. I look at my challenges and understand that it is going to suck sometimes. Still the idea of quitting is not there.
I will continue to suffer minor injuries routinely. There will be weeks that I will walk funny, or sport black and blue. It is a part of it. It is part of learning.
Whether it is a marathon, triathlon, or martial arts, if there is not a heart passion about it you have embraced a phase. Something that you will grow weary with and drop for something else. You will have a garage full of sporting equipment yet no real proficiency. Which is to bad.
If you find your passion, or allow yourself to be passionate then you will find a kind of contentment. Which in a lifetime is more impressive than running a single marathon.
Jeremiah
P.S.
I feel blessed because my passions feed each other. I know that next year I will be able to race harder and truer than I could have this year because of my BJJ training. Therefore I am content to train and push and ache. There are goals to be achieved and mile markers to be tagged.
