How do you handle disappointment?

How many times have you prepared yourself for something really major maybe, it’s your first time addressing a conference or an exhibition. You have practiced your presentation, your slide show is the dogs doo dahs, you have selected your outfit for the day so you look a million dollars and when your moment comes you will shine and your presentation will be really well received and you will lap up the adulation. Then a week before the event you find that you can’t go ahead because you’ve caught Covid or some other similar virus, I’m certain you would feel gutted.

Therefore, I hope you will have sympathies for me. As you may be aware I have been training for The London Marathon. Like anyone contemplating undertaking a 26.2 mile run I have been training, I engaged a brilliant coach and we had mapped out a fabulous 6-month training regime, (well I am 64 novice marathon runner) so need a bit longer than the normal 3 months. The training includes running 10k’s and half marathons. We had agreed my diet, nutrition and hydration and everything was on schedule for a time of around 5 hours 30 minutes.

However, my body had other ideas and around 6 weeks ago I developed shin splints in my right leg. First, I tried to ignore the pain claiming the pain was midge bites or similar until that moment when I could just about walk, well limp and I realised it wasn’t a midge bite or two, but what my trainer had been saying all along, shin splints. I felt gutted like my whole world had come crashing down as I would also be letting down the people that had already sponsored me and the sense of achievement I would have got when I completed the 26.2 miles.

Now I’m really lucky as Becky who is my trainer and mentor & a friend who has known me for around 20 years & I have learned to listen to Becky, as she told me to rest. Becky then applied Kinesiology tape and uttered the words I was dreading to hear “sorry David I don’t think you can run the marathon” Now as I said I was devastated, but we also agreed if I did as I was told and did my rehab and the pain dissipates two weeks before plus I can run at least 5k with no pain then I will be allowed to run.

So I have been following a rehab plan which includes PT session with Becky, Gym sessions, 60 minutes on a cross trainer, 90 minutes on a spin bike (both low impact) and swimming. However, I know from the pain when I currently try to run it is unlikely that I will part of the run-on 2 October.

Mind you I do have the consolation to know I already have a place for April 2023 when I will be part of the Salvation Army team, so the miles/KM I have already completed won’t be wasted.

In life sometimes it can feel that we’ve been slapped across the face with a wet kipper. You can either sit down feeling lost and ready to curse whichever deity you believe in, or you can look around and ask for help. I have chosen to seek help.

If you are interested I was running to raise money for two amazing charities MS Society & C.A.L.M