Setbacks, Training and Injuries can be like the game of Chutes and Ladders!

This morning my son wanted to play Chutes and Ladders right away. We had a great time and he beat me again! Earlier this week a fellow blogger named Amy Glass (+AmyGlass) posted about an injury that will set her back a bit. I know that she will come back from her injury even stronger than before and she will learn many lessons along the way! This reminded me of the parallels to training, injuries and the game we call life.

When training for a long distance race not too long ago, I had a tough time with an easy training run. It was discouraging to me. I talked to a fellow runner and he said “Ah, it like the game Chutes and Ladders…..sometimes you have to go back a number of spaces. “

Not to worry he said, you have to keep the end goal in site and not get discouraged or too far ahead of yourself. This is great advice and it can be applied to the occasional setback or injury.

Sometimes our plans can get compromised or go south. Not to worry, there is always tomorrow or the next phase. Also, I am reminded daily that it is not about winning. I have found that the journey is more fun than the actual result.

Just don’t tell my son that. He loves beating his Dad at Chutes and Ladders!