Limitations. We all have them. Some are physical, some are psychological, some are hidden. All can be overcome in one way or another.
A few years ago, I was training for a half-marathon. The training was going well until I had a week-long trial. As many of you know, the stress of a trial takes a toll on your body. My immune system was taxed and I suffered from an intense cold the following week. My training was put on hold during that time.
When I returned to training, my speed was off and I found it more and more difficult to breathe. “It’s the after-effects of the cold,” I told myself. Fellow runners told me “after being sick, it takes a few weeks to get back where you were.” After a month and half of training, I still was not to the pre-trial point. I am not a quitter, but I was getting discouraged.
Then, one beautiful afternoon, I was running home from work. I was about half way home when I felt like I hit a brick wall. I couldn’t catch my breath and the U2 song in my earbud got incredibly loud. The next thing I knew, a voice in my head was yelling at me to “get up!” Another voice was pleading “no, let me stay here awhile.” My eyes fluttered open and I realized that I was on the ground, blood was running down my face, and my $110 sunglasses were shattered. I had passed out.
It turned out the cold had nothing to do with my difficulties.
I saw my doctor, and he referred me to a cardiologist and an ENT doctor. My trouble breathing was due to scar tissue build up in my trachea resulting in a 30% reduction of the amount of air reaching my lungs. I passed out due to scar tissue build up in my heart causing a right bundle branch block and tachycardia. All that scar tissue had been building up since I had open-heart surgery when I was four years old.
Laser surgery opened up my trachea. A pacemaker has kept my heart going strong. Since undergoing both procedures I have run more half-marathons and even completed a triathlon.
If I had just given up when things got tough, I would never have learned what was actually holding me back. By working with my doctors, I was able to learn what the true problems were, and we were able to overcome these limitations.
We all have our own hidden limitations. Much like my doctors, an effective coach can help you discover what hidden limitations you have and create plans on how to overcome them.