Greetings, Coderblog readers!
Just a few weeks back, during an early morning in Arizona, I embarked on a run. In hindsight, waiting for daylight might have been wiser, given the packed schedule I had. Yet, the urgency to fit in my run took precedence.
As I stepped out, activating the dim flashlight on my phone, a thought crossed my mind – 'I hope this doesn't turn out to be a regrettable decision.'
That question was answered almost immediately when I tripped, causing my ankle to twist severely to the left.
Despite the fall, I cleaned my wounds, assessed my ankle, and decided to persevere, completing a challenging five-mile run. Within hours, the pain escalated to the point where wearing a shoe became a struggle, and any weight on the ankle was unbearable. By evening, a pronounced bruise had formed along my foot.
I reluctantly took a ten-day break from running, elevating and icing my ankle when possible. Those days dragged on interminably. Desperate for some form of exercise and after some tentative walks, I resumed biking and then running. My wife voiced her concerns, calling me mad, but I felt compelled by the need to maintain balance during the early stages of writing a new book.
However, my recovery was short-lived. Two weeks later, on a Friday morning, with a speaking event in Kentucky on the horizon, I attempted another run before our flight. My ankle, still not fully healed, gave way once again as I descended the last step of my back porch.
This time, the pain was unbearable. Accompanied by a loud pop, I was half expecting to see my bone protruding through the skin. Uncontrollable sounds escaped me as I lay there, unable to stand, my body trembling from the shock.
In that moment, I was not just in pain but also frustrated with myself. It dawned on me that I was experiencing the 'indiscipline of overwork,' as John Steinbeck put it. Pushing beyond one's limits is a false economy, he warned. My disregard for recovery had now come back to haunt me.
At the orthopedist, I received mixed news: it wasn't broken, but I had suffered a severe sprain and possible ligament damage…
In that moment, filled with pain and self-frustration, I faced the stark reality of John Steinbeck's 'indiscipline of overwork'. The practice of pushing oneself past limits with brute force, he remarked, is the most deceptive of savings. My general overextension and neglect of recovery were now demanding their toll.
Upon visiting the orthopedist, I received a mixed diagnosis: fortunately, there was no fracture, but I had sustained a severe sprain alongside some ligament damage. This incident was a hard-earned lesson on the importance of listening to one's body and recognizing the boundaries of physical endurance. It underscored the necessity of balancing work and personal health, reminding me that real strength lies not in relentless overwork, but in wise restraint and recovery.