Try and Fail, But Don't Fail to Try!

Failure- it is a big word- which comes from the French root meaning to fall, not succeed. When I emerged out of my laziness?? To run this Sunday?. I thought I will follow my friends? run together? laugh- and will do the distance like we always do. However, it was not to be. After a 10 day hiatus, I attempted an ambitious 21k. All was fine for the initial 8k- and then a niggling pain began in my right leg. The pain from my left leg had traveled to my right! How was that possible? Anyway. It was so. And I trudged on. Cut my pace. Psyched me and kept going. Reached the halfway mark and rested. Stretched. Took a deep breath and started to Run. 2 km into the return the pain increased. Savio was waiting there and I told him that I would not be able to finish. He said he would find me a little ahead. And from here on began my true test of endurance. I continued on at snail's pace and the pain became a part of me. As I walked for some part and tried to run, I went another couple of kilometers- Savio finally found me at the 15k mark. As I sat on his scooter there was a deep sense of regret. The bad feeling of giving up. I felt I could have finished it slowly, but that's not the way I should do it, he said. Then Savio gently reprimanded me- about attempting a full race distance without practice.

Even if you don't run for 3 days your body forgets how to run, he said! And here I was- after a long 10-day break! Then we drove off only to find Nimisha, Suvir, and Anil, further down the road. After giving them water we headed back towards the finish at Nariman point. Some of the others had finished and some were finishing just about then. As we discussed the run, I said that I ran 15??? But all I could think about then was the 6k I didn't run! How am I made so!? Everyone ran 21k- along various routes- Niyati wanted to run 18K and she finished it. But for me! I gave up. Everyone stretched but I wondered what it wasn?t worth stretching since I ran the ONLY 15k. So how come the 6k I didn't run negated the 15 that I did? As I stumble through my running? I learn an important lesson of life This small failure has taught me perseverance. Like doing badly in a test- .when my son was in the second standard he did badly in a subtraction test? both he and I worked hard.in the following review after a month he got full marks. he realized the importance of practice as this is an example I often use with him as we struggle now with his eighth standard algebra! I am happy that he learned this lesson- early, and more importantly easily. He has to now make it a way of life. I seem to have forgotten it. Hard work? continually- is the only way. A big mistake, they say, is one you don't learn from.

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