Getting through the pain

I have been swimming on my non-running days and I must say that it is quite the workout. I cannot swim (well, I can swim a little more now than a couple months ago), and have been taking classes and making slow progress. Painful progress - much like my running training. Between running and swimming and dance practice for Tepper's annual International Festival, I have been working out at least four hours a DAY. By the end of the day, I am completely exhausted and my body is in constant pain. So constant, that I tend to forget about it sometimes.

A friend recommended reading the book Ultra Marathon Man by Dean Karnazes and this particular quote in the book "He who suffers remembers" (from a Fortune cookie!), struck me as very true. I am a classical Indian dancer and I've been dancing for years, but I've never been great at it - I'm good, but not the best - but I keep at it. I had to struggle with low stamina and preparing for shows was more painful for me than for others, because I had to work twice as hard to get my stamina up. I definitely did suffer, and I remember it all and the suffering made me never give up (weird, yes?). I had invested so much that I just could not give up. I wonder if it is true of all skills and of life in general. Take the Tepper experience for example - we are put through a grind in our first year, more so than other business schools, but we remember the pain and cherish it in some twisted way (after having finished that phase of course) and are proud of having gone through it, together. Makes us stronger together.

Another quote from the book about pushing yourself : "If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It should hurt like hell." Now, that is testing the boundaries.

Bottom Line: Embrace the pain now, you'll cherish it later and be better off for having gone through it.