Climb01742
10-08-2006, 07:13 AM
for a while now i've been working on some body issues. lately i've been seeing a PT and having him do some pretty intense work on breaking up scar tissue. now i'm working with a strength coach to correct some instability and muscle imbalances. both involve some serious (but good) pain. it struck me that being an athlete is built, at least in part, on a belief that on the other side of pain is something better. many workouts (like intervals) are built on this premise: that pushing our bodies to a tough place, and pushing past that tough place, yield results, growth, improvement. most folks tend to avoid pain. most athletes use it as a marker, as a threshold. nothing profound here but it just struck me that most athletes trust that pain (again, the good kind) leads someplace better. when you're in the midst of the pain, you question that belief. but again and again we say it's worth it to get to a better place. improvement and pain seem to go hand-in-hand. which is both daunting and somehow comforting.