A Personal Journey

Since childhood, I had a passion for running. During my school and university days, I participated in a lot of such events. Ten years ago, however, my life changed dramatically after I was diagnosed with an explosive fracture of two vertebrae. I believed that it was meant as point of reflection and it was to test my resolution, believing that it would ultimately pass. Despite the six months that followed after diagnosis being nothing short of a nightmare, I still retained my cheerful and optimistic attitude.

As someone who had a passion for running, it was extremely painful to just stay lying in bed all day and so two months later, slowly, step by step, I learned to walk again. I had been prescribed a strict regimen for the next few months — I could either lie in the bed or stand, but it was strictly advised against running. However, I could not stand the idea of having to throw away my passion and let go of my dreams that easily. So, I strengthened my back muscles, went to a gym, swam a lot and slowly returned to my workout routine. I finally began to run, increasing the distance and reducing the pace day by day, happily chasing my portion of endorphins.

Then came the triathlon, which captured me entirely.The triathlon made me strong, decisive and stubborn. It taught me how to overcome difficulties in everyday life, helping me to regain my confidence and belief in my abilities. Triathlon helped me in producing endurance and the ability to endureskill. And it transformed me into a calm and unshakable person, teaching me discipline and endurance. I learnt that even the smallest steps help in bringing ourselves closer to our goal, just like every step counts in a triathlon. You need to plan ahead in order to truly succeed.

Perhaps one of the most important things I learned was the power of self-discipline. Using the power of self-discipline, a person can accomplish almost any objective. And I finally understood that I, like millions of other girls like me, am competent of doing things beyond our imagination if I just believe in my own abilities!