Sport teaches you about pain in many ways. Playing rugby I've been hammered into by big, powerful women who have then, after knocking the wind out of me with impact, then picked me bodily up and threw me to the ground. Hard.
A banjaxed cricketer knows the pain of a solid projectile travelling at 100 kph hitting him in the <ahem> 'lower abdomen'. It looks painful to me.
A footballer knows the pain of having his feet stamped on by opponents wearing studded boots, or being kicked in his ankles or knees.
I finished a charity half marathon once. I set myself a target time and had to work incredibly hard to make it. At the end my legs were like jelly, my eyes watered, I wanted to be sick and my lungs felt like they were on fire. When my wife came to me and I told her what I was feeling she said "You must be doing something right, then."
The point of all the above is to illustrate that you don't have to take part in a combat sport to feel physical pain and distress. Sport is like that. To do it well you have to give your all. Leave everything out there on the pitch in blood, tears and pools of sweat. If you don't do that, you haven't been trying.
In sport, pain is merely fear leaving the body.
There is a reward though, and it isn't necessarily in the winning. The reward comes from achieving your potential. The knowledge that you competed hard but fair. Whether you win or lose, you do your best primarily for your team, but also for yourself.
Train hard, play hard. And when you know you've done the very best you possibly could have, then you don't feel pain. Only elation.
Sep 20, 2020 @ 08:43:15
