Photo from blisstree.com

The first month of this year, for me,  has been all about pushing myself. Getting stronger legs (flipping the tire). Working my weak spots (flipping the tire). Not letting my head get in the way of what I want to be.

But I had a stark reminder today that it’s really important to realize I do have limitations.   And there’s probably a fine line between pushing myself and hurting myself.

I love Blisstree.com  The writers there just seem to read my mind and post things I have been thinking about or wondering about  (Really, Alec Baldwin lost 30 pounds and he was thinking about his health …. what the what?)  in a timely manner. There’s lots of new stuff there every day and it’s informative, inspiring and witty all at the same time. But I digress.

I love the feature they do on women athletes  called “That Girl.”  I was taken in  by this one about powerlifter, Dana McMahan. I’ve really gotten into weightlifting in the past year or so and so the topic was what hooked me. But I clicked through to her blog and started reading her very compelling story.

Long story short, she was never an athlete, but is a writer and got hooked on competitive powerlifting.  After a lot of hard work (which she chronicles in her blog) she completed a squat of 200 pounds (this woman weighs about 100 soaking wet). Then she suffered an injury that has ended her powerlifting “career.”

Her story made me cry. And it really made me think.

While it’s great to have passion, sometimes you have to take the emotion out of your training. Our bodies are designed to tell us to stop before “somebody gets hurt.” The problem is, the body often tells us to stop LONG before we’re going to get hurt. Knowing that, it’s possible to get caught up in the “push, push, push” mentality. And while that works for a while, there comes a point where your body says “stop” — no kidding.

Here’s a quote from Dana’s post following a post MRI trip to her doc:

I’m 37. I’m by no means old, but I have to show my body some respect if I want it to serve me well into my old age. I’ve learned how crucial it is to listen to your body. Mine had been telling me for weeks and weeks that something was wrong. I ignored it.  I don’t think it’s that I’m stupid, although in hindsight it sure looks dumb. I just truly didn’t think anything bad could really happen. This was my wake-up call.

So my message today is: While you’re planning your next goal and the training it takes to get there, make a pledge to yourself that you will always do what’s in your best interest.  That you will be patient and kind to the only body you get. That you will take the familiar mantra “train smarter, not harder” to heart.

And you will stop before the universe sends you a “wake-up call.” Let Dana’s wake up call be your wrong number.

Nancy Tipton is an athlete who likes to run, cycle, hike and climb (when not working as a Web developer, writer and editor at the Journal). You can reach her by email here: fit@abqjournal.com