Michael Fout:
Let Me Be Fearless
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #4)
Posted April 24th, 2008 at 6:06 PM by Michael Fout
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Elite Athlete Blogs, Michael Fout
Welcome to the official blog of 2007 Footlocker Cross Country National Champion Michael Fout! Make sure to bookmark the link http://michaelfout.thefinalsprint.com and check back every other Thursday for Mike’s latest entries as he completes his senior year of high school running and begins his NCAA career at Florida State!
Someone once said, “Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it.” For those who do not know, I have been dealing with injury for some time now. Up until last week, I had not run since March 22. I had, and am recovering from, a stress fracture in my right tibia. Sure, injuries are no fun, but the fact is that most of us will come across one at some point in time. I have had my fair share of injuries, and they never really get any easier to deal with, but you learn to deal with them in different ways.
The first time I had a serious injury that kept me out for a cross country season, I found myself getting very worked up about it. I felt that it was extremely unfair and I constantly questioned why it would be happening to me. Then, I started to pray about it. My prayer can basically be outlined by the quote above. I prayed and asked for God to give me the strength and courage to get through the injury. I prayed that he would give my body all that it needs to fully recover. I prayed that he would allow me to make all the right decisions regarding the injury. And then I thanked him. Most would ask why I would do such a thing. Why thank God when he has allowed such an injury to occur? Well, I thanked him for every step that I was able to take that was pain free. I thanked him for putting me in a sport that I loved. I thanked him for allowing me to excel at the sport in which I participate. And I even jumped the gun a bit and thanked him for healing me. I was not yet healed, but I knew he would heal my body. I knew I would be back on the cross country course or on the track again some day. I do not want to preach to you and tell you that you must do these things, but if you feel that nothing is working, turn to God.
So, what did I do this time around? Well, I am proud to say that I didn’t even curse God once. I did not ask why it was happening to me. Instead, just as I did in times past, I thanked God. I asked him for strength a Ind courage. I am extremely thankful for each stride I am able to take without a shooting pain. I have learned to not take anything for granted. Heck, what more can I ask for? I feel that I had a dream season in cross country. I give all of the praise I receive for that race to God. He is the one who has helped me get to that level. However, although I am extremely thankful for that, I cannot keep going back to last cross season. This is track season. As greedy as it may sound, I want more. I am not satisfied, I am still hungry.
Now that I am back to running, I am a much happier person. I feel that I still have time to accomplish the goals that I want met. After every run that I complete, and even during my run, I thank God. Running is basically my life. Running is my passion. To have it taken away from me for short periods of time is not fun, but it helps me to refocus myself and realize how much I truly love and appreciate the sport. I hope you, too, can get everything you can out of running. Do not take it for granted. Again, thank you much for reading, and best of luck in all that you do.
- Michael
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Tags: college running, college track & field, cross country, dealing with injuries, florida state, fsu, high school, high school running, high school track & field, high school XC, michael fout, mike fout, ncaa, ncaa track, the final sprint elite athlete blog series, thefinalsprint.com elite athlete blog series, track and field
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The Final Sprint
Michael, if you are reading this thank you! It really keeps me inline and reminds me why I am running in the first place. It’s good encouragement..keep on striving for God man I’ll be praying.
April 24th, 2008 at 6:21 pmMichael: Keep up the good work, friend. All things work according to God’s perfect plan, and your story is a real testament to faith and our daily reliance upon God’s awesome grace!
Curious: How did you maintain fitness during the injury? Pool running? Other form of low- or non-impact cross training?
April 25th, 2008 at 8:32 amHey guys. I definitely check back to read the comments people leave me. Thanks for all of your support. And, thanks for the prayers. When I was not able to run, I was hitting the elliptical hard and also doing pool running, swimming, and biking. I felt that I stayed in the best shape possible through my injury. So, hopefully I bounce back quickly. Things are going very smoothly thus far. Again, thanks guys!
April 25th, 2008 at 2:36 pmYou are such an inspiration Michael! God bless you and your family on all you future endeavors, I’ll be praying for you.
April 27th, 2008 at 4:53 pmMichael, I’m in a bit of a similar situation as you; HS Senior with an injury.
What you wrote, “To have it taken away from me for short periods of time is not fun, but it helps me to refocus myself and realize how much I truly love and appreciate the sport.”
It helps me deal with this injury a little better. Thanks.
May 1st, 2008 at 6:03 pmMichael, to be honest, a lot of people on the message boards are losing faith in your goal of getting Chapa’s record, but don’t let it get to you. The key to being TRUELY successful is to know at the start line that you are about to run the race without an ounce of selfishness, and to dedicate all the glory to God. I don’t know if you will break Chapas record or double-crown or do whatever it is you would like to accomplish, but what I am certain about is that God’s will will be carried out, as it always is. If you’re meant to win, you will! Just keep working hard and prasing God, and no matter what happens on May 31st, you’ll walk away a true winner. You’re a real inspiration. Good luck and God bless. Here’s a great inspirational video about Ryan Hall that I think you will find to be not only relevant to your situation but very inspirational;
May 15th, 2008 at 5:40 pmhttp://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=e593f8eba239bada1a0c
May 15th, 2008 at 5:41 pm