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Failing Forward....

Sunday, 27 February 2022 00:10

ED. Runner-up for MInnesota Rookie of the Year in 2021, Detroit Lakes' Cami Eckhoff has set her sights on Ironman in 2022.

By Cami Eckhoff

Have you ever given up on something too soon and regretted it? I have… college swimming, sophomore year, I battled a bad overuse shoulder injury and after therapy and a cortisone injection to cut the inflammation and pain, I could have kicked my way through every practice the remainder of the season to compete at Conferences, but I quit the season early, letting myself and my team down. It has really bothered me and I wish I could go back and do it differently.

I’ve developed a growth mindset since then and have a new outlook at obstacles. The last couple weeks have brought many tears and frustrations while trying to train and I told Keith and my boys, I’m putting up a big fight this time and am ready to fail forward, learn, and make changes for the better....

I truly believe competing in an Ironman is just as much mental as physical so I continue to read little blurbs from the book Champion Minded throughout my week. This week I read that “failing is not the opposite of success, it’s part of the process to achieve success… it is an opportunity to learn and to grow.”

Are there things I would have and should have done differently the past couple months of training, yes… but I am hopeful the injuries will heal and I can try again to achieve better results. I continue to press on.