Listening to my body even when I don't like what it's saying

Last night I walked 6 miles with my friend Steve in addition to spending about an hour on the bike.  This morning, I put in the hour on the bike & walked with my friend Amy after our board meeting.  I was hoping to put in another 6 miles but my knee told me otherwise.  As we walked our couple of miles, my knee started to feel better or at least went numb enough that I walked through the pain.  I wanted to keep going so badly but knew that my knee was telling me otherwise.  That competitive person in me wanted to just keep pushing through the pain but I had to remind myself that this training is a long process & that I can't get to 20 miles over night.  It was so hard to make myself stop & then to fight that defeated feeling that came when I did.  What I realized on the drive home was that today was a win because I listened to my body & am treating it with the respect/love it deserves.  Today I took my largest steps toward the finish line yet.  Crossing it's going to be great!