Two weeks down, two weeks to go. That’s the good word from my doctor yesterday, who informed me that at my next appointment on March 23, I should get to trade my purple cast for a splint. Translation: in two weeks, I should be able to get back to doing a wide variety of things that make me feel like myself again, from running to bathing without a large garbage bag covering my arm.
If I've got to have a cast for two more weeks, at least it's a pretty purple one. Again, I was the only adult in the cast clinic to openly express excitement about the color of my cast.
Two weeks down, two weeks to go. I’m at the halfway point, which every runner will recognize as the hardest part of a race. I’m feeling a bit worn down from the first half of the battle (which in this case is a battle to do as little as possible), but I’m not close enough to smell the finish yet. This would be the part of the marathon where I would switch playlists or reach for another Gu, and I think it’s time to redouble my efforts to stay positive about my wrist as well.
Regular readers of this blog know that during my first marathon in 2007, I became a big fan of cheesy motivational quotes. They have helped me a great deal in my efforts to keep my brain in the right place while recovering from surgery on Feb. 24 to fix my the wrist I broke snowboarding, but this week, I recognized it was time to find some new ones, too. I reached out to runner friends on Twitter and in person, and came up with the list below. If you’ve got a favorite motivational quote you feel would help an injured athlete stay positive while she’s sidelined, please share it by posting a comment below.
“There is more to life than increasing its speed” Gandhi
“In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” A. Camus
“He who argues for his limitations gets to keep them.” Richard Bach
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” Helen Keller
“Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” C.S. Lewis
What else keeps you positive when you can’t run? Let me know by posting a comment below.
“Every wall is a door” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
It’s sort of my all-purpose running quote. When I hit the wall during a race, I remind myself that I have ways to find my way through. When an injury sidelines me for a while, I find other ways to focus my attention – crosstraining, focusing on nutrition, studying new techniques or training strategies. Every barrier presents an opportunity – every wall is a door.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
2 Tim 4:7
Hey Amy, appreciate your post, and I’m glad you will be getting the cast off soon!
Purple is my favorite color!
“The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”
Abraham Lincoln
Ferris Bueller might argue that this could come as motivation to help you cope with not running
“Life moves pretty fast. If you dont slow down and look around you might miss”
After I get through the anger stage of not being able to run, I hit the zen stage. The place where I’m at peace with myself and my situation, and I start to actually enjoy the stillness of not moving so much. I enjoy the minute details that I don’t normally cherish as much, and I actually get to like my body a whole lot more, for the things that it can accomplish whenever I ask. It’s the “sitting with injury” that they talk about in yoga classes that’s the hardest part. But when I “sit” with whatever feels uncomfortable, it’s always a mental and emotional breakthrough and when I come back to running, I’m stronger for it.
I couldn’t have run across this post at a more perfect time… One week ’til I find out if my stress fracture is healing properly…. Good luck to you. and thanks for sharing!
I couldn’t have stumbled upon this entry at a better time. I have one week until I find out if my stress fracture healed properly (or, at all, really). So thanks for sharing!!!
“Everything is still possible.” The best coach I’ve ever had told me this. I’ve been out for almost three months now and she told me this the very first day that I was out. Whenever I’m feeling negative I think about it, no matter how bad I think things are and no matter how much I think that I’ll never be able to achieve my goals, everything is still possible.
I rehabed my hip properly this past summer and it was doing well, unfortunately I injured my back a couple weeks ago and it started to be really bad yesterday so I went to the doctor. They took an x-ray and my back isn’t fractured, so they believe it’s a slipped disk, and that’s why I get the pain in my hips, butt and legs.
I’m getting an appointment with the Orthopeadic doctor at BC Children’s Hospital sometime this week or early next. They’ll probably do a CT scan to see if it’s a slipped disk. The recovery period of a slipped disk can be a long time, but others have only take a few weeks.
I’m in the anger stage right now. I’m pissed off and annoyed with having another injury. I have 93 days until Canada Winter Games and I need everyone of those days to train. Not only that, but I need to be training to be eligible for the provincial field hockey team.
I did another google search and I wound up on this site again and I read my old post and it reminded me that “Everything is still possible!” I had forgotten about that, the second I read it, it gave me a little bit more hope and put a little smile on my face. The other quotes have also been a nice reminder to take it slow and that it’s not the end of the world.
So sorry to hear you’re having trouble! You’ve got the right attitude, though—you’ve come through injury before, and you can do it again. Good luck—I’m sending healing thoughts your way!
This post was right on time!!! How is your injury?
I am so sick of being hurt…I am not a runner, but I play basketball. I tore my achilles tendon 11months ago and just got the go ahead from the doctor to start back to more normal exercise activities. I was also back to losing the weight I put on and getting my body back…well in the midst of that, I go and strain my back and now I have a bad lateral shift in my back! I am so mad and upset…!
I can’t do much now and its back to physical therapy….but I am gonna remain tough and strong…because I can either give up and complain, or I can kick this thing in the butt and get well! I am choosing the latter! Thanks for your post!
I just found this at a great time lately i’ve been going through a lot of pain amd thinking a ton! My dad doesn’t want me to play softball anymore because I ruptured my ACL and had mayjor surgery cause I messed it up so bad. My doctor said theres most likely a chance that I won’t rupture it again but my dad disagrees. Softball is what I was made for what I wanted to to go to college for I had surgery almost 3 months ago and as of right now won’t be released to play sports for awhile
I don’t want to give up, it makes me cry when I think about how I already missed one season of highschool ball and now i’m missing travel ball. But I won’t back down i’ll do whatever it takes to play again and prove everyone wrong because I am strong even if it means coaching and teaching younger girls for awhile and loads of therapy!
My quoute is -
“Don’t give up when you still have something to give, cause nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.”
Hang in there, Denise! You’ve got the right attitude, and it sounds like you’re funneling your strengths and energy into worthy causes while you’re rehabbing. Though it’s tough to have to sit the bench while your teammates are competing and moving forward, know that the mental toughness and perspective you’ll gain from the experience will make you an even fiercer competitor in the future!
“God places the heaviest burdens on those who can carry its weight”. Not sure who said it, but it always inspires me.
If you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will be successful.