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.
I could really use some inspiration. I tore my ACL playing soccer last week, and I just cant accept the fact that I cant walk, cant run, cant hike, cant dirtbike, most importantly cant play soccer…Im a very active girl, and this is killing me. The mental battle is so much worse than the physical battle. If anyone has any quotes that might help get over this mental hurdle, I appreciate it!! Cheers
Poor thing … know that it gets better from here! I don’t have any new motivational quotes to offer, but can say from experience that within a year, you should be playing soccer, dirtbiking and otherwise playing outside to your heart’s content without giving that knee a second thought.
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Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way. – Satchel Paige
Hi my name is andrew and im 15so years old. On march 2, 2012 I was in a lacrosse accident. I was running to scoop the ball and before I could pick my head up another player and I hit going full speed with my head down. As I was falling another player un aware of what happened was running by and side swiped my head and my neck again and knocked me out. I was unconscious for 5 minutes. I was flown out to shock trauma in a helicopter and woke up the next morning un aware of what happened. I was surrounded by 15and different doctors and nurses. I have a type 3 concussion, a fractored bone in my neck and compressed and severely bruised spinal cord. I also only have about 40%you of feeling and streanght on the left side of my body. I have severe memory loss and forget most of my friends and some family. This has been the hardest esperience of my life. I am a 4 sport player and now I am done for a year or two. I have physical and cognitive therapy 3they times each per week. I never ever expected this to happen and its been so hard. I just want things back to normal.
Wow—what a terrifying experience that must have been! I wish I could offer you something beyond a few inspirational quotes, and a promise to send you my warmest, healingest thoughts through the interwebs. Be well, and stay strong!
My name is Jessie and I am 15 years old. I have been a dedicated gymnast for almost 10 years and I am a level 8. My life has revolved around gymnastics for as long as I can remember. On January 5th, I was tumbling at practice, doing a double flip pass, the day before my first meet of the season. Somehow my ankles gave out, and I landed on my neck. At first, I couldn’t move my legs, the doctor said they may have been paralyzed or in shock from the pain for a couple minutes. He told me that I broke both of my ankles. There are two breaks in each ankle and also both severely sprained. I was put in two casts up to my knees and in a wheelchair for 2 months. I was not able or even allowed to go to school for 6 weeks. The doctor told I would be out of gymnastics for 3 months minimum, which was the whole part of the season. I am in physical therapy now, but I have not decided if I want to go back to gymnastics. Only 8 months before this, I broke my hand in 5 places. I had reconstructive hand surgery and got 5 skrews in. Overall, I can’t even count the amount of bones I have broken from gymnastics. I’m not sure if I want to keep hurting myself, with only 2 years left until I graduate. People always told me, that gymnastics is not worth it, that it is a legal form of child abuse, and it burns your body. And now I wonder what I get out of gymnastics. Since I was 12 years old, I have had to go to the chiropractor for my back. I was conditioning at practice even when I was in casts, doing arms and abbs to stay in shape, but more to look brave for my coach, because I wanted her to have high expectations for me and be proud of me. Then I began to felt like no one began to recognize me. Everyone just expected me to be strong about it. I guess I was just overwelmed. I’m taking the whole month of April off to think things through. I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to continue to do gymnastics. I do not want to disappoint anyone. People say there is a difference between letting go, and giving up. I’m not sure what it is that I’m doing. I do not know who I am without gymnastics. I’m scared that I will regret it for the rest of my life. Now I guess I am just looking for some inspiration.
Sweet girl! I hope this post brightened your day a bit, and that you draw on the mental toughness I’m sure you’ve gained in the wake of your injuries as you make some tough decisions in the days ahead. Sending you peace and strength!
thank you
I had a really bad Injury from soccer 3 weeks again, due to the pain and swelling the doctors couldnt tell what it was. They told me that it most likely was an meniscus tear and could heal in 6 to 9 weeks. It seem Like I had finally over come the strom. My mri results came today and the doctor told me that i completly tore my acl and almost completely tore my mcl also there was very bad bone bruises, they honestly didn’t know how i had been walking without crutches. I’ll be out for the rest of the year :/ I’m captain of both my soccer teams and my dreams have been crush, well it feels that way. Any goof quotes that can motivate me ?
One not listed above: “The heart is a muscle the size of a fist. Keep loving; keep fighting.” It’s a good one when you’re struggling to get your quad to work again in physical therapy, and a nice reminder that you can come out of this a stronger, mentally tougher athlete. Hang in there, and good luck with your recovery!
‘Pain isn’t the injury itself, pain is not being able to play to your full ability!’
Try 3 months
I’m so happy I came across this site when I did. I am a runner as well…I have been plagued with injuries since I was 14 when I broke my hip while running. I am now 23 and getting ready to run my second marathon and while on a training run last Wednesday I was hit by a car that ran a stop sign. Thankfully I was not seriously injured but it is still inconclusive as to if I’ll need surgery on my knee. I’m trying to keep my head up as I come to terms with the fact that I will not be running for some time and I may have to postpone my marathon. I LOVE me some Steve Prefontaine and I have a quote of his on my mirror so everyday I see it and take it to heart. “To Give Anything Less Than Your Best Is To Sacrafice The Gift.” Sometimes that gift is an athletic ability but sometimes the gift is just living another day. I am very fortunate that I could walk away from my accident and I will never take another day for granted. I will run again and I will truely live each and everyday that I am given!
I love, love, love your sense of perspective, and needed to be reminded of this myself: “Sometimes that gift is an athletic ability but sometimes the gift is just living another day.” So true! Wishing you a speedy recovery full of that perspective and sense of gratitude.