Keep MovingLast month I wrote about my sub-5 mile goal, and I would have liked to report my success in this newsletter. Unfortunately, since then I strained my hamstring and sustained a serious injury to my hand (8 stitches!). When my hammy pulled, I called my go-to therapist to set up an appointment. In the meantime, he instructed me to “Just keep moving.” In other words, keep working out in whatever ways my hamstring allowed. I could row and still do most of my strength training exercises, so my spirits were up. But. You can’t row with 8 stitches in your hand. The hand ended up being the biggest setback of them all. All I could think was “I can’t run, I can’t row, I can’t hold weights.” Eventually though my hand stopped hurting all the time and my frazzled nerves calmed down. My focus returned to “just keep moving” and I asked myself “what can I do?” Very slow jogging.
Pilates, without holding anything. Massage for my hamstring.
Lunges. I even strapped my wrist to the erg handle and barbell in my gym. This question: “what can I do?” is a valuable tool - a weapon even - against getting stuck in the midst of problems or setbacks. Just because something is true (“I can’t run, I can’t row, I can’t hold weights”) doesn’t mean we should dwell on it. Because there are other true things worth pursuing. Facts that are both certain and helpful, and that allow us to keep moving. Sincerely, Nicole
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