Pain is not the Problem!

 


Pain is not the problem

I sometimes ask myself what would happen if I got some kind of chronic sickness like cancer or had some kind of life altering injury like amputation. How would I respond to it? Would I be a fighter or would I sit back and just give up on all the things I love?  

In November I started 75 hard again. It is no longer a challenge to me but a routine that I love. I love the check off process on the app. Went on vacation in Whistler BC, and continued to crush my routine. I was down five pounds and progress was going great. Here is how I looked from day one to day 22. Hard to believe that three weeks can really have this much impact when a person puts in the work.

On day 22, I went for a climbing workout at the rock climbing gym. I was on a first attempt on a bouldering route that my hand slipped off of and it flung me in a way that caused me to land awkwardly. My foot was caught up in the landing mat. The result was an avulsion fracture and stabilizing boot on my foot. 

I went to bed that evening after getting injured and in a lot of pain. My wife said all night long I would wince in pain every time I made any kind of movement. I went to bed that night thinking I am not going to let this stop me. I am going to find a way to complete 75 and this is just an added challenge. I had all the hope and motivation in the world. I woke up the next morning with a lot of pain and no plan to have any success, but instead I started to feel sorry for myself. Thoughts like, “I can't do this, I can’t do anything I like to do for workouts, what's the point in trying”.  I would spend the next week denying one minute that this would impact me and then giving up on myself the next moment. I have been going through the grief stages of denial, sadness, and anger. It has taken me a week to get to acceptance. Every time I found myself in a situation that reminded me of my new limits I would circle back to sadness and feeling sorry for myself. Angry I was using crutches that are uncomfortable and slow. Driving is hard now and in my opinion unsafe with the monster boot on. And the list goes on of all these new experiences. But, I have to keep rolling forward.  

Let's circle back to my question, How would I respond to a life altering situation? Lets be clear here, I am not dying and I am not losing a limb that will impact me the rest of my life. I am also not the only one going through something like this. I still responded like most people would with the stages of grief. I will obviously heal from this, I will get back to what I used to do with workouts, like sandbag running, rucking, and HIIT workouts. But for now I have to accept that my workouts and daily norms will change for a while. 

Over the weekend I started to realize that I was accepting what was. I started researching workout options and tools that I could order to help me with the process. I bought a brace that is like a pirate peg leg. I bought something that will allow me to swim for workouts. I started looking up workout routines that allow me to modify how I use equipment for cardio. All that said I have started to believe in myself and my capabilities to work through this challenge. I am set on proving to myself that I can push through this. All the work that I have put in these last couple years. The books l have read and the coaching I have received that reinforce my body is an incredibly resilient machine that will follow what I tell it to do. I just have to tell it to do the things I need it to. I am now looking forward to this new journey, because when it is all said and done I will learn a lot about myself and who I am. I want to answer the question that I am resilient, determined and triumphant over any challenges that life throws at me. The question can't be answered until after this journey ends and I am running with a 100lb sandbag on my shoulders again. I will let you all know how it goes. 

Just remember we are all capable of anything, no matter what life throws at us. Giving up should never be an option for us. We miss out on a chance to do great things when we never give ourselves the chance to start. Quitting is not the option. Keep Grinding!

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