Inquiry Project Week #2

The Middle Ground

Week 2 of rehab felt like stepping into the in-between. I’m no longer completely sidelined, but I’m also far from being back. There’s progress, which is exciting, but it comes with a new kind of patience. This week started to show me what the next stretch of this process might look like with small wins, slow rebuilding, and learning how to sit in the middle without rushing through it

Successes for the week
This week had some real momentum. I started aqua jogging, which felt like a big step mentally as much as physically. There’s something about being in motion again, even in the pool, that brought back a bit of the rhythm I’ve been missing. I also returned to some light strength training. Nothing dramatic, but enough to feel like I’m reconnecting with my body in a productive way.

One of the biggest wins: I walked three laps of the track without crutches. It might sound small, but it felt huge. Being on the track again, even just walking, was grounding. It reminded me that forward movement is happening, even if it looks different right now.

I also had my MRI this week. Nearly 40 minutes of loud, clanging noises while lying still is not exactly relaxing. They scanned both legs for comparison, which added time but should give a clearer picture. It was nerve-wracking going in, but I got through it and will have results this weekend. For now, I’m trying to stay neutral and trust the process.

If you have never had an MRI, here is a great video explaining how it all works!

Challenges for the week
The hardest part right now is this middle phase. I’m not fully out of commission anymore, which means I can do more, but I’m also not close to being back to normal training. That gray area is mentally tough. There’s enough progress to see what I’m missing, but not enough to return to it.

The reality of how long this rehab will likely take is starting to sink in. In the early days, everything felt acute and immediate. Now, it’s more about sustained patience. That’s a different challenge. There’s a temptation to measure where I am against where I was, and to want to speed things up. But that mindset isn’t helpful, and honestly, it’s what got me into trouble before.

I had a really helpful conversation with my coach this week. She reminded me that the goal isn’t to get back to where I was, because where I was wasn’t sustainable. The goal is to come back healthier, stronger, and with better habits. It was a grounding reminder that this isn’t just about returning; it’s about rebuilding in a smarter way.

Lessons learned for the week
Progress doesn’t always feel like progress. Sometimes it just feels slow. But slow is still forward.

This week taught me that the middle phase requires a different kind of discipline, not the push-hard, grind-through type, but the steady, patient kind. The kind where you respect the timeline, trust the professionals around you, and focus on the small things you can do well.

I’m also learning to reframe what “better” means. Better doesn’t mean getting back to old training numbers as quickly as possible. It means building a version of myself that can handle the load in a healthier way long term. That’s a bigger goal, and one that’s worth taking the time for.

For now, I’m holding onto the wins: movement in the pool, a bit of strength work, three laps around the track, and another week closer to normalcy.