When an Injury Breaks Your Routine but Doesn’t Break You!
A Coach Dave Story for Athletes and Parents
At the beginning of this year, one of the athletes I work with was on the verge of a breakthrough.
Their training numbers were skyrocketing. Conditioning was sharp. Confidence was high. Every session felt like another step closer to the kind of season athletes dream about. You could feel momentum building, like everything was finally clicking into place.
And then, in one moment, everything shifted.
During a routine workout, they felt a strange little “off” sensation in their ankle. Not a sharp pain. Not something that screams stop now. Just a whisper, the kind athletes usually brush off because they’re so used to pushing through discomfort.
That tiny whisper turned out to be a stress fracture… a serious one. Within hours, this athlete went from preparing for their best season yet to sitting in a doctor’s office hearing words no athlete wants to hear:
“You’re in a cast. No weight bearing. No running. Six weeks minimum.”
The physical injury was real, but the mental impact was something far deeper.
The Mental Battle Most Athletes Don’t See Coming
When an athlete gets sidelined, it’s not just the body that takes the hit.It’s the identity.The routine.The sense of progress.The feeling of belonging.
For this athlete, every emotion hit hard and fast:
- Frustration
- Sadness
- Jealousy watching teammates train
- Fear of falling behind
- Worry about losing everything they had built
And parents, you see it too.You see the shift in their mood, their motivation, their confidence. Injuries can rattle even the strongest kids.
One of the hardest moments for this athlete was scrolling through teammates’ workouts… seeing the runs, drills, practices they wanted to be part of. They were happy for their friends, but they were hurting on the inside.
And that’s normal.Every athlete goes through a version of this when the sport is suddenly taken away.
But injuries also reveal something important:
When the routine cracks, you see what your foundation is really made of.
This athlete realized something powerful:It wasn’t the competitions they missed most.It wasn’t the PRs, the stats, or even the results.
It was the process.The rhythm of daily work.The structure.The teammates.The mental grounding sport gives you.
That realization was the turning point.
The Moment Everything Shifted
When an athlete’s identity is wrapped tightly around their sport, an injury feels like a threat.
And this athlete had a choice to make:
Let the injury define themor Use the injury to redefine them
Instead of staying stuck in “Why me?”, we shifted to a better question:
“What now?”
And that’s when the comeback began.
Crutches or not, they found ways to show up:
- They trained what they could train
- They focused on nutrition to support healing
- They created small weekly goals to stay motivated
- They built mental strength through journaling, breathwork, and visualization
- They connected more with family and friends
- They embraced the patience recovery demanded
Brick by brick, they rebuilt.
Not fast.Not perfectly.But intentionally.
The Return — Stronger Than Before
Months later, when the cast finally came off, the real work began:Teaching the body to trust itself again.
Every athlete who’s come back from injury knows this part,the hesitancy, the self-doubt, the fear of “what if it happens again?”
But they pushed through.
Six months after being completely sidelined, this athlete lined up for a major race, calm, grounded, grateful, and mentally tougher than before the fracture ever happened.
And here’s the best part:
They didn’t just return.They didn’t just match their old performance.
A massive PR.A moment months in the making.A comeback built through mindset, patience, and resilience.
The Real Lesson — for Athletes and Parents
Injuries.Burnout.Slumps.Tough seasons.
They all challenge an athlete’s identity.
But they also give athletes something they don’t always get when everything is going well:
A chance to build resilience.
- How you handle the cracks in the routine
- How you respond when goals get delayed
- How you adapt when life shifts your plan
- How you redefine “success” when the scoreboard is taken away
This athlete learned and proved, something powerful:
Your comeback isn’t about proving others wrong.It’s about discovering how strong you’ve become in the process.
Parents, when your athlete faces a setback, remember:
You don’t have to fix it.You don’t have to remove the challenge.Just walk with them while they navigate it.
Because the athlete who comes out on the other side is almost always more confident, more mature, and more mentally bulletproof than before.
And that strength stays with them long after the season ends.
Hope Everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
Coach Dave
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When an Injury Breaks Your Routine but Doesn’t Break You!
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