Seeing results quickly is something we all desire. Whether the outcome we’re looking for is related to reaching a new fitness goal, getting back to where we were before, or returning from injury, the desire to do it quickly never fades. While it would be nice to get what we want in as little time as possible, our bodies don’t always respond as fast as we’d like. 

Over the last year, I’ve been working on healing a hamstring injury I initially sustained playing softball in June of 2024. I was sprinting between first and second base and felt a pull in the back of my left leg. I hoped it was just going to hurt for a moment, but as the game went on, I realized the injury was more serious. I sat out for the rest of the game, which is very unlike me. 

I took the rest of the week off, resting, icing, compressing, and elevating my leg as much as possible. One week later, I decided I was feeling good enough to try to play. This time it was between second and third base where I felt the pull again, and it was even worse than the first. 

Although I did take some time off to allow my leg to heal, I returned to play too quickly once again. In July, when I was feeling almost completely better, I pulled my hamstring one more time attempting to round second base on a field that had a little too much dirt in the basepaths. You’d think I would have learned my lesson at this point and decided to stop playing for the season, but unfortunately, I did not. 

Because I didn’t take the proper time to allow my hamstring to heal from the initial injury, I ended up injuring it a total of five times between June and October. I am still working on regaining my full strength, and continue to struggle with discomfort and limited range of motion. My overwhelming desire, which almost felt like a need, for it to heal quickly clouded my judgement and led me to thinking I could see the results I wanted without taking the time needed to produce them.

The same thing happens to us when we are working on any goal. It’s easy to set arbitrary timelines for when we should have our goal accomplished, and these timelines are usually too short. When we get wrapped up in needing things to happen quickly, we are unable to see that progress is happening, and instead focus on the fact that we aren’t at the finish line yet. 

Timelines can be a helpful tool to create momentum and start taking action, but they cannot be the sole measure of our progress. Even if we don’t become impatient and take actions that hinder our progress, unexpected obstacles will always arise, changing how long it will take to see the results we long for. While it would have been challenging to sit out for the rest of the season, it feels more challenging to still be dealing with this injury many months later. No matter what your goal is, remember that continuous progress will get you to the results you want. Don’t rush it, and don’t give up.

Xoxo

Coach Maggi