My motivation was also at an all time high because I had beaten my first grandmaster in a standard tvz game on Akilon Wastes. Sc2ranks had also put me within top 300 masters in NA in regards to points. On top of that, I also found some new build orders to improve my tvp and tvt (my weaker MUs) and was excited to practice these builds and see my ladder rank climb ever higher.
Well, I loaded up Hots and matchmaking paired me with a zerg. I won. Then I won another TvZ. But things were different after this win. There was a slight pain in my hand. I shrugged it off and qued up for another tvz, which I won. After I won my hand was on fire. I couldn't play anymore; I succumbed to the pain and called it a night.
It is now tuesday. I took the other day off from playing Hots in an effort to rejuvenate my hand. Today, the pain still lingers with no noticeable improvement all without playing any Hots. I also have switched to typing with only my left hand in an effort to try to speed up the recovery of my hand. But, the pain is still there.
I had always thought I would be stopped somewhere on ladder because of my lack of game knowledge. Never did I expect my mechanics, the strongest aspect of my play would hinder me from getting to grandmasters. Alas, the last 2 games of Hots I played were 9 and a half minutes and 15 and a half minutes respectively. In the 9:30 game sc2gears records me at 302 apm/169eapm. The second game is recorded at 293 apm and 171 eapm.
Under any other circumstances my ego would be swelled to the max at these figures, but under these circumstances my mind only thinks that my high apm most likely accelerated the pain. My biggest strength has now become my greatest weakness and for the same reason it helped me climb up NA ladder, it could very well now drag me back down.
Now, every time my hand throbs with an eccentric pulse of pain, I am reminded of the possibility that I may no longer to reach grandmasters. That this goal that I have worked towards for almost a quarter of my young life might no longer be able to be achieved.
I guess on the up and up, only my dominant right hand is afflicted with pain and I still have a left hand that is relatively healthy for now...so that I can still type on my new mechanical keyboard (which came the day that I started to take a break from Hots), which I bought for the sole purpose to play hots but I might not even be able to even play a single game with my new keyboard...