A Month To Heal

My Finish lineat the Marathon in October was a triumph of human will. It was the hardest race I ever ran.  It was also my slowest, as predicted.

I literally hobbled for a few weeks after, having run on an emerging injury.  I found it hard to turn over in bed!  Ibuprofen was my best friend, as well as massage to my trigger points while I healed.  Eventually the pain subsided.  My chiropractor told me my hip flexor on my left was very tight, creating my pained buttock.  I mosied everywhere, trying desperately to cover my pain, as many would comment on how weirdly I was running or exclaim (as my mother did) that running was risky and killing me.  I hate showing the pain of running because I love it so much.

I decided as I crossed the line that I was probably going to rest for a month from running so I could recuperate and recharge my running passion.  I continued to stretch my hip flexor.

Well, I did.  I am now just entering back into the running scene, having started at 5 k, 8 k and then 10 k last week.  My delayed muscle soreness has lasted me a lot longer than expected, so I could have probably backed off the mileage, but one month should be alright for not losing too much fitness.  At least this is my stubborn belief.  I know I have gained a bit of weight, so this will need to be addressed, mostly due to snacking and inactivity, and wine :).

2.5 weeks of a pain in the ... HEE HAW

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Well, my marathon training has now been bitten into. My muscles are continuing to give me grief, cross training is still the only way i can get out and about. I went for a trial run two days ago, but felt the discomfort growing in my injury, so I stopped it and made an appointment with my chiropractor.
Seems I have a secondary injury now in my buttock. My gluteus minimus is tight and injured. Ice rest and stretching. I will try in about a cup of coffee today to go for a run, but my guess is the injury will stop me again and I will need to grab my bike again.
With the kind of year I have had, this really does not surprise me, that I am injured, preventing me from the only outlet I have for personal time. I even got a flat tire last outing on my bike!
What this means for my marathon come October, i really don't know. I was ahead of Yasso's plan, so i will have to see.
UPDATE: 1 Hour Later: I went for another trial run. Got further than last time. It is definitely a different injury now. Right in my higher side. Dang. I had to stop since the discomfort was growing to where I couldn't maintain proper running form.
Rule followed in running: if the pain is changing your form or gait, STOP IMMEDIATELY.

POST NOTE:
A very informative podcast to refer to when injured comes from this blog called Runners Roundtable. It has the info I refer to through the resources I have found on injury assessment, treatment, and prevention. The audio is a bit sketchy, but it has experienced runners talking about their various injuries from running. Enjoy!
So..

• For Piriformis Syndrome Pain
• For Gluteus Minimus stretching

I will post more as I learn more about this new ailment. Until then, I am still a pain in the ass.
I Have a Chiro appointment today. Who, by the way, tried to kill me last week in treatment. Brandt, you know you're wonderful, but those tears were real.

This Is My Weak Time...

I hate layoffs in my running. It has now been 7 days. No running. I got some cycling in, but with each day, I feel more sluggish, like I am missing something.
I still have discomfort in my arse, it is ebbing, but still there. I will see how today goes. If I run on an injury, from experience i know it will not be good for getting back on the road regularly. Last time, I did this and could only run 4 blocks before packing it in in frustration and immense pain. It felt like a steel spike with each footfall going into my buttock.
So for now I practice patience, athough patient is not how I feel. Running has taught me patience in new ways. I usually push too fast too soon and pay for it, running has taught me to be patient with my limitations, to work diligently and keep at it. As Dory says..."just keep swiimming, swimming, swimming, just keep swimming...." :(

I found a new love for a tennis ball for self-massage. It has been great to roll my muscles on , although painful, I have felt the muscle release a lot, and icing helps too in healing the inflammation.