Last week was the first week that I ramped up the training for HHR - I included some speedwork, I really went after it during my weight sessions and I even hit the foam roller or the stick after my workouts.
But last Friday, I was uncomfortable most of the day. I couldn't sit and spent most of the day standing at my desk. And then Friday night, I laid in bed awake, keenly aware of the familiar dull ache that stretched from the back of my hip all the way down past my knee.
I heaved an inaudible sigh.
There was a level of heartbreak I experienced last year when I couldn't complete any of the 3 half marathons in the Heartland 39.3 Series. I had such ambitions, not only for that series, but for the entire year. I was so disappointed that I didn't run that I didn't even think about running for a good two months. Part of me felt lost; I had spent so much of the previous 2 years identifying myself as a runner that I questioned if I even belonged in that community anymore. Running had stopped being enjoyable; it became a chore.
Those of you who have experienced similar situations know how frustrating this is and how it makes the future completely unpredictable. You don't know if it's just an ache from the first week you really push yourself or if it's something more long term, and subsequently serious.
The thing is, when you've had an injury that just won't go away, when you think you've finally taken enough rest time to let it heal 100% and then the familiar aches and pains come back ... well, it takes you on an emotional roller coaster. You feel helpless, then you keep your chin up and say "let's see how the next workout goes".
Then the workout goes ok and you think that maybe it was just a fluke.
But then a few workouts later, you have to stop in the middle of your leg session to foam roll because your IT band is so damn tight. And then you realize you should cut out the last set of exercises because that could really mess things up. And the cardio afterwards is definitely out of the question.
It's up and down, back and forth and you never really know what's going on. I almost wish there was a stress fracture or a torn tendon or SOMETHING other than inflammation because then at least there is something that has to be done.
But no, no, that's not what I have going on. I know I should feel lucky, but all research tells me its piriformis syndrome and I'm just dreading going to my ART guy and telling him and hearing him say, "Yup, you're right." However, I have to go, chin up and all.
I am so sorry to hear that you are hurting. I hope that your ART visit goes well and that there is a simple solution to the problem.
ReplyDeleteI know this feeling so well, and it never gets easy. But patience and perserverance don't just happen on the road. They have to be part of you even if you're on the couch with an ice pack, cursing at fate. You've had a particularly bad time of it, but please don't give up!
ReplyDeleteI'm really sorry to hear that you're having pain again, and man can I relate to everything you wrote there. You know what's been making me feel a LOT better lately, running and body-wise? Foam rolling for at least half an hour a day, regardless of whether or not I run or even exercise at all. I'm super-thorough--upper and lower body. And my IT bands are the last thing I attack, once everything else is already loose and warmed up. I would have never thought of this myself, but a friend of a friend who is a serious high-dollar personal trainer gave me a charity session and told me this would change my running life and make me feel a ton better. I never had that much faith in the foam roller before, but I never did more a dinky ten minutes or so after running. But I decided to give her suggestion a try and so far she's right. (Do it in front of some good television or with an audiobook, or it's reeeeally boring.)
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