Thursday, May 23, 2013

Brooklyn Or.....Bum

Last weekend was the Brooklyn Half, a race that is always my favorite. This marks the 4th time I've run the race, and my 18th half marathon. I wasn't really as well trained for this race as I would normally have been, but I was still happy with my time, and happy with the fact that I ran a few sub 9:00 miles. Plus I had two beers and a hotdog post race, in honor of tradition.

The last few miles of the race were obviously pretty tough, but once I crossed the finish line I realized this was going to be a tough recovery too. To put it lightly...my ass was on fire. Okay, to be more specific my piriformis was on fire. I've had mild issues since MCM last year, but in the past two weeks I had really focused a lot on hip strengthening, so I was hoping that it wouldn't really been an issue. I guess maybe I should have been more regimented about stretching too.

But at any rate, Saturday was really rough. I could barely hinge forward at my hips without being in pain. And sleeping was terrible. Every time I tried to straighten my left leg pain would shoot up my lower back and my down my leg. Fun right? Sunday was slightly better. Monday was slightly better (no more shooting pains) but I decided to make a quick visit to my favorite massage therapist.

Wednesday I felt about 90%, and since it had cooled off so much in the evening I decided to try and go for a short run. Three miles, no biggie. After about a third of a mile, I quickly realized, this was not going to happen. With every step I could feel something tight/pulling in the back of my left hamstring. I felt like I was trying to find a comfortable running gait, and I know that any type of change in my gait is a bad thing. So I walked home, went on the bike and did some more stretching, in addition to the yoga I did in the morning.

So that's where I am. I will do pilates/weights today, yoga Friday. Maybe I'll attempt a run Friday. Or Saturday. I'm not really sure. I just know I need to nip this in the bud before marathon training starts so I can continue to kick ass all the way to Philly.

2 comments:

  1. SOoooo, this means we're not running in the park tonight, I'm guessing? ;)

    Seriously, don't wait on getting that butt pain under control! I had butt/piriformis/ITB pain during NYCM 2011, and my unchecked hip issues later decided to present in the fun form of plantar fasciitis. Yoga, chiropractic, and shoe inserts all helped me, but (as you know) stretching and foam-rolling are key. Hope you feel better soon!

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  2. Oh snap!! I actually did mean to email you! I swear! ;)

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