run, rest, eat, bitch, buy things, cross-train, blog, repeat.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Recovering

See that circled spot on my leg? That's the point of injury. If you pay attention to the sidebar of the blog, you know that there's a place where you can check out our mileage or workouts for the past few days. And if you pay extra close attention, you know that my mileage has been missing for the past couple of weeks. Yeah yeah, sometimes I'm lazy and don't actually get my workouts entered into RunningAhead, but this time, that's not the case. I've actually been sidelined by a pulled groin/upper thigh injury.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a horrible long run. It was only 12 miles...pretty short in the grand scheme of things...but it seemed so. freakin. long. And hard. And hot. And miserable. And by the end of it, painful. By the end of the run, I could barely walk due to shooting pains in above circled area. So I went home, iced it and pretty much stayed off of it for the remainder of the day.
It's been a couple of weeks now and I am just now feeling like I can run without a lot of pain. I've squeezed out a few 2 and 3 milers and today I got in 4 slow miles. I can pretty much run fine as long as I make it through the first quarter mile of painful limp running. By that time, I'm warmed up nicely and can go with little to no pain. And another plus is that I'm not experiencing any pain after the workout. In my book, that's a sign that I'm good to go and good to get back on track with the marathon training.
Here is my dilemma. I'm not sure of the best way to get back into the routine without pushing it too much and going backwards with the healing process. This is week 8 of the training schedule and I think I can get through the week's runs with no problem...4 and 7 mile runs. It's the 15 miler that's on the calendar for this weekend that I'm worried about. Is it dumb to strive for all 15 after 2 weeks off? My last long run was 12 and then I missed a 9 and a 14 miler. Should I go for the 9? The 14? And if I don't do the full 15, when is the best time to return to the exact training plan? Questions. Questions.
I'm leaning toward running 12 or 13 miles and just assessing the situation at that time. I'm not too worried about my time off, but I cant really afford any more!

9 comments:

Amy said...

First of all... Is that a COTTON T-Shirt you're wearing?? I feel a little validated right now, I gotta say.

Second of all... you look awesome in that pic.

Third of all.. I'd be happy with 10 for the long run, if I were you. Glad you're feeling better!

Anonymous said...

Just be glad that your not a guy with a groin injury. Not only would it hurt where the circle is, but the pain would shoot into your ball with each step. Fun!

Got over mine with time off. In addition to easing back into running, I did some light weight reps on the adductor machine (kinda like the thighmaster). Strengthening the adductors is key.

Chic Runner said...

You do look great in that pic and I'm sorry that this is happening to you. UGH, but as the anonymous said, which i freaking died laughing at... that is true. at least your balls are okay. ha ha

April said...

Amy: 1st- It is NOT a cotton t-shirt. Its a moisture wick blend. Nah Nah:)
2nd-That picture is really old. :(
3rd-Thank you.

J said...

Is it your hip that is hurting? Be careful with that! I think just see how you feel running and go as far as you can - if you feel pain then stop.

Spike said...

run on it unless it starts to hurt. the best idea is to go slower. a slower long run is just fine in week 8.

just keep feeling better!

Unknown said...

Hi April.

My practice is to build up to your full program in the same amount of time you were off it. So two 'down' weeks means build back up over two weeks.

The big proviso here is that you are fully recovered. If you are partially recovered the build up may take longer.

Listen to your body. It will let you know!

All the best, Paul :-)

René said...

Have you tried yoga? It helped me with tender ankles. Now I feel like I have strong tree-legs.

Unknown said...

Aw man, I wonder if we have the same thing. My masseuse says my butt hurts because my hip flexors are really tight and they pull a lot. WAAAA!!! I don't want to take this much time off from running! At least I am nto signed up for a marathon!