Injury Update - On the Run Again!

When my PT told me I couldn't run for 2 weeks, it sounded like forever.  What was I going to do without running for 2 whole weeks?!?  I managed to keep myself active with cardio, strength, and stretching.  This was my routine for my running break:

Stationary Bike*: 45 minutes (13 miles)/daily

Treadmill Walking (backwards): 10 minutes/2x weekly

Treadmill Walking (side-to-side): 2 minutes per side/2x weekly

Yoga: 1 hour/4x weekly

Strength/Core: 30 minutes/3x weekly

Stretching: Daily

*Some outdoor biking in addition to indoor (better aerobic workout indoors and less chance of falling off my bike so I tended toward the stationary bike!)

It was fine, especially once I got into my routine.  I would hit the gym at 5:30am and get it out of the way before I could talk myself out of it.  But it wasn't running.  Sure, I was sweating and getting a good aerobic workout but wasn't enjoying the same benefits that running offers me.

2 weeks was beginning to feel like 2 months.

I was still going for physical therapy.  A little over halfway through my running hiatus I had my re-evaluation.  When I initially started PT it was for Piriformis Syndrome and tight hamstrings.  I had made improvements with those but was still having a pain deep in my butt where my leg attaches.  Because I was still having pain, was still on my running break, and hadn't returned to my regular running activities (I'm a 40-mile/week runner when I'm not training), I was pretty sure that my PT would be extended (I had only had 8 sessions).  

I was wrong.  I was better but not healed and apparently that's good enough for ending PT.  I was told there was nothing more they could do with me.  Maybe I needed more rest.  Maybe continued strength/stretching would help.  Maybe it was actually tendonitis. Maybe I would never get better.  (That last one was the worst!)  So many maybes!  

Then the PT who evaluated me went on to say that I should try running, maybe a mile.  If it hurts, stop.  And if I can't run without pain then I should probably think about finding something other than running.  Like for good.  I wanted to cry.  Although I knew this wasn't true - nothing in my running form analysis indicated that I was a terminal case - nobody needs to hear this!

First I was upset.  Then I was just angry.  There are people with far worse injuries than a pain in the butt who don't have to give up running for life!  

That was Monday.  I biked for the rest of the week.  On Thursday I consulted with a PT from the DMC who suggested I use the elliptical to transition to running.  I went to my favorite cycle class on Thursday night, where we do a lot of standing (I liken that to the elliptical).  Then I used the elliptical Friday morning.

I went back to my doctor Friday to follow up from PT.  The plan we came up with was to get back into running.  Maybe alternate running with elliptical if necessary.  I'll take Naproxen 2x/day for 2 weeks, regardless of pain to fight inflammation.  After 10 days I can reassess how I feel.  If I want more PT, I can just call the office and ask for a prescription.  If it's just a matter of continuing the stretches and strength exercises, I can do those on my own.  Yoga is a big help, too.  So we shall see how things progress.  (And if I do have more PT it will be with the DMC, not with someone who left me high and dry!)

And today?  I ran!!  And it felt amazing!  

Photo credit: Brian Wolski

I did the 3 mile group run at RUNdetroit, which was awesome because there were people at just the right pace for my first run back.  (Man, I've missed my Saturday group runs!)  I could feel my butt just a little bit but not bad at all.  It's been a few hours since and so far so good!

What's next?  Time to start training for the Detroit Free Press Marathon.  Only 13 weeks away!  Let the countdown posts begin!  

Running Hiatus

I can practically count on one hand the number of days I've taken off from running this year.  One day off during Boston training; one day off after.  "Rest days" mean 2-3 easy miles.  Running is a part of my day and a day without running just isn't right.  

So imagine my dismay when my physical therapist delivered the crushing news that I would need to take 2 weeks off from running.  TWO WEEKS?  NO running?!  Not short runs.  Not easy runs.  NO RUNNING.  

Let me back up because you're probably wondering where this all came from.  I've been a bit delinquent with blogging lately, so I apologize.  I noticed pain in my right glute the day after I ran the Novi 1/2 Marathon. I wasn't sure if it was hamstring or piriformis.  I wasn't sure what caused it - poor form exacerbated by fatigue, tweaked something on a pothole?  In any event, it hurt when I ran but instead of taking a break I just kept running.  Because that was definitely going to help it get better, right?  Ha!

I did some stretches, bought new shoes (yay, Newtons!), and got an awesome deep-tissue massage.  And kept running every day.  It wasn't getting worse but it wasn't exactly getting better.  Then I ran the Back to the Beach 1/2 Marathon, which I shouldn't have done.  First of all, I could barely run before the race even started.  I wanted to stop at mile 4.  Then there were the trails and hills.  Finally I "had" to kick it into high gear after going the wrong way.  If it wasn't worse before that race it definitely was after!  So I took a break after, right?  haha.  I wish.

Finally I called my doctor and got a prescription for PT, which I was able to start the following week.  I was diagnosed with Piriformis Syndrome - which I refer to as my pain in the butt.  My hamstrings are very tight as well but the pain mainly is piriformis and glute.

My prescription was for 9 sessions.  After the initial evaluation, most sessions followed a similar format:

• Bike (10 min)
• Treadmill - walking backwards at 8% incline for glutes (10 min)
• Strength - squats with weights on Bosu, 1-legged stand on Bosu
• Stretching

Jerry, my PT, also used sports tape on me a few times to provide compression to the muscles over a few days.  The tape was sort of a last resort before what Jerry referred to as "the nuclear option" - a.k.a. 2 weeks off.  It gave me time to process what was coming and gave me a chance to get in a few last runs before the long break.

I am now on day 5 of not running.  I miss it so much!  Thankfully Jerry said I can bike, so that's something.  Brian got our bikes out on Friday and we went for rides over the weekend.  I'm still learning about my gears and trying not to fall over while stopped at a light (so clumsy!) but overall riding outside isn't as scary as I thought it would be.  The stationary bike at the gym is also becoming my new 5:30am friend.  45 minutes is about all I can stand so far, during which time I can get in 12 miles.  I have no idea if that's a good pace or not but it's what I'm doing.

I'm also doing stretching (glutes, hamstrings, hips), strength training, core work, and yoga.  That all takes time so it helps keep me busy.  And those are all things I should be doing anyway.  Things that I've neglected and ultimately may have led to this problem in the first place.  

In the grand scheme of things, 2 weeks off isn't so bad.  I just hope and pray that 2 weeks will be enough.  Enough to let me come back strong to start training for the Detroit Free Press Marathon (and the half marathons and 10ks that I love to race in the fall before that).  I already dropped my 50k in August and declined a few offers to join teams for the Great Lakes Relay in July.  

I also went for a running form evaluation with video analysis a couple of weeks ago.  That was very comprehensive and provided me with a lot of information.  I'll save that for a later post.  

I have one more PT session before reevaluation.  And 9 more days without running. Hopefully not a day longer!  Fingers crossed!  I'll keep you posted.

And until then at least I can bike! 

Has an injury kept you from running for an extended period of time?  What did you do to instead of running?

Read about the last time I was injured here.