PRP - Round 2

At the beginning of February I had a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection to heal high hamstring tendonopathy/tendonosis.  (You can read about the procedure here.)  My hamstring had gotten so bad due to overtraining and failure to listen to not only my body but also professionals who were telling me to take a break.  That overtraining and continued running through pain ultimately led to 12 weeks off running, at which point I had the PRP injection, which required another 4 weeks off.  Was all the overtraining worth it?  I think you know the answer.  

Even now, 9 months post-PRP, I am still not fully healed.  I am running stronger and faster, have greater mobility and better form, but I still have a niggling pain in the top of my hamstring.  It has always been there.  I'd say at best I was 95%.  At worst I was probably 20% (pre-PRP) so that was a huge improvement!

Because I never fully healed, there was always the chance I would have a second injection.  Many people have PRP done twice and are very successful after the second time.  The plan was to get through my training, run NYC, and then reassess.  Coach Terra was helping me to make sure I was training smartly, getting massages, activating pre-run, and stretching/foam rolling post-run.  She was keeping tabs on how my hamstring was feeling and adjusting my weekly plans as needed.  The niggling was up and down but it was all manageable.

Then I tripped on a construction sign in the dark 7 weeks pre-marathon and strained my MCL.  KT Tape kept me running without knee pain but gradually the hamstring started to feel worse.  By the time I ran the American Home Fitness 5K it had gone from niggling to painful.  

As for the marathon, I didn't do much to prep for it hill-wise, fearful that I would ruin my hamstring in the training before I even got to the race.  Whether that I was smart or not, I won't know and can't worry about it now.  That course is filled with hills so I might have been underprepared no matter how well I trained here.  What I can say is that by the time I hit the Queensborough Bridge around mile 15, my hamstring was sore.  And by the time I came off that bridge at mile 16, my hamstring was just about done.  But I still had 10 more miles and the rest of the course only got harder.  After the marathon it hurt to sit or bend down to tie my shoes.

Up until this recent marathon, things were going relatively well.  Most of my runs were pain-free or with minimal pain.  However, if there is a chance I can be healed 100% I want to go for it.  If it doesn't work then I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

My procedure is scheduled for tomorrow morning.  I'll let you know how it goes!