What's up, Doc?

Sorry to leave you hanging for a few days, but I had to go out of town on my very first "business trip," and didn't have a chance to post anything until now.

Well, like I said in my last post, I was headed to the chiropractor to see if they could figure out what is going on with my hamstring. He did an exam and was going to come up with a treatment plan. Then I asked if it might have something to do with my sciatic nerve because sometimes when I am sitting for a while, especially in the car, it kind of feels a little numb. Then he had me get some x-rays to check that out. It turns out that the lumbar 5 (the lowest vertebrate in the spine) was compressing the disc, which could be pinching the nerve. There were some other problems too, but that is what is causing my problems. He proceeded to pop my back up and down, do some ART, and schedule another visit. Highlight of the visit: He told me I didn't need to stop running, and that he didn't see any reason why I wouldn't be ready for Boston when April rolls around.

Feeling good about training again, I set out for a short run after work today. I didn't even notice my ankle at all, and my hamstrings felt pretty good. Better than they have felt in about a month. I am so looking forward to working up my mileage and speed again. I am definitely ready to get back out on the road!

Weekly Update

Well, not much to report this week. I only went running once this week. I've been reluctantly taking it easy for the last few weeks nursing a couple injuries. My ankle hasn't bothered me at all this week. I've stopped wearing the brace during the day without any discomfort. I wore it yesterday for an easy three mile run, and really wanted to try running without it. My hamstring felt a lot better this week, though not as it should. My family and I went to the park for a picnic on Wednesday night. After dinner, we were playing tag and running around (I was the monster trying to get my girls), and it felt abnormally normal. So yesterday, I was expecting my run to be a lot better than last time. I ran the same 3.3 miles as I did on last Monday, and I did it exactly 5 minutes faster. I was soooo tempted to keep going, but I didn't want to overdo it.

I also got some advice on my injury from Nic. As it turns out, he is a chiropractor who recently treated a runner with "very very similar problems" as me. I had never heard of ART (Active Release Technique), a treatment approach for soft tissue injuries. They boast a 90% success rate, and say that most clients are better after only just a few treatments, and that relapse is very uncommon. So, I am excited for my appointment with the chiropractor on Monday afternoon. I'll be sure to post about how it goes. Hopefully, I'll be back to my regular training this week!

Still alive

Sorry for the long absence. I haven't been too motivated to blog about my running lately since I haven't been running much. It's been pretty frustrating. But, I am back.

Well, after two weeks of very little running, I am feeling a little better. I think my ankle pains might be a result of some tendonitis. I pulled out my old ankle brace, and I have been wearing that for the last several days. I think that is making a big difference. I'm still not sure about the pain in my hamstring. This last week, it seems to have gotten a little better, but still hasn't gone away. I'm feeling optimistic, though. I just don't want to keep taking so much time off. Boston is fast approaching, (my countdown says it's only 30 days away--some lights must have burned out or something, so I gotta look into getting that fixed--I know I still have about 3 months, so I'm not too worried yet) and I want to be ready.

I went for an easy 3 mile run today. It felt so great to get out and run, but the discomfort is far from gone. I don't want to overdo it and cause further injury, but man, it's hard when I know I could be doing so much more! I have been doing some strengthening exercises for my hamstring and butt that I hope will help out. Maybe I need to ask my wife for some more massages. Those are always nice.

If anybody out there has any advice, I'd love to hear it!

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I've said it before...

Anyone can run. Check out this article: 101-year-old man to run the London Marathon. Amazing! And to think I only wanted to be able to run a marathon when I'm 80. Here's something else to shoot for. Way to go, Buster!

AAARRGH!!!

I just came in from an 8 mile run this morning. It was long, grueling, and a little painful. But, it could have been much worse. The first few miles were pretty good, but by mile 3, I was really feeling it. Maybe Doug's poopedness is contagious, or maybe it's all those late nights catching up with me. Shortly after that, by hamstring started bothering me (again--that thing just won't leave me alone!), and shortly after that, my ankle started bugging again. The ankle wasn't as bad as last week's long run, but I started noticing it around mile 6 today instead of mile 9 like last week. The run ended on a high note though. The last half mile, I was able to focus on what was feeling good in my body rather than what was not, and I hardly noticed anything at all. I think I'm going to take it easy this coming week and do a lot of stretching and strengthening. Hopefully that will help.

Off to a good start

Last month, I started a Boston Marathon training program that I created myself. This is actually the first time I have ever stuck to any plan for more than just a week or two. Things have been going pretty well (if you don't count the time I was sick or the runs where I had to take it easy due to a sore hamstring. And then there was the aching ankle thing from last Saturday). My goal is to break 3 hours in Boston, and I am feeling pretty good about it so far. Below you can see my scheduled runs and my actual runs.

Scheduled runs:
What I actually ran: