I started having pains in my left leg when running back in
October. I presumed it was a hamstring issue, stemming from my high hamstring
and that it would either get worse causing me to stop running or it would go
away. It persisted though, and just became a nagging issue through the end of
December. However, let it be known that I had three PRs with this
issue…including my best 5 mile at the Born to Run and my best half marathon at
the Wilson Bridge both in November. So it was an issue, but one that clearly
didn’t prevent me from running at my best. Or so I thought. By the end of
December, I was through with it. I decided it wasn’t going to go away with my current
course of action so I stopped running and made an appointment with my
orthopedist. At the end of 2013, my goals for 2014 included balancing my
running with other activities, i.e. cross training and strength training so
that I would be a better runner. Now I am even more convinced of that goal, and
I am working to make it a reality. I ran minimal miles in January and didn’t
run a mile in February. The diagnosis from my orthopedist was not a hamstring
issue, but a nerve issue that he thought stemmed from my lower back. I did have
resident pain in my lower back but I didn’t connect it to the leg pain. I
thought this was plausible, but the nerve pain could either be from lower back
or piriformis syndrome. I now think it was (is) both. To date, I have been
through 6 PT sessions and am in the middle of 13 chiropractic adjustments. PT
was good for teaching me strengthening and stretching exercises for my core,
lower back, hips and upper legs. But the pain was still there so I decided to
try a chiropractor.
At this point, I am beginning to see the light at the end
of this tunnel. I am feeling stronger and getting healthier. My pain is
lowering with each day, and I believe it’s either the chiropractor or time off
from running. I have tried two runs in the past week – the first 8-10 minutes
and the second for 15 minutes – with good success. I know that’s not going to
be a magic bullet but I did want to test the waters. I still hope and pray that
this issue doesn’t come back, or flare up again but I do know that’s a
possibility as I try to increase distance and mileage. But as much as I know I
love running, I also now know that I value being healthy over that livelihood.
I have found other ways to stay active – finally using my gym membership to
take classes and work out. I vary my workouts to elliptical, stationary bike,
rowing, yoga, and an occasional kickboxing or Zumba class although I am very
careful with my back in these types of classes. I also do core and strength
work at home including squats, lunges, and a lot of stretching. I know I could
always be doing more but I have a lot of variety right now and it’s hard to fit
any one thing in more than 1-2 times a week. When I add running in, I’m going
to have to maintain more of a strict schedule with my non-running days. Truth
be told, I’m lazy some days and I am quick to push the workout to the next day.
With the long, cold winter we’ve had, it’s been easy to fall into that lazy
mode. I actually haven’t missed running as much as I thought I would. It’s no
longer the be-all, end-all for me. I know that there is life outside running,
and I’m embracing that. I want to add running back into my workout, but not for
the sake of injury. I plan to run three times a week – one speedwork, one
tempo, and one long slow easy run. Long may start out 4 but I need to work it
up to 8-10. I have a half marathon on May 4th that I plan to use as
a test to see if I can cover the distance. I have another half on June 8th
– depending on how my return to running goes, I tentatively plan to PR in that
race. But my perspective has changed greatly. I really miss the camaraderie of
running with my friends, and the joy of running with some great music. I don’t
miss trying to beat paces and increase mileage. I just want to run for fun, and mostly I just want it to be pain free. If I can't do that, then I am not sure it's worth it. As another aspect of cross-training, I have joined an over-30 women's soccer team! This will be my first outdoor experience since college and I'm nervous but excited. On weeks with a soccer game, I will consider this my 'speed' workout. I know I'm not in soccer shape but my goals are to be competitive with the other women on my team and the league, have fun and stay active!
I'm not sure how to wrap this up, other than to say I have learned a lot about myself these last few months and weeks. I have challenged myself in ways other than running, while giving my body and mind time to recharge and focus on priorities. I hope that's been helpful, but time will tell!
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