Let's just say things haven't gone that great since my first marathon. Two weeks after logging 26.2, I went out for a run. After six miles, I started feeling a pain I'd never felt before in the back of my left leg. I figured it was a strange muscle that I've never pulled before. Save the jokes. After running for about a mile, the pain grew bad enough to the point where I had to stop. I then hobbled home. That afternoon, I could barely put any weight on my left leg. I had to lay on my bed to put my pants on. Fortunately, work that evening did not involve a lot of walking. But I needed to push myself off every time I got up from sitting. The next day it felt a lot better but I still couldn't put my full weight on my left leg. I gave it a week but it only got a little better. I was finally able to see my doctor the following week, 2 weeks and a day after the injury. He wanted to get a bone scan to rule out a stress fracture.
I drank the dye and went back to get my bone scan the next day. After the scan, the tech asked me, "Do you run a lot of hurdles?" Great. Looking at the scan pretty much confirmed what the tech had assumed. All the dye went straight to the spot that hurt, the pubis of my pelvis.
The treatment? Do nothing. Literally. For at least 8 weeks from the date of the diagnosis, not the injury. Definitely no running but also no elliptical, no stationary bike, no swimming, nothing. The shearing forces from all those movements would put too much stress on the area and delay the healing process. He did say yoga and pilates were okay.
So for the last nine weeks, I've done nothing. And it has sucked. And it has been difficult. Especially when I know friends that went to Orlando to run the Disney World marathon six weeks after they ran with me in San Antonio. Or seeing anyone running. Add some personal issues in there and these past two months have easily been the toughest I remember going through.
On Friday, I finally got off my Wahmbulance and tried out Bikram yoga. I knew it'd be tough but had to do something. The room wasn't so bad in the beginning but the sweat came like rain soon enough. I hate hot weather but enjoyed it. For starters, I'm not flexible at all and know that I need something like that. When it was over, I was happy to get the Hell out of there but also excited about going back. Seeing the way some of the veterans were able to move gave me hope. It's not going to replace running but it will help me get through this waiting. And I know I'll be better for it physically and mentally.
Hang in there! You'll be back to your running fool self in no time!
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