The returning runner

First: A picture tribute to running buddy Vader now gone. Many miles with just our tracks…

Act 8 - The soft tissue injury / exercise to recover paradox

My strategy was to go out pretty hard in the first two laps of the 1,500 meters – the opposite of my usual start slow plan. I wanted to know if I could “play” with the leaders in the Finals two days later. It was a bit of a gamble. The result would likely be a little bit slower time than if I did a more even job of pacing and could threaten my chances of making the finals. But I managed to solidly qualify - finishing 9th out of 16 qualifying. I did learn something – I wasn’t going to win, finish in the top 3, or even in the top 5 in the finals. The top guys were just too durn fast. Maybe next year. However, I did think that I could move up a few spots by running at a more even pace.

In the finals I started out slow – in last place. I was surprised that a widening gap was opening in front of me. The guys that I thought would also have a little slower pace had decided to chase the best (at least for a lap or two). There it was though… the shooting, “wet” feeling pain in my left hammy that had nagged me since the US championships. Probably didn’t slow me much on the first lap but it was there and not fun. The next two laps I was determined to move up and passed three runners despite the worsening pain in the hamstring. Beginning the last lap, I tried the accelerator and was surprised to find some gas in the tank. Ouch!! The hammy screamed! Pushed hard and kept it together but it will have to be another year to crack the top 5…

Since the “Worlds”, the painful hamstrung (or glute or hip flexor) that started as a bite in my lower butt a couple of days after the US championships had stubbornly hung around. I got a bug and decided to take a week off and nurse both the bug and the left leg. After that, I tried another easy week on with an ill-advised 10-mile race at the end. By 6.5 I had dropped out with a bad limp. I decided to take another week off but halfway through things were going the wrong direction – besides the hammy pain (which had now spread to the lower hamstring as well), all my hip flexors on my left side were screaming, and somehow now my right leg was starting to hurt. This reminded me of a time that an outstanding Physical Therapist (Carson City’s DPT Loren Wooldridge) had miraculously cured me of a crushing 9-month case of plantar fasciitis. In desperation I succumbed to what I thought was Loren’s crazy plan which paradoxically included a lot of exercises to cure an overuse injury. Amazingly it worked – steadily correcting what a medical doctor couldn’t do and for which cortisone shots had provided no benefit.

Although I haven’t yet troubled Loren this time, my hamstring injury is rapidly improving employing most of the hip flexor exercises found at healthline.com. Here is some suggested guidance (I’m not a doctor, check with your physician, these are just based on my experiences):

·       If you can’t run (or walk) without limping – STOP!! Limping messes up everything – the other areas of the affected leg, the other leg, the low back, the ankles and feet. Don’t do it!

·       Google a reputable site for description of rehab exercises for your injury.

·       If you aren’t getting noticeable improvement, see a physical therapist with expertise in sports injuries (in many states your insurance will cover even without a doctor’s referral).

·       Actually do the recommended exercises!! Whether working with a PT or not you’ve got to put in the time at home. “You decide” your improvement path (at least much of the time).

·       Only do exercises or stretches to the extent you feel minimal/no pain.

·       Initially, focus on the strengthening exercises rather than those that might stretch a pulled muscle.

·       When you can run without limping, keep the stride short and slowly work back into it.

·       Training to run races is a long game! Many injuries will take several weeks to heal. All runners get some injuries. Recognize that as a fact and be smart about the recovery process. Rushing things will only result in re-injury and a longer recovery.

Marion: You're not the man I knew ten years ago. Indiana: It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage. – Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981