I'm in pain today. I had another session on the massage table this morning and I'm suffering the consequences. Let me back up a bit and fill you in on the last few days.
On Monday I was high on the successful 10 mile run from Sunday. I wrote about how I was practically healed; all was well and wasn't I lucky?! It turns out it's not quite that simple. Tuesday night saw me at the track for the usual workout with our coaches. We were doing a step down workout, where we ran at half marathon pace or 75% effort for 7 minutes, then jogged to recover for 3.5 minutes; 6 minutes fast followed by 3 minutes to recover; 5 minutes fast followed by 2.5 minutes to recover and so on.
I was aware that I didn't want to start out too fast. Most people seem to have a tendency to get started too fast and then have to reel themselves in because they can't maintain the pace. I was trying to run at a pace I thought I could maintain for 7 minutes and not want to throw up after. So far so good. I jogged calmly for recovery and got started again at the faster pace for 6 minutes. That was when the right knee started to complain. It wasn't too bad at first. Just a tweak here and there. It was pretty cold and I still wasn't really sweating yet so I pulled back the pace a little and thought I'd just wait until I warmed up fully. I came around the track and found myself running at the same pace with a TNT captain so I stayed with him and chatted a bit about daily life. When the recover period came around I walked instead of jogging. 3 minutes later we were supposed to kick up the pace again and when I did I just knew that my knee wasn't happy. My right knee was whispering it's objections and though I ran another lap, I eventually gave up trying to ignore it. After all my pride at being smart about my injury last week I couldn't be stupid now. I pulled off the track to the coaches at the side and they shared knowing looks as their eyes said, "We knew you couldn't be fully recovered yet."
This morning I returned to the massage table and it was the most painful session yet. Jon worked on the fascia around my right knee, on my IT band, quad, calf and glute. I could have sworn that he hid a knife somewhere in his hands when he was working on my calf. The pain was searing and it felt like he was slicing through the muscles. It took every controlled breath I had to keep from crying out in pain or jumping off the table. I left, as before, with a bag of ice in hand and instructions to ice and foam roll for the next week. I'll see him again the Thursday before the race. Now I'm hobbling around the office trying to smile through the discomfort. The marathon is just 10 days away and I'm running a little short on inspiration today.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Dealing with Injury
OK, I know I owe you an update. You're dying to hear what the state of the knee is, aren't you? (Come on, I know there's a least one person out there who's just the tiniest bit curious...)
With Coach Kris' help I made an appointment with an orthopedic massage therapist at the Sports Medicine Institute at 8am on Monday morning. Jon is a genius. He performed a few tests to diagnose the issue and once he had determined the problem was with my IT band he went to town with deep tissue massage. I watched as he screwed up his face and sucked in his breath, "Oh Wow, is this where it hurts?" With magic fingers he found the exact spot on my knee that was painful and was able to trace the attached muscles and ligaments and apply gentle and intense pressure to reduce the tightness. I left in more pain than I arrived but it was good pain. Luckily my work environment is casual enough so I sat with my leg on my desk with an ice pack strapped to it, several times for the rest of the day. I didn't run.
By Thursday I was feeling pretty good (and more than a little antsy) and under the advice of my coaches decided to try a very gentle jog, with strict instructions to stop the instant I felt any pain. I warmed up for 10 minutes, did the full complement of dynamic stretching I'm supposed to do for every run and then ran a steady 3 miles without pain. Success! Hurray! I was pretty chuffed.
On Saturday morning I had another appointment with Jon and this time he split the time between both left and right IT bands. Again I iced like crazy and then on Sunday morning decided to attempt the run I was supposed to do this weekend - 10 miles. Again I was extremely obedient and did a slow warm up, full set of dynamic stretches and then off I went. Again I ran without pain. I'm back!
So what can I tell you about this experience. Well, the first and obvious lesson is don't be afraid to seek help as soon as you feel pain. I know everyone says this, but as I mentioned last week, I also understand that it's really tempting not to. I am so much better off now than if I had gritted my teeth and put my head in the sand about this injury. Jon says that it's totally possible for me to address this purely through massage, foam rolling and stretching because I got it before it caused more damage.
The other lesson is psychological. I'm a little ashamed to admit that though I was really upset about the injury last week, there was a small part of me that was relieved. An injury would be a perfectly acceptable way of ducking out of this marathon. You see, 26.2 miles still seems like an awfully long way to run. And I'm terrified that I won't be able for it, that I'll give up, that I won't cross the finish line. But what I realized during the week is that I definitely won't cross the finish line if I don't even start. I can't let the fear of failure prevent me from trying. If I fail this time, I can always try again. Cliched perhaps, but still true.
With Coach Kris' help I made an appointment with an orthopedic massage therapist at the Sports Medicine Institute at 8am on Monday morning. Jon is a genius. He performed a few tests to diagnose the issue and once he had determined the problem was with my IT band he went to town with deep tissue massage. I watched as he screwed up his face and sucked in his breath, "Oh Wow, is this where it hurts?" With magic fingers he found the exact spot on my knee that was painful and was able to trace the attached muscles and ligaments and apply gentle and intense pressure to reduce the tightness. I left in more pain than I arrived but it was good pain. Luckily my work environment is casual enough so I sat with my leg on my desk with an ice pack strapped to it, several times for the rest of the day. I didn't run.
By Thursday I was feeling pretty good (and more than a little antsy) and under the advice of my coaches decided to try a very gentle jog, with strict instructions to stop the instant I felt any pain. I warmed up for 10 minutes, did the full complement of dynamic stretching I'm supposed to do for every run and then ran a steady 3 miles without pain. Success! Hurray! I was pretty chuffed.
On Saturday morning I had another appointment with Jon and this time he split the time between both left and right IT bands. Again I iced like crazy and then on Sunday morning decided to attempt the run I was supposed to do this weekend - 10 miles. Again I was extremely obedient and did a slow warm up, full set of dynamic stretches and then off I went. Again I ran without pain. I'm back!
So what can I tell you about this experience. Well, the first and obvious lesson is don't be afraid to seek help as soon as you feel pain. I know everyone says this, but as I mentioned last week, I also understand that it's really tempting not to. I am so much better off now than if I had gritted my teeth and put my head in the sand about this injury. Jon says that it's totally possible for me to address this purely through massage, foam rolling and stretching because I got it before it caused more damage.
The other lesson is psychological. I'm a little ashamed to admit that though I was really upset about the injury last week, there was a small part of me that was relieved. An injury would be a perfectly acceptable way of ducking out of this marathon. You see, 26.2 miles still seems like an awfully long way to run. And I'm terrified that I won't be able for it, that I'll give up, that I won't cross the finish line. But what I realized during the week is that I definitely won't cross the finish line if I don't even start. I can't let the fear of failure prevent me from trying. If I fail this time, I can always try again. Cliched perhaps, but still true.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Disaster!
I set out to run 20 miles this morning. I've been feeling pretty good so far this year with a 16 and 18 miler under my belt. We headed out on the Los Gatos trail shortly before 8am, beginning with a short out and back towards the reservoir. The morning was cool but sunny. I ran with my awesome running buddy for the season, (let's call her B), and we started right into the wedding planning stories. 15 minutes into the run, a fellow runner several steps in front of us turned around, said "I can't help but hear that you're talking about planning weddings. I'm a wedding planner!" and it felt like I was set for the next few hours.
We completed the first 3.75 mile out and back and started off in the other direction towards Campbell for the second out and back. It's a trail I have run many times in the last year with both good and bad memories and I'll be honest that I was a little nervous about whether it would be stimulating enough to get me through the tough run I knew I was about to embark upon. Our 16 miler was in Santa Cruz along the cliffs above the Pacific Ocean and the 18 miler was in Monterey through the famous 17 mile drive, one of the most beautiful spots in the country. Los Gatos trail is pretty but familiar and there's no Pacific Ocean to gaze at and forget the pain.
It was going well though and I saw the 1 hour mark, 90 minute mark and 2 hour mark pass by on my watch. About this point I came across the last water stop and one of the volunteers (an utterly amazing TNT Honoree who just qualified for Boston last weekend) offered us Peach Sorbet. We ran to the end of the trail and started back towards the finish. I was definitely feeling tired at this point and struggling a little. I was starting to get a blister under my left foot and there were some pangs in my knee. I hadn't felt like this all season.
One mile later disaster struck. I took a walk break to eat some GU and when I started to run again a stabbing knife sharp pain fired through my left knee. It took my breath away with surprise and just how strong it was. I presumed that it was my legs seizing up a little as I walked. Sometimes, late in long runs, my muscles tighten up the instant I stop running so getting started again takes a bit of fight. I have to push hard through the clenching muscles to get them to loosen up again. I tried that, clenching my fists, holding my breath and just pushing but the pain seared through my knee again, pulling me up short. What was this? Where did it come from?
B came running up asking if I was OK and I said that I just needed to walk a little longer to warm up the knee. I tried a fast walk to get the heart pumping and after a little while attempted a slow jog again, only to stop in frustration and pain. The realization gradually dawned that I wouldn't be able to complete the long run today. B wanted to walk with me to the next water stop but I knew it was nearly 2 miles away and I didn't want to ruin her run too, so I pleaded with her to continue without me. Eventually she agreed to run on and tell the crew at the water stop about my condition so they could return and help me.
I walked the next 2 miles slowly in pain and frustration. I cried when I realized my race is only 3 weeks away and this stupid knee might prevent me from running it. I thought about how I've heard more than one story about friends getting injured shortly before a race and how angry and disappointed those friends were. I couldn't believe that was me. Just before I reached the next water stop a TNT volunteer arrived to help me. She brought me to a nearby parking lot and another of the TNT captains arrived to drive me back to the start.
I am so grateful for the fact that I had the support of the Team to help me through this. I really can't say enough good things about the support crew. Despite my sniffles, the coaches received me arriving back to base in a car with hugs and sympathy (causing a few more sniffles themselves). Honoree Todd offered an ice pack right away and a story of when the same thing happened to him right before his Napa Marathon 2 years ago. He ran it successfully. He also gave me some tape and instructions for how to tape up my knee for support. Coach Tim described his knee support and explained how it helps the Patella to track correctly and Coach Kris offered to make me an appointment this week at her Sports Medicine clinic. Everyone offered so much support that I really felt better by the time I hobbled towards my car. There's a chance this won't stop me from running the Marathon. A chance.
I usually view people who try to run through injury with disdain. Why would you ignore the advice of a professional? Why would think you can just ignore a problem. If I've heard it once, I've heard it a million times; If you catch an injury early, it's much easier to treat. If you ignore it you risk inflaming it and making it much worse, meaning it will take much longer to heal and you'll have to stop running for much longer. It makes perfect sense. Well, today I finally understood those people. I wanted to ignore the pain in my knee so badly. While walking on that path I tried to run several times despite the pain. While riding in the car back to the start I wished I hadn't given up. While talking to the coaches about the injury I wished I was still on the trail pushing it through it and wasn't the injured girl who returned in the car. Sitting here writing this I wish I was writing about the 20 miles that I ran and not this disappointing story.
I've already overdosed on several online articles and a couple of chapters from running books I own about running injuries. I know that attitude is a huge part of recovery; that I need to cross train to keep up the fitness; that I should treat with Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation; that I should stretch and foam roll the muscles; that I need to stay positive and not let it get me down. But maybe I'll try all that tomorrow because today I'm just disappointed and sad and frustrated and angry.
We completed the first 3.75 mile out and back and started off in the other direction towards Campbell for the second out and back. It's a trail I have run many times in the last year with both good and bad memories and I'll be honest that I was a little nervous about whether it would be stimulating enough to get me through the tough run I knew I was about to embark upon. Our 16 miler was in Santa Cruz along the cliffs above the Pacific Ocean and the 18 miler was in Monterey through the famous 17 mile drive, one of the most beautiful spots in the country. Los Gatos trail is pretty but familiar and there's no Pacific Ocean to gaze at and forget the pain.
It was going well though and I saw the 1 hour mark, 90 minute mark and 2 hour mark pass by on my watch. About this point I came across the last water stop and one of the volunteers (an utterly amazing TNT Honoree who just qualified for Boston last weekend) offered us Peach Sorbet. We ran to the end of the trail and started back towards the finish. I was definitely feeling tired at this point and struggling a little. I was starting to get a blister under my left foot and there were some pangs in my knee. I hadn't felt like this all season.
One mile later disaster struck. I took a walk break to eat some GU and when I started to run again a stabbing knife sharp pain fired through my left knee. It took my breath away with surprise and just how strong it was. I presumed that it was my legs seizing up a little as I walked. Sometimes, late in long runs, my muscles tighten up the instant I stop running so getting started again takes a bit of fight. I have to push hard through the clenching muscles to get them to loosen up again. I tried that, clenching my fists, holding my breath and just pushing but the pain seared through my knee again, pulling me up short. What was this? Where did it come from?
B came running up asking if I was OK and I said that I just needed to walk a little longer to warm up the knee. I tried a fast walk to get the heart pumping and after a little while attempted a slow jog again, only to stop in frustration and pain. The realization gradually dawned that I wouldn't be able to complete the long run today. B wanted to walk with me to the next water stop but I knew it was nearly 2 miles away and I didn't want to ruin her run too, so I pleaded with her to continue without me. Eventually she agreed to run on and tell the crew at the water stop about my condition so they could return and help me.
I walked the next 2 miles slowly in pain and frustration. I cried when I realized my race is only 3 weeks away and this stupid knee might prevent me from running it. I thought about how I've heard more than one story about friends getting injured shortly before a race and how angry and disappointed those friends were. I couldn't believe that was me. Just before I reached the next water stop a TNT volunteer arrived to help me. She brought me to a nearby parking lot and another of the TNT captains arrived to drive me back to the start.
I am so grateful for the fact that I had the support of the Team to help me through this. I really can't say enough good things about the support crew. Despite my sniffles, the coaches received me arriving back to base in a car with hugs and sympathy (causing a few more sniffles themselves). Honoree Todd offered an ice pack right away and a story of when the same thing happened to him right before his Napa Marathon 2 years ago. He ran it successfully. He also gave me some tape and instructions for how to tape up my knee for support. Coach Tim described his knee support and explained how it helps the Patella to track correctly and Coach Kris offered to make me an appointment this week at her Sports Medicine clinic. Everyone offered so much support that I really felt better by the time I hobbled towards my car. There's a chance this won't stop me from running the Marathon. A chance.
I usually view people who try to run through injury with disdain. Why would you ignore the advice of a professional? Why would think you can just ignore a problem. If I've heard it once, I've heard it a million times; If you catch an injury early, it's much easier to treat. If you ignore it you risk inflaming it and making it much worse, meaning it will take much longer to heal and you'll have to stop running for much longer. It makes perfect sense. Well, today I finally understood those people. I wanted to ignore the pain in my knee so badly. While walking on that path I tried to run several times despite the pain. While riding in the car back to the start I wished I hadn't given up. While talking to the coaches about the injury I wished I was still on the trail pushing it through it and wasn't the injured girl who returned in the car. Sitting here writing this I wish I was writing about the 20 miles that I ran and not this disappointing story.
I've already overdosed on several online articles and a couple of chapters from running books I own about running injuries. I know that attitude is a huge part of recovery; that I need to cross train to keep up the fitness; that I should treat with Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation; that I should stretch and foam roll the muscles; that I need to stay positive and not let it get me down. But maybe I'll try all that tomorrow because today I'm just disappointed and sad and frustrated and angry.
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