Back Talk

by Katie on May 18, 2013

So, where did we leave off?

I think we were talking about how I ran 18 miles, starting at a 7:20 pace and worked my way down to 7:00 and it was fab

oh no.  that’s wrong.  that’s what was supposed to happen today.  instead, I am not running.  I am enjoying a nice little injury and a reality check that I, in fact, am human.  and that my back, in fact, is crazy.  I have no real answers.  It’s saturday.  I could get a hold of NO ONE yesterday.  no one took my answering machine pleas for a massage ASAP!!! seriously.  they don’t care.

So, I took ibuprofen like a teething toddler and tried not to sit down.  at all.  if I sat, then I had to stand up.  and if I had to stand up, I was not a happy camper.  I had to do it slowly and thoughtfully.

I REALLY appreciate all of your comments and emails and thoughts and suggestions.  I am praying to God it’s not a sacral stress fracture and I feel terrible for those of you that have gone through that.  that just sounds completely horrific and I don’t want any part of it.  I don’t really have a choice in the matter though, as to what is going on in that SI joint area.

I woke up this morning and very cautiously got out of bed.  I stood up.  I sat down.  I stood up again.  oh my.  I can sit.  and I can stand.  like a champ.  will that win me a spot at the olympic trials marathon???  but, it does not hurt. at all.  to sit.  or stand.  I’ll take that good news.

I can jump up and down on one foot.  I can jump on the other foot.  it still does not hurt.  yesterday, it hurt.  it hurt to walk upstairs.  it hurt to stand straight from a bended or seated position.  It does not hurt to touch, push on, twist or call the “effected back region” mean names.  right now it is a dull ache that I don’t even notice all the time.  I would still call it in a “precarious” state – neither here nor there, undecided as to what course it’s going to take.

I can plank – don’t worry, I did not hold it for 5 minutes – I didn’t even hold it for 30 seconds – I simply got in plank position to see what it felt like – it felt like a normal plank position.  I can do pushups – no issue.  I can do pullups – no issue.  Yesterday, I could not do that exercise where you lay on your back, knees bent, butt lift hamstring exercise – that was painful in the back.  I could not even get my butt off the floor without my low back hurting quite a bit.  today, I can lift my butt, with a barely there feeling in my low back.  I can touch my toes with my legs straight.  I can touch my toes with my leg extended and lifted knee height.  I can touch my nose.  standing on one foot.  that doesn’t hurt either.

I think I am going to survive.  I think I will not be running for a few more days.  at least.  I don’t know how long I will be out.  I think I can’t help but think about the half marathon I have in two weeks.  I hope I can run it.

I think it’s crazy how quickly something that I do with ease and abandon can be gone.  I saw people running yesterday and it just looked so painful.  My husband casually went out to run 6 miles.  no big deal.  lucky duck.  I love to run.  I will not take that ability for granted.

I know that I have funky SI joint stuff going on.  I’m not exactly sure what it’s from, but they don’t work exactly right, and it’s never really been a problem – it’s usually my right side that I notice.  on friday, it was a problem.  right around mile 3.28 when I was going slightly downhill.  the back wasn’t into that downhill.  I don’t have the best form going downhill.  I don’t lean forward like a good runner should.  I have a slightly overly “sway” lower back – so it’s slightly over arched, that anatomy doesn’t help, going down hill, when I tend to stay upright or even lean slightly back.  too much to handle.  and the back had its breaking point.  although I hope it didn’t really break.

I do know, that in the midst of back crisis, I can eat a ridiculous amount of ghirardelli brownies and sushi.  I want to say it’s because my running was snatched right out from under me and I don’t know exactly when I will be comfortable to run again, and was naturally drowning my sorrows in chocolate and japanese delicacies.  but really, it’s just because I made brownies.  and you can not resist ghirardelli brownies.  and we had friends over and got sushi takeout.  and there is nothing quite as delightful as seaweed salad and all sorts of fancy sushi.  with delicious sauces spread all over it.  unfortunately, I did not have the “I have to run 18 miles tomorrow and need a little extra fuel” excuse.  nope.  I did no physical activity today.  aside from the random 10 second plank, 20 pushups and 10 pull-ups.  and I got my hair done with my girls.

IMG_5770

that was hard work. very hard.  I had to sit for an hour.  then I had to deal with the anxiety about whether or not I would still be able to stand up and move after sitting for that length of time.  it all worked out.  I was still able to stand up.  like a normal person.  without pain.

I feel like I am about 85% better than yesterday.  The discomfort doesn’t even compare.  I am moving almost like nothing happened.  although, something did happen.  so I am moving with a bit more purpose in my actions.  I am bending at the knees and keeping the sway in my back so that I am not constantly loading my SI joint.  My plan:  I have an appointment for a sports massage tomorrow.  If this continues to improve at this rate, I have a hard time believing there is something gravely wrong with my back.  If the improvement comes to a crashing halt or gets worse, I will see a doctor, sign over my firstborn to pay for medical bills because insurance these days is terrible, and have him (or her, but it’s usually a him) figure out what is wrong with me.

I talked with a PT friend and my aunt who is a PT, and they seem to think, based on my description of what happened, that it is an SI joint issue, muscle/glute issue that can be corrected by being worked on to some degree.  I’m not saying that that is definitely what it is, but until I see where this is going, I’m going to treat it like that and see what next week brings.

QUESTION:  To those of you that have dealt with stress fractures that sound eerily and uncomfortably similar to what has just happened to me  - did you feel any better the following day?  was it one single incident or a progression of discomfort that landed you with a stress fracture?

Okie dokie friends.  I hope you are in good shape and keeping it happy this saturday.  run some miles for me.  or don’t.  have a brownie for me, because I am just about brownied out.

{ 22 comments }

There Goes My Back

by Katie on May 17, 2013

WORKOUTS

I’ve only had one workout since the race on Saturday.  Other than workouts, my runs have been easy 10 miles.  aside from Sunday.  That was not 10 miles.  monday was an exception as well.  not 10 miles.  today was a complete bust.  read ahead and find out.

Sunday

7 miles @ 7:30 pace

The only thing that was ever so slightly sore from the race were my calves.  strange.  My calves are NEVER sore.  roll, roll and roll a little more.

Monday

9 miles @ 7:10 + core

Tuesday

10 miles @ 7:20

Wednesday

WORKOUT!!!

the plan:  16×400′s @ 79-81

1 min recovery between

that’s a short recovery.  blink of an eye and the nice relaxing minute is over.

actual:

10.25 miles total (+core)

2 mile warmup, ran to track

16×400′s in

81, 78, 76, 78, 80, 80, 78, 80

80, 79, 80, 80, 79, 80, 79, 79

I’m the overachiever that always wants to go faster than the prescribed.  nonsense.  there was no overachieving today.  this was all about completing the workout.  after 8 repeats, I felt worked and had to do it all over again.  I think the track is perpetually windy.  just as I finished my last repeat, a high school class came out to do a timed mile.  ha.  glad I wasn’t them.  I skedaddled off and did my cool down.  funny thing – usually I feel fantastic after a workout like this.  I wasn’t overly impressed.  It was solid.  I completed it.  I even saw some 4:5x for the pace at certain points.  but I didn’t feel like it was much better than last time.  What did I do?  Went home and did the numbers.  one month ago I averaged 80.68.  give or take .01846302.  This workout, I averaged 79.18 for the workout.  baby steps.  little improvement.  but I did perk up.  because I felt much better on this one.  I didn’t feel like I was dying a new death on every. single. repeat. like I remember feeling the last time I did this beauty of a workout.  it is a beauty.  sidenote – I have never kept track of my miles and training until this year – I love it.  It’s nice to be able to look back at the work and see how it changes over time.  better or worse.  another fun fact from my training records – my average weekly mileage this year is 59.89.  or thereabouts. I don’t know how I will ever be an 80-90 mile a week runner.  I’m not sure I could handle that.  we shall find out!  slow and steady.

Thursday

10 miles @ 7:25 + core

all caught up on the running.

now, the OTHER stuff.

The back breaking stuff

I ran today

It was so nice.  I got up bright and early to get it done because it was going to be a busy day

I was feeling good

Until I landed one fateful step and I thought my back was going to break

I stopped

I was slightly dumbfounded at what just happened.  did I miss something?

I made sure I could still walk

I could walk

I jogged back up the little hill that I had just run down

and I walked some more

I walked the rest of the way home

at 5:45 in the morning

jogging home was not an option, even if I wanted to

I have no idea what happened

what I do know, is that my lower back hurts.  right around my tailbone.  it’s uncomfortable.  like someone took a bat to it.  it didn’t feel like that when I left for my run.

I also know that one second I was fine. and the next, my foot landed and my lower back and right across my mid glute felt a sensation that I can’t describe, but that I knew was not good. I was afraid that one step in the wrong direction would have me flat on my back on the sidewalk.  that didn’t sound like a very pretty picture to me. so I tried not to take one step in the wrong direction.

I got home and jumped in an ice bath, then in a hot shower.  it didn’t go away.  it feels really tight.  sitting doesn’t hurt, but once I stand from sitting, it takes a bit to reacclimate and it’s not super comfortable.  unfortunately, I’m guessing it has something to do with my hamstrings.  it always does.  those hamstrings.  such a big, powerful group of muscles that I’m certain I don’t care for properly.

Google isn’t very uplifting.  I’m reading things like high hamstring tendinopathy and blah blah blah and I may never run again.  ok.  that doesn’t sound like a very pretty picture either.  google, lets find something else to read about.

I’m bummed.  I don’t know exactly what to do.  I do need a good massage.  and possibly a good strawberry basil martini.  then I need to figure out what is going on.

I do know that I will not be running 18 miles tomorrow.  or Sunday.  or until there is zero pain in my low back.  I also know that it feels better the more I move.  I can walk without pain, well, pain is relative.  I have a high tolerance for pain.  I would call it barely uncomfortable.  I am aware that things are off, but it doesn’t hurt, hurt.  It feels like a big knot.  a really big, fat knot.  I would be ok if it went away.  soon.

I am going to rest.  and I am going to pray that this is just a little “hello, don’t ignore the extra stuff like stretching and rolling…or else” warning.

IT IS WHAT IT IS

In the meantime, I will enjoy that I took a shower and got dressed today.  I had time to do that.  because I only ran 3 miles.

I will enjoy the weekend and the extra 2+ hours that I will have tomorrow because I won’t be running.

I will just be.

and I will leave you with this pic of my cool dude.  coffee dates with my main man are the best.

 IMG_5718

 

we spend a lot of time together.  good thing I like him.  and coffee.  my little stud.

Tell me something good.  I need to hear something happy and positive and so uplifting:)

Good luck to anyone racing this weekend!  May you have a better run than I did today;-)

{ 22 comments }

Breaking 18

May 14, 2013

I’m back!  You can blame The Voice for this not getting done last night.  sucked me right in. I have a little race to talk about.  and a lot of pictures to fill in the space. I finally broke 18 minutes in the 5k I actually shouldn’t really use the word finally to say I broke 18 because that would indicate [...]

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Whacky Wednesday

May 8, 2013

I feel like I have a post with this title, but lets do another whacky wednesday update.  it’s always whacky around here, but wednesdays are especially whacky All the kids call it whacky wednesday because it’s half day at school.  short day for them = long day for mama.  doesn’t make sense.  I think every other week [...]

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Loving Lately

May 4, 2013

Tough running workouts generally lend themselves to quite the introspective thoughts on my part.  must have something to do with working brutally hard for something, a pace, a repeat, a goal – and wondering in the middle of that really hard thing, why the heck do I do this?  let’s just stop and continue on with [...]

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Cheshire Half Marathon 2013 – The Recap (and a ridiculous amount of pictures)

April 30, 2013

I am bound to figure out this racing thing at some point this year This wasn’t a stellar race for me It could have been but it wasn’t it just wasn’t my day Races can go one of a few ways… 1.  Run well.  finish strong.  PR 2.  Run well.  finish strong.  don’t PR, but [...]

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Questions Answered

April 26, 2013

You people out there are observant folks.  quite a few of you noticed the return of the Pure Flow 2, which I swore was going to kill my running.  So I retreated back and stocked up on the original pure flows.  only, I didn’t really stock up as much as I thought and I go [...]

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Birthday Fun, Running and a Recipe

April 23, 2013

Once again, I go far too long without posting and then I have far too much to write about.  for times sake, I’m going to whip out my listing skills for this one.  keep it nice and orderly, in a numbered fashion, from start to finish, so that we can all follow along and not [...]

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For The Runner

April 18, 2013

I have no words that can accurately express how I’m feeling about Boston and I wasn’t even there but just hours after I posted about my envious feelings about not being there on Monday and how I will be there next year an unimaginable thing happens and changes life but I will be there next year So, for now, [...]

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I’m A Little Green

April 15, 2013

With envy I’m trying not to be, but it’s tough I have said before that I have not really ever had any desire or urge or inkling to run the Boston Marathon I don’t know why.  it just hasn’t been strong on my radar I qualified for it with my first marathon in 2008 and [...]

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