You're Grounded
The one word that a pilot, teenager, and runner does not want to hear. "Grounded."
As I've been writing here, I had a tumble back in March in San Diego over a buckled section of sidewalk. Tumble sounds too gentle. I biffed it hard. It locked up my lower back, but I finished that Saturday run and went out again the next day to go long. It's hard to say if the hip was already weak from my accident last July, but the trip, tumble, and roll definitely triggered something "not right" in my right hip. The following Saturday wound up being my last long run before Boston and my hip was sore before I started the training run. The following four weeks up to the marathon itself, was a "back and forth" between short runs, aggravating the injury, and rest.
I tried to convince myself that the rest right before Boston would benefit me. I tried to convince myself that my hip didn't hurt, but it did. Two days before Boston, I had a three mile jog along the Charles River. It should have been an exuberant run, but the hip hurt and the energy was just not there. If you read my Boston Marathon race report, you know it was a challenge to say the least between the training setback, the hip, and the weather conditions.
Thinking that a couple weeks rest after Boston would take care of the hip wasn't happening. I haven't run since the marathon and finally decided I needed my orthopedic doc to have a closer look at it. Last week was the MRI on Monday, and consultation on Thursday.
You want the good news or the bad news?
Good news is no stress fracture. Bad news is I have my second torn labrum in eight months. I'd torn the labrum and separated my right shoulder (along with the four broken ribs and collapsed lung) in my crash last July. Further bad news is the Dr. said "no running." Good news? No surgery, but physical therapy which is the route I went with the shoulder.
I haven't dealt with this one very well. I think with the accident, I knew I had a long road to recovery, but I somehow put my head around the idea that it would take time.
I'm signed up for my first triathlon in early June. That's likely not happening. I start P.T. today. Yesterday was the hometown crowd favorite, Colfax Marathon. I didn't want to be around runners. Odd to type those words. I am trying to put a positive outlook on this, and I'm sure I'll get there, but I'm mentally down. I had worked so hard to get back to decent running shape and had a phenomenal confidence boosting twenty miler a few weeks before the hip thing popped up.
I try to keep this blog entertaining, upbeat, and sometimes funny. I'm not feeling any of those today.
As I've been writing here, I had a tumble back in March in San Diego over a buckled section of sidewalk. Tumble sounds too gentle. I biffed it hard. It locked up my lower back, but I finished that Saturday run and went out again the next day to go long. It's hard to say if the hip was already weak from my accident last July, but the trip, tumble, and roll definitely triggered something "not right" in my right hip. The following Saturday wound up being my last long run before Boston and my hip was sore before I started the training run. The following four weeks up to the marathon itself, was a "back and forth" between short runs, aggravating the injury, and rest.
I tried to convince myself that the rest right before Boston would benefit me. I tried to convince myself that my hip didn't hurt, but it did. Two days before Boston, I had a three mile jog along the Charles River. It should have been an exuberant run, but the hip hurt and the energy was just not there. If you read my Boston Marathon race report, you know it was a challenge to say the least between the training setback, the hip, and the weather conditions.Thinking that a couple weeks rest after Boston would take care of the hip wasn't happening. I haven't run since the marathon and finally decided I needed my orthopedic doc to have a closer look at it. Last week was the MRI on Monday, and consultation on Thursday.
You want the good news or the bad news?
Good news is no stress fracture. Bad news is I have my second torn labrum in eight months. I'd torn the labrum and separated my right shoulder (along with the four broken ribs and collapsed lung) in my crash last July. Further bad news is the Dr. said "no running." Good news? No surgery, but physical therapy which is the route I went with the shoulder.
I haven't dealt with this one very well. I think with the accident, I knew I had a long road to recovery, but I somehow put my head around the idea that it would take time.
I'm signed up for my first triathlon in early June. That's likely not happening. I start P.T. today. Yesterday was the hometown crowd favorite, Colfax Marathon. I didn't want to be around runners. Odd to type those words. I am trying to put a positive outlook on this, and I'm sure I'll get there, but I'm mentally down. I had worked so hard to get back to decent running shape and had a phenomenal confidence boosting twenty miler a few weeks before the hip thing popped up.
I try to keep this blog entertaining, upbeat, and sometimes funny. I'm not feeling any of those today.
sometimes you just gotta tell it like it is. we appreciate your sharing the whole story...the good AND the bad...the ups AND the downs. and, not that we want you to get injured, but when you do and you tell us about it, it helps us when we get injured to see what worked for you so if/when we get the same injury, we know things to tell and ask our own docs for the best recovery possible. i know it's hard right now, believe me, if i couldn't run, i'd go batty...but you'll get thru this...and i believe you'll be a better and a stronger runner because of it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sara. Support from runners like you online definitely help!
DeleteOh, what a bummer! I'm going through some PT myself...but my (diminishing) aches and pains are pretty minimal in comparison to what you've been dealt. I appreciate your honesty. SO many runners who have blogs and a social media following only tell the "happy" news and are afraid of being real.....running is fun & fulfilling for all of us, but it is not without some setbacks. "Average" runners need to see the "accomplished" runners (like you!) also have turmoil to weed through...it gives all of us hope and inspiration to not give up when the going gets tough. :-) SO, chin up! And take care :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Kim. Appreciate you stopping by to read, and see your encouraging words. Much appreciated.
DeleteUgghhh. I'm sorry. But I definitely understand the "I didn't want to be around runners" line. I have thought very mean things about people I see running when I'm sidelined with an injury. Very mean things. And like a commenter above said, that's the whole story and you're being honest -- which is nice to read because it makes me think that maybe I'm not the only one who has such bad thoughts even though I would actually walk through fire to save a runner.
ReplyDeleteI think it might be harder when there's no blatantly obvious injury -- for me, nobody can see my angry IT band, but if I were on crutches, it would be obvious to everyone (including me). Just don't forget that you're not alone. For everyone who did run Colfax this weekend, there were many others who did not.
What are chances PT will cure, vs just getting surgery immediately and going through that recovery?
ReplyDeletehard to put a percentage on it; other than I had FAI in my left hip and that simply "went away" but I didn't have a torn labrum. I did have a torn labrum with my accident (along with the separated shoulder) and that went away with six weeks of P.T. Hoping no surgery.
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