Since my last whiney post about my hip, there has been a lot of improvement. Over the last week, the problem really turned from being strictly a sharp hip pain to general stiffness and seizing up of the rest of my leg, especially outer and inner quads. My hip was healing, but the rest of my upper leg was still working way harder than it normally would have to to get me around. Luckily enough, that slight problem can be fixed with massage and foam rolling, both of which I have been doing and....
I CAN RUN AGAIN!
I can't full-out train or rush up to my normal mileage just yet. My PT gave me a checkpoint-type list of 7 running drills, some with sub-drills, to work on. They all involve slow, straight-lined running and gradual introduction of hills, turns, and increased speed.
I went out for my first "run" last night. Shay came along to watch over in case anything went wrong and to yell at me to stop if my gait started looking funny (I was warned that I had to be very careful for pain or signs of decreased range of motion- these runs are more tests to see if my hip is ready to return to running than anything else).
Long story short, it was slow, but it was glorious. No hip pain! And I even felt stronger and more stable than I remember feeling on past runs. My bum and hip exercises have done me wonders of good.
I have to run on grass for a while and the only place we could get to at the hour that we went out was a field in the middle of a 0.3 mile loop road. So I just ran the 0.1 mile straight down the middle of it, back and forth, over and over, following the drill instructions, for 2.5 miles. Repetitive, potentially boring, but I have never been happier.
Anyway, once I work through my slow and easy test run list (could take 3 days to a week), I can return to normal but abbreviated running. I can start out at a 20 mile week and am supposed to take four weeks to get to 30 mpw and another four weeks to get up to 40 mpw. I'll be continuing with the cross training that I have been doing so that I can be fit enough to get a few good races in before the year is out.
Let me tell you, I don't mind that my running has to be through boring drills for now and that my mileage will not be as high as I would like for quite some time. I am just so intensely happy to get out the door and to put one foot in front of the other.
That's the silver lining to injuries- once on the mend, they renew your attitudes towards your running self to something completely pure. The second you are out in the fresh air to run again, whatever emotional stress or expectations you normally lay on yourself disappear. You are left alone with only the overwhelming thrill of movement.
Now, if you'll excuse me; it's a beautiful day for a run.
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