Clearly, it’s been a while since I’ve written. I have to admit, though, that I’m a bit shocked to see that it’s been since the beginning of May, and here it is midway through August.
In that last post, I excitedly reported that I was cleared to get back to running, as much or as little as I wanted. I remember the huge feeling of relief that I would not be in any kind of catastrophic danger if I decided to get back out on the roads doing what I love to do. I’m still thankful for that freedom.
Even with the go-ahead from the doctor, my summer did not go as planned. My plan was to target a late summer marathon with the hopes of running a Boston-qualifying time so that I could line up in Hopkinton next April. However, each time I tried to do any type of work at speeds faster than my 10K pace, my hip and/or hamstring would just sear with pain. So the summer proceeded with multiple fits and starts until I just knew a summer marathon was not in the cards. As July rolled around, I slowly built my milage back up to a solid base so that I could begin working in earnest toward the Columbus Marathon in October. After finally being smart enough to take it slow for a while, I’m back to being able to do speed workouts without doubling over in pain. Admittedly, I still feel hip soreness the day after hard, fast workouts, but it’s definitely manageable, and I am starting to see real progress in my fitness and pace.
I’ve been training with Jason Fitzgerald from StrengthRunning.com and have been loving it. Highly recommended.
This just hasn’t been my year, medically. After spending the first part of the year trying to figure out what was up with my hip, then finally discovering a long-undetected spine issue, the summer hasn’t been a whole lot better (though far less serious). About a year ago, I finally grew tired of a spot of dermatofibroma on my chest that had been there for many years. After starting to run in 2009, the area grew more and more irritated from repeated running shirt friction, so I decided to have it removed. One very minor surgery later, it was gone. However, this summer, it grew back. It was a combination of scar tissue from the first one, along with regrowth of the fibroma, but it was getting more and more irritated, so back to the surgeon I went. Again, a very minor surgery, but just a bit of a nuisance when all I wanted to do was get back to running consistently. About a week after that surgery, I was out running again and got a quick, sharp pain in my … umhhh … lower abdomen. Strange pains abound when you run a lot, so I thought nothing of it. A few days later, while at work, I got up to leave my office for a meeting, and it was like I had been hit by lightning. Not so good. And then the swelling started. Hello again, doctor. Damn it: inguinal hernia. Yep, I am falling apart and starting to get maladies of the far more aged than me. The good news is that, once again, as long as I can put up with the pain, I can put off doing anything about this until after the marathon.
So, I’ve decided to quit running, buy some white pants, white shoes, move to Boca and start hitting the early bird special.
