Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Unplanned Detour

It feels like the road to running my first marathon has been rockier than it should have been so far, and yesterday, I found out some news that only adds another road block to the journey.

I knew that something was wrong when I got sudden hamstring pain during my MLR last week, but I figured that it would only be temporary. I cut it short, and hoped for the best, but despite taking a few days off and partially being in denial, it didn't get any better, so when I got home from Florida, I knew that I had to face reality and see a physical therapist. Thanks to my friend Leiba, I was able to get a consultation at her PT's office, and after a brief evaluation, I was told that I have a hamstring sprain and that running through the pain would only make things worse.


I don't know exactly what caused it, but according to the PT I had my initial consultation with, my hips weren't flexible enough, which caused my hamstrings to have to overcompensate to make up for it. I plan on getting physical therapy at the Hospital for Special Surgery since they take my insurance and are probably one of the best places out there.

 ....no, I'm not saying that just because I'm an former employee and my current employer is an affiliate whistle

Anyway, I'll find out if the HSS PT gives the same diagnosis or not, but regardless of the exact issue, running is out of the question for the foreseeable future. 

What does this mean in terms of doing the DC marathon? Well, I only have two months left, and unfortunately, I don't know how fast I'll recover. At this point, however, I don't see how doing the marathon will be a possibility unless I recover fairly quickly. I mean, yes, if I'm able to run after a few weeks off, it's doable, but I don't know if I want to travel to DC knowing that I wouldn't be trained as well as I should be. Maybe I'm better off just recovering completely, then focusing on building back up towards NYCM. 

I've had aches and pains before, but this is the first time that I've had something this bad, and quite frankly, it sucks. Not being able to run is very depressing, and knowing that my training cycle time is slowly dwindling away makes me feel sad and useless. I mean, cross training is fun, but biking and swimming just are not the same. crying3

I'm hoping for the best, but mentally, I'm preparing myself for the possibility that NYCM 2013 may be my first marathon after all. 

2 comments:

  1. So sorry to hear this Dahlia :(

    I wouldn't give up hope yet! 2 months may seem like a short amount of time, but it's actually a good chunk of time. I've had several friends get minor and severe injuries during training and had to take several weeks off. They were still able to run their marathons. I have no idea what your case is like or how long it will take to recover. But, try to stay positive and don't give up hope just yet.

    It totally sucks and I can't even imagine, but I do understand what it feels like to be sidelined from something you've been working so long for.

    Rest up, friend and remember to stay positive!

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  2. You will do anything to get out of meeting me. *sob* I really, really hope you're back to "fighting" shape soon, sweetie. No matter which marathon is your first, though, you're going to be awesome!!

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