Training Log (7/9-7/15)

SUN - OFF. Met up with A-Ten at West Hill. Limping since I rolled out of bed, continued to do so through an opening 1/2-mile of 4:30 before wisely calling it a day. Right leg is dead - felt like somebody was slicing me from my lower back through my hamstring. Shouldn't have tried to run, basically just wasted gas driving out to the trail.

MON - OFF. Another goose egg but some good news to report. Called Dr. Sjogren at 8 this morning and he got me in right at 9 which was fantastic. 30 minutes of testing this and that, a couple awkward contortions and a few pops later I could walk again without a limp. This guy is the man!

Bad news is my alignment was way off, particularly on my right side, which caused my SI joint to jam. This caused me to overcompensate when I was running and resulted in an eventual strain in my lower back/top of glutes, which 'flared up like a forest fire' and is likely pinching my sciatic nerve and putting me in a world of pain. Prescription is a couple days off from running, ice, heat, ibuprofen and a few specific targeted stretches. Hopefully this clears things up relatively quickly.

TUES - OFF. Day 3 on the shelf. Walking normally but tried jogging to my car this afternoon and felt like someone was stabbing me in the ass with a machete. Needless to say, I'm not feeling all that encouraged right now.

WEDS - OFF. Ultrasound/massage on my busted ass this morning, then went for a 4-mile walk/jog later in the afternoon. Going uphill, both walking and running, felt a lot better than going downhill. Going down, my right leg feels dead and sharp pain radiates from my butt through the hamstring. Quite sore afterward but not too much trouble walking around. One day at a time.

THURS - 28 minutes, 4 miles. Sterling Rail Trail solo. Painfully bearable is how I would best describe this run. Whole right side is incredibly locked up and butt is still sore but heat, stretch, ibuprofen seem to be helping matters. I'll try again tomorrow.

FRI - 36:20, 5 miles. Round 3 w/Dr.Sjogren this afternoon; ultrasound on my can, a few more adjustments to loosen up my back, and an elbow firmly planted into the middle of my ass seemed to help quite a bit.

Doc told me not to run for at least two hours after seeing him, not to mention it was still 90 degrees at 6 p.m., so I got kind of a late start tonight around 8:40. Right leg is locked up pretty tight and lower back still a bit off but my ass didn't seem to hurt as much today. Going downhill royally sucks but the flats and uphills are tolerable. Maybe I should just find a mountain to run up till this sucker calms down.

SAT - 44 minutes, 6 miles. Sterling Rail Trail w/Hodgie. Back/butt seem to be improving but right leg still very tight. Stride is almost back to normal. If Floyd Landis can ride his bike with a broken hip, then I guess I can run with a busted ass.

WEEK TOTALS: 15 miles, 3 runs. A shitty, shitty week all around - basically a week off. This recent calamity really took the wind out of my sails but I'm taking it as a sign to smarten up over the coming weeks. Based on the circumstances, Stowe was an obvious no-go this past weekend but Dr. Sjogren has been a huge help and hopefully I'm over the hump with this bastard. I'll take this week one day at a time and hopefully I'll be ready to get back to some real training by next week. Just gotta be patient and use my head.

Quote of the day:

"We are all of us very arrogant and conceited about running down other people's ghosts but just as ignorant and barbaric and superstitious abour our own."

"Why does everybody believe in the law of gravity then?"

"Mass hypnosis. In a very orthodox form known as 'education'."

- Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance