Physical therapy is working. Since November, the ever so gradual climb back to the graces of running comfortably has progressed to the point where the hamstring tightness is minimal. As a result, I've been running.
More later. Maybe.
Physical therapy is working. Since November, the ever so gradual climb back to the graces of running comfortably has progressed to the point where the hamstring tightness is minimal. As a result, I've been running.
More later. Maybe.
I'm in physical therapy for my hamstrings and lower back. Running is very limited. Pretty boring and not worth spinning things into anything more.
Back on blogging hiatus until things are deemed somewhat more exciting.
Last Friday opened new doors of hope and optimism in getting a better handle on my chronically and debilitatingly tight hamstrings and that troublesome left heel. I met with my new orthopedic doc and it went very well. She's great and an athlete herself. She referred me to a sports physical therapy clinic and also wants an MRI done on my left heel to rule out a stress fracture, just to be sure.
Very happy with the path I'm going down. The physical therapy clinic is very close to the school I teach at which could be very convenient if I can schedule my appointments in the afternoons.
After that doc appointment, I went to my in-laws house where Kate was visiting with the dogs, grabbed Moxie, and hit the Bangor City Forest for a run. Went well, all things considered.
Monsoon expected the next two days and I will play running by ear.
Well, after my last post, I had a very successful and fun run with Moxie up Eagle Mountain. My hamstrings were in a state of stark contrast to previous days where they were pretty tight and I was able to fully enjoy the run as a result.
About this mountain: I live in a very rural area full of a crazy amount of off-the-beaten-path places to explore and Eagle Mountain is one such hidden gem. We parked just off the Stud Mill Road, a major artery logging road that runs to Canada. From there, we ran up an offshoot logging road for nearly three miles before taking the path the last three tenths of a mile to the top where there is a great overlook that faces east.
Since that run however, my legs have felt pretty tight. Along with a busy schedule, the motivation took a bit of a dip. I did take both dogs for a very easy two mile run though earlier in the week.
Then, with snow falling on Wednesday, I took the new Nanospikes out for a three mile spin. They work great! The front of the right foot kept sliding to the outside for the first few miles, but lessened as the run went on, so I think they just needed to be broken in a bit. They're great though. Perfect for slippery roads and other conditions where Microspikes might be too much but something is still needed... a very common scenario.
And shifting gears... today I see the orthopedic sports doc, which I'm pretty excited about. It'll be nice to (hopefully) have better direction with loosening up the hamstrings. More on that after my appointment.
Pretty minimal running this week. I hate to admit it, but after a few months of gradual progress, my hamstrings have taken a few steps backwards and have felt pretty tight. If they were at their worst with a rating of 10 last summer, they are probably now at a six or seven, as opposed to the three they were at just a few weeks ago.
A busier week with work was either a blessing or a curse, leaving little time to run but more time to let them chill out as a result. The only bad thing is over the past year resting them does absolutely nothing to get them to loosen up.
This all being said, I have gotten out a few times so far this week. I ran the dogs for a few miles earlier this week, and then dropped them off and did a little over three miles at a sub eight minute mile pace on my own. That 7:46/mile felt like a legit tempo run. So out of shape. Yesterday, I took the dogs for a hike up Chick Hill, which is just under three miles.
I'll take Moxie out for another run at some point over the weekend. We'll see how it goes. However, I do have an appointment with an orthopedic doctor on Friday. It sounds like she has a solid reputation. At least there is hope. A silver bullet would be great of course, but regardless, I'm optimistic that a game plan can be developed with identifying the issue and coming up with a remedy.
The double digit run on Saturday never happened. After the first few miles, it became apparent that more than ten would be too much. The hamstrings weren't having the best day and my energy was a bit down, so I settled for 10k. I don't think it was a setback. Just an off day.
On Sunday, I spent the morning at one of the two rivers in my county that are open year round for fishing. Both suck. Seriously. One of the things I miss about southern Maine is the abundance of rivers that are open every month of the year, and though they are filled with mostly stockies, they are still great fishing. So yeah, I got skunked. Will travel to another river a few counties over this weekend that should hopefully produce better results. I need to check off November still.
Came home and took the dogs for a run, a form of procrastination from doing grading. Just under three miles, which was enough to partially satisfy our sleeker, athletic beast Moxie but more than enough to wear out little Hagrid. That got the motivation going for me afterwards, and I managed to clean the chicken coop and then get much of my grading done before making dinner for myself and Kate (who was much more disciplined with getting teaching work done). What did I make? Chicken and waffles. Mmmmm.