Getting re-started

It's hard to explain why I love running. Something inside of me just lights on fire, and sets everything else in motion. Without running, I get bored and discouraged. When I run, my motivation goes sky high and I feel like I can conquer anything.

A few months ago, I was 5-K ready. I had trained hard and the accomplishment felt great. I was able to run 3.1 miles, sometimes a little further, without stopping. I ran my first 5K race, and was shocked when I was passing other runners left and right for the first half of the race. I thought something had to be wrong. Were all these runners running slower than usual? Were they all beginner runners? Surely something was off. I didn't even feel like I was running at my full capacity! I was holding back to make sure I would be able to finish strong. It felt so great! But then at about the halfway mark, something happened. My leg muscles began to tighten up, and I began to feel some pain in my hips. I pushed on, having to stop and walk periodically.

At the finish line, there were cheers, but inside, I felt defeated. I had to force myself to smile and wave to those who were cheering me on. All I could see at that moment was how far back I was now compared to the first half of the race. As it turned out, I had strained my IT bands and/or TFL muscles, both of which run along the outside of the hips and down to the knee. When I tried to run again a couple of days later, it was too painful. I waited and tried again a few days later, but it was no use. I was down for the count.

Someone may as well have cut my arm off at that point. I had no idea I would take it so hard. I am usually a very positive person, and see the proverbial glass as half full, but the fact that I couldn't run anymore was a big blow for me. At that time, not knowing what was wrong, I feared that I had some type of genetic issue with my muscles or joints that would prevent me from being able to run on a regular basis, and I feared my dream of running was over.

So it was quite a relief when I discovered that my issue was very likely too-tight IT bands and TFL muscles, which will pull on the hip joints, and can cause knee pain as well (my right knee was hurting, too). Then I found out that foam roller exercises would help (thank you, Melissa!), and also learned, quite by accident, that using an elliptical machine would help as well.

This past Wednesday, I ventured out again to try running, armed with new knowledge. I stretched differently beforehand, focusing more on my problem areas, and took longer strides not only during the warm-up and cool-down walks, but also during the running itself, in hopes of stretching out those muscles. I also focused on landing differently on my gel-cushioned running shoes.

After the run and cool down, I stretched again, longer this time, and did the foam roller exercises. I won't lie, the foam roller exercises HURT. My muscles are being forced to become more pliable, so yah. Ow. But it's a GOOD ow. It will be well worth it in the end.

So far so good! No issues with my hips and right knee.

Yesterday evening was my second run. The first time around I used the Couch to 5K plan, and am using it again this time, but with modifications, since I've already trained for a 5K and have remained fairly active during the few months I haven't been able to run. This first week, instead of only running one-minute intervals eight times (with 90 seconds of walking in-between), I am running four TWO-minute intervals, with two-minutes of walking in-between. Yesterday I wound up doing FIVE two-minute intervals, however, for a total of ten minutes of running, and that was while pushing my 56-lb. daughter in the Graco stroller.

I am surprised and excited at how quickly I seem to be bouncing back. I actually wanted to run further, but made myself stop. I caught a second wind near the end, and was sooooo tempted to just keep running down that sidewalk, instead of turning right onto the dirt road leading to my house. But I just couldn't take the chance of overdoing it again, so I relented.

I tried to run again about a week and a half ago, but at that time my hips and knee weren't quite ready yet. Then my husband brought home the elliptical machine and I started using it. My hips and knee almost instantly got better, so I'm convinced that helped push me over that final edge to ready me for running again.

I'm itching to run again today, but I'm going to try and wait. I always try to take Sundays as a rest day, so it will be Monday before I can run again. I think today I will just focus on doing my strength-training workout. I was a good girl and did the foam roller exercises again this afternoon. It was slightly easier than the last time, but man, it still hurt. It's all good, though. :-)

I can't WAIT to get back to where I was, and possibly even go beyond it to run a half-marathon some day. At this point I can't see myself ever trying for a marathon, but who knows, I might change my mind one day. Did I mention how excited I am to be running again? I can hardly stand it. I see many days in the near future where I will have to put a mental rope around my waist and hold myself back from running too far, too soon. It will take a tremendous amount of self-control. Ugh. :-)