I went to the physical therapist for an assessment since my hip still hurts....even after two weeks of laying off. The PT's best guess is that it is a combination of some of my physical aspects that may be causing the pain. Did I hear him right? Is the way my body's built actually going to give me reason NOT to run?
About 6 months ago that news would have overjoyed me. I used to run because I felt like I should...even that I HAD to. But, somewhere in the last few months of training for the 8K I grew to LOVE to run. And after the experience I had running the actual road race, well, call me addicted to that feeling.
So here's what the PT said: my right leg is shorter than my left leg. So, my left leg decided to help even out the discrepancy by bowing out. (And I thought my bowed leg was from being a Texan and riding horses! Ha ha!) After he realized this he was puzzled. Why was my knee able to do that? An assessment of my joints showed him that I have a lot of flexibility in all of my joints.....not great for running.
So here are the things that are against my running:
- Torn quad muscle
- Torn plantaris muscle (in my calf)
- Remember the HARD fall I had on the stairs a few years ago? He suspects that I actually hurt a joint in my hip
- Leg length discrepancy
- Bowed left knee
- Flexible joints
I guess normal people would say, "GREAT! I don't have to feel guilty about not running anymore!" But if you know me, you realize that I won't just roll over like that. I'm head-strong enough to press forward and try to make this work!
This is how I've compromised:
- Instead of training for the 10K on the Intermediate schedule, I'll back off to the novice. This will cut my running down from 6 days a week to only 3 or 4.
- I will cross train more so that I don't have the repetitive pounding on my joints that running causes. I'm hoping to get a bike for my birthday!
- I will go to a specialty store and get a pair of shoes suited for my arches and running style.
- I will go to PT for a few weeks in an attempt to strengthen my muscles.
- I will not make a career out of running marathons.
2 comments:
Your dedication is so awesome! I say do the best that you can! I actually got off the computer and ran for two miles today and feel sooooo good!
Well, I hope your adjustments help. I was so inspired by your 8K, that I have managed to hit the trails here in Oregon! If people missing limbs can do triathalons I have no doubt that you can work around your many obstacles.
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