So, almost a full month after the Cleveland Marathon, I've finally gotten back to running. The hip's still not feeling quite right and, against the advice of many people (all of whom I acknowledge are more than likely correct), I am still refusing to see a doctor. Instead, I'll pretend that my high school diploma is enough to declare myself Dr. Mathews and determine that, after a month of rest, what my body really needs is to be pushed harder. And, yes, now that I've written it down, I fully acknowledge how ridiculous that sounds. Nevertheless, it's what I did...
Between the 90 degree heat and my fear of getting too far away from home and realizing what a bad idea this could turn out to be, I opted for a treadmill run at the Y. The thought process behind this madness was the fact that, without a doubt, I had some kind of injury that rest was not fixing, and my silly little brain has decided that, at this point, my lack of activity is what's keeping me from recovering fully. It's time to get some exercise and build up the strength that a month off has certainly taken away from me.
My goal was 3 miles with no consideration for my time. I started with a slow walk and worked my way up to good run, ending my workout somewhere around 6.5 mph. As much as I wanted to pick up where I'd left off, I decided that I would only pick up my pace if and when my body was ready for it and that I would slow back down if I felt uncomfortable for more than a few minutes. Fortunately, every time I sped up and the discomfort came back, it was only about a minute before it subsided and I enjoyed several minutes of comfort before picking up my speed again. My 3 mile run took me 30:30 to complete and, as much as I look forward to improving upon that time, I find I'm not at all disappointed... just relieved to finally be back on track... and, yes, pun intended :)
I ended my workout with 20 minutes of quality ice pack time, followed shortly thereafter with a hot shower and started my afternoon with a massage... Yes, it was a pretty perfect day. And, the best news of all, at day's end I feel no more discomfort than I'd been feeling the last few weeks. Of course, it's also not back to normal yet, but at least I can feel confident that I'm headed in the right direction. It's time to make my workout a regular part of my routine again... oh, how I've missed my running shoes... I'd forgotten what a great stress reliever running could be!
