Injuries suck.
And I don’t really remember how much I hate them until I’m going through them.
Usually as time passes, I forget about something less and less, but with running, I think about it more and more as time goes by when I can’t run. And cross training is NOT the same. Nothing gives me the full body workout and leaves by body feeling refreshed and renewed like a good run.
For 6 weeks now I haven’t been able to train. I’ve run here and there to test out my hip to see if it was better, I raced a half marathon, but there has been many more days of cross training than anything else.
I know one day I’ll be back out there pounding the pavement every morning, but it is going to take some time. I’m not sure how I injured the tendon in my hip flexor. I ran the marathon in June, took a week off, and then when I started running again my hip hasn’t felt the same since. I’ve gone to the physical therapist and the chiropractor. The physical therapist gave me one eccentric contraction of the hip flexor to do, the chiropractor said to stretch and ice.
I have been cross training nearly every day with the elliptical (until my feet fall asleep), the arc trainer (which doesn’t use my arms, so it is harder to get my heart rate as high), the stationary bike and my road bike (that has left my butt permanently sore), walking at an incline on the treadmill, and the stair stepper (which is the hardest workout of all of them). However, these things are not running and will never leave me feeling as fit and strong as I do with running.
I know I reinjured my hip racing the half marathon 2 weeks ago but even since then I don’t feel like I’ve made any progress in getting better. At its worst, my hip hurts even when I walk, and I can feel it tweak when doing random things throughout the day.
I will continue to do whatever it takes to heal and get healthy again. These periods of time help me remember how much running means to me and how much I love it.
There were two other times I struggled with “injuries.” The first was in college when for 1.5 years I struggled with running. I ran, but it was not fun. I couldn’t run very far and every run left me completely winded. It turned out I was anemic. I started taking a multi-vitamin with iron and within a couple weeks I was back to new.
The second injury I had was pain in my “horizontal butt crack” as I like to say. There was one area where I would get a dull ache on my upper hamstring/low glute every time I ran. The pain was never unbearable, and I even ran a marathon with it, but I still knew something was wrong. Turned out I had a weak glute, so the two strengthening exercises from the physical therapist took care of it.
I know I have been very fortunate to have only a few (relatively minor) injuries over the years, and maybe I won’t even remember this injury 10 years from now. So for the meantime, I will do my best to keep my chin up and remember that these trials are when we grow and become stronger.
The WORST. Sorry to hear it. Hang in there. 🙁
If you’re looking for a full body workout.. try the rowing machine! This is also a super good time to work on all of the stuff you normally skip, like stretching, core, better sleep, etc. Getting better at those things takes practice, and it’s hard to practice both training and improving those extracurriculars. Good luck with the healing process!
I can absolutely relate. I strained my hamstrings in April and the road to recovery has been slow and painful. After two months with no running I’m back to 6 milers, but at a minute/mile pace slower than my average, and nowhere close to being able to race. I tried to retain my fitness and sanity with swimming and spinning, but I lost a lot of cardiovascular strength and gained five pounds. All of this is to say that injuries are part of running – our bodies have to be able to be able to tell us when we’ve pushed them too far. I really appreciate reading blog posts of runners who can relate to this mental and physical challenge and eventually come back stronger. I’m rooting for you and know you’ll be back to winning marathons in no time!
How did you strain it? Did you do other things besides cross-train, such as any specific strengthening exercises, foam rolling/stretching, etc?
Hi Michelle,
I live in Anchorage, and also have suffered with hip flexor tendinitis. I remember a few years back running Lost Lake and getting back in the car right after, to head home, got out in Girdwood and literally could not walk. I hobbled into my chiropractor on that following Monday, with tears in my eyes, praying she could fix me. She worked on my hip for a few weeks, and I eventually was good as new. I haven’t seen her in awhile, but her name is Leslie Morris, and her office number is 929-7818. She was AMAZING! I still have issues off and on, but never like that again. I hope this helps.
Thanks for the info! Did she said what caused your tendonitis? Were your hips out of alignment?
I’m pretty sure both of my hips were out of alignment and at that point in my life I wasn’t big into stretching… I definitely stretch now..
Ugh. Feel better soon! 🙁