Thursday, March 27, 2008

Painful 8.75 Miles

I'm not gonna sugar-coat it, this run just hurt. Bad. I almost turned around after the first 1/4 mile I was hobbling so badly, but, me being the intelligent, stubborn, man that I am... didn't just run the 8 I was scheduled, but did an extra 3/4 of a mile as well. Duh. I'm feeling ok now, I iced right away after getting back and, as typical with prior runs, the pain does subside the longer into my run I go. It just started out worse than it has (about as worse as it has been) and didn't subside as much as it has recently. I do think I'll be ok and am fairly sure I should be able to complete the marathon, it's just not going to be pretty for the first 5 miles or so, or the end of the race. I am determined to get through it though. I know some runners will think I'm a knucklehead for proceeding (which would be true as I've always been a knucklehead), but I've put too much into this to not see it through and, I truly feel I can manage myself without damaging myself too badly. So here's the recap, and for those of you who like to check, you can see my log and comments here. Sorry for the drama. It's really not my style.

Recap:

Miles: 8.75
Time: 1:23:07
Average Pace: 9:30/mile
Calories Burned: 1123

Hope everyone's having a splendid week.

5 comments:

Zoomy said...

HTFU, Rick's legs! He's got a marathon to run!

(((HUGS))) I hope things clear up soon.

Mar said...

Rick,

Sorry you had a crap run:( It's really disheartening when that happens. However, it helps us to remember how good those 'good' runs feel:)

I hope the pain subsides soon. Thinking of ya..

Sara McCarty said...

So sorry to hear you have to run in pain. That's not fun at all. Have you figured out what's causing the pain yet? Have you seen a specialist? You should look into an orthopedic surgeon.

I've always had nasty shin splints. And I started getting really bad knee pain two years ago after a brutal half marathon. I had a physical therapist friend come over and show me proper stretches and exercises to do before every run. I worked on them for months. Still pain. It would ease up after a while of running, but it made it painful and a complete hassle to run.

Contrary to my general physician's diagnosis to "give it rest" and "stay off it a while" I decided to see an orthopedic surgeon. He listened to me describe my aches and pains, looked at my shoes, feet and legs, took an x-ray for good measure and diagnosed me with ITBS. He "prescribed" me custom made orthotics for my running shoes and told me they'd fix my knee pain and shin splints too.

Needless to say, I was very doubtful. The orthotics took a lot of getting used to and a lot of blisters and adjustments, but they work! I couldn't believe it. Knock on wood, but I haven't had shin split or knee pain since.

Anyway, the point of this long rambling story is that maybe you should see a specialist. Why did I not just say that in the first place? Lawyers get paid by the hour, that's why. Brevity is overrated.

Sherry said...

Hi Rick! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I read through many of your blog posts and I'm so touched by your inspirational story.

I've bookmarked your blog as a "must read" so I'll be sure to pop in again.

I noticed that your marathon is right around the corner. Hopefully the pain in your right leg will improve during your taper.

Have a terrific weekend!

Rick said...

Thank you k and Mar. I appreciate your thoughts.

Sara, that is certainly my plan on the backburner right now. I may have to get this checked out post-race if I still have trouble and I plan to continue on running and racing like I want to. I really appreciate your wisdom from your own experiences and comments. I hope it is something simple like a mechanical problem that can be fixed with orthotics or something simple.

Sherry, thanks so much for looking in and commenting and the kind words for my marathon and a quick healing beforehand. I'll keep blog-stalking your blog as well.