Last week, I found a new chiropractor/therapist office in Woburn, Ma. that does a lot of cutting edge techniques and my insurance pays for it, so I went there on Wednesday. The therapist did a mix of techniques from some M.A.T. work to some Muscle Energy work to rotate my left hip back. She also did some karate chops to my heels and arches. I don't know what that was! I felt really good and perfectly balanced after the appointment. That night was my first track workout with the Gate City Striders in almost three years. Strangely enough, I think I miss running track workouts the most in the since my hip surgery and I was so excited to get out there and run. I had waited long enough.
I ran a two mile warm up with a friend and felt completely "normal" for a change. The workout was 6 X 800 meters and it was a beautiful evening for running. I wasn't sure which group to run with, but hoped I could keep up with the third group. I felt absolutely fantastic throughout the workout. I ran the 800 meters between 3:10 and 3:20 with the faster ones at the the end of the workout. I hung around in about fifth for the first three, but I finished 2nd in the final three behind some young kid. I ran hard, but not too hard. I felt that "inner pain" of pushing that I was missing, but was backing off enough, not to lose form. In other words, it was a great track workout for the shape I am in.
I felt like I was at about 95% balance and efficiency and I haven't been at that point since I don't know when. I had done 4 X 400 on my own on Sunday and I was off balance and my left leg was not working as well as my right. This workout was such an improvement after the morning therapy.
I even felt my hips in balance and my left leg rotate internally which allowed my big toe to get on the ground and there was a strength and fluidity in my stride that I have missed for years. That was as close to perfect running as I could be, so I was thinking that the morning appointment had worked out perfectly and I was back on the road to running.
There was only one glitch. After the fourth interval, I felt a tiny "electric" like twinge in my left glute medius or pirformis. My walk turned into a hobble for about 20 seconds; enough for someone to ask if I was OK. I walked it off, started gingerly on next interval and loosened right up after a short bit. Of course, my glute felt a bit shot after standing around after the workout, but I was so very pleased after a rough month of running.
The next day, I felt good and went for an afternoon run, but shut it down after 20 feet. The glute tightened right up. The next day, I hobbled through a 3 mile run, then tried a new pair of shoes the following day and made 3 again, but it was tightening up again on the run.
I took Sunday off and feeling good again, went to run 7 miles on Monday. Nope, the glute shut things down and I had to walk 3 miles home. Lucky it was a nice day. On the walk, I started remembering the feeling in my glute and stride and I believe the trigger point(s) in my glute have returned. The electric spasm I had on the track was exactly where my worst trigger point had been before.
Despite that one gloriously perfect day of running, this was a horrible month otherwise. Here are the miles.
April 1 - 7 (16 miles total)
April 8-14 (6 miles total)
April 15 - 21 (19 miles total)
April 22 - 27 (11 miles total)
Total miles January 97 miles
Total miles February 194 miles
Total miles March 139 miles
Total miles April 52 miles
498 miles for 2013
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