I know I've been slacking here over the last few days so I apologize for that. The truth is I've been slacking in several areas, not all of which I've had control over. I'll try to bring you up to speed first on what's happening health-wise. As I said before, I had a pretty nasty fall on Friday and hurt my hip pretty badly, which has since kept me from running the last 5 days. I'm still not sure how bad I hurt it but I do know that it's going to be a little while before I can run pain free again.
I saw Holly yesterday and was able to get some feedback from her. On a positive note, she said that it is most likely NOT a fracture, but rather an inflammation of the bursae and a possible bruise on the bone. Also, the mobility of the actual hip joint is fine so there is no sign of misalignment or problematic issues there. However, since the impact trauma was directly on the bone, it is going to take longer to heal than a normal muscle impact trauma. If it is in fact a bruising of the bone, that healing process could take up to 4-6 weeks. If it is just inflammation of the bursae, I could be looking at a couple weeks of pain but probably be able to do some easy running after a few more days. Since this trauma is located at the point where all the glutius muscles connect, any time I fire the gluts or perform a hip stabilizing/weight bearing exercise, there is aggravation to the injury and inflammation increases, which then creates more pain and discomfort. So Holly told me to stay away from actual running for a couple more days, but said pool running is ok. However, with the holiday and limited resources, it is difficult for me to get that access. So that is the medical update with an overall conclusion of "let's wait and see".
In the absence of running, I have probably done the exact opposite of what I should have been doing. In this time I should have been seeking out alternative exercise, focusing on nutrition, resting more, etc. However, I decided to get frustrated instead, lose motivation, and extend my holiday filled distractions much further than planned. I focused on having fun with friends and doing what most non elite athletes (a.k.a. normal people) do around the holidays. I ate large amounts of foods... fried foods, chips, brownies, cookies, ice cream, brazilian bbq ...you name it, I ate it. I drank alcohol several nights in a row, I stayed out late... I had fun, but was not living the lifestyle that I had grown accustomed to. I let my focus slip away...
Today, I set things straight in my head. The last couple of weeks have been anything but productive for my running. Some of it was beyond my control, but I certainly could have done things differently. The great things that happened in that time was I had a chance to surround myself with some really amazing people, the same people that have inspired my life's passions and have contributed so much to my success. Once again, they helped me realize the importance of what I was trying to accomplish. Now that the holiday season is done, most of the distractions have passed and a new year has started. I can now focus on getting back in that mind set that I had all through the fall. One of my best friends, Paul Rupprecht, made the trip up to Boston this week and has been staying with me for a few days. We had a chance to talk about a lot of things today, which really set my head straight and reminded me of how important this is to me and how important my actions are. Mentally, I am ready to make this happen. I am ready to do great things. Assuming my body cooperates, I plan to be ready to race in the next 2-3 weeks. Everything I do from now through June 27 will be done with the consideration that it will affect my performances in the future. I can't get away with a half-assed effort here, I have to dedicate myself fully to this passion. I have to be focused 100 percent.
This past week was a bump in the road. I'm sure there will be many more bumps to follow, but when I encounter them, I will approach them differently. I will not steer myself in the wrong direction simply because the path I chose became more difficult. I must stay the course.
Lastly, since I've been slacking on the training log, here is a summary of the last few weeks which should catch us up to where we are now.
Training Log (Dec 3-9)
Monday: 6 Miles, 41 min
Tuesday: 7 x 400m @ 67-69 sec, 90 sec jog rest; Total- 9 Miles, 67 min
Wednesday: 8 Miles, 55 min
Thursday: 6 Miles, 41 min
Friday: 5 Miles, 35 min; strides
Saturday: USATF Club Nationals (10K) - 31st place, 32:47; Total- 13 Miles, 83 min
Sunday: Day off #1
Total = 47 Miles, 6 runs
The last week of the season. Finished strong and didn't feel like I was burnt out in the least.
Training Log (Dec 10-16)
Monday: Day off #2
Tuesday: Day off #3
Wednesday: Day off #4 (Hot fudge sundaes)
Thursday: Day off #5
Friday: Day off #6
Saturday: Day off #7 (NB Boston Party)
Sunday: 9 Miles, 60 min
Total = 9 Miles, 1 run
The week off. Lots of other things going on to keep me busy. I ended up taking a couple more days off than planned because of the weather and everything that was going on.
Training Log (Dec 17-23)
Monday: 8 Miles, 55 min
Tuesday: First workout back - 3 x (400, 400, 800) @ 68-69 (1st), 66-67 (2nd), 64-65 (3rd), 1.5 min rest, 2.5 between sets; Total- 10 Miles, 72 min
Wednesday: 6 Miles, 42 min
Thursday: 6 Miles, 41 min
Friday: 7 x 1200m (Avg = 3:37) w/ 1 min rest; Total- 12 Miles, 77 min
Saturday: 5 Miles, 35 min
Sunday: 9 Miles, 61 min
Total = 56 Miles, 7 runs
First week back. Easy runs, a couple solid workouts. Running-wise, the week was fine.
Training Log (Dec 24-30)
Monday: 10 Miles, 69 min
Tuesday: 7 Miles, 49 min
Wednesday: 6 x 800m (Avg-2:13) w/ 2.5 min rest; Total- 11 Miles, 80 min
Thursday: 5 Miles, 34 min
Friday: 4 Miles, 30 min (treadmill), fell and hurt my hip
Saturday: Gimpy
Sunday: still gimpy but did about a mile with Jess after her race in NH
Total: 38 Miles, 4 1/2 runs
Week was going well until Friday. A bad fall would keep me from running for the remainder of the week.
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