It's been a while, athletes (and non-athletes who just like to read about my insanity). It's been a tough tough hiatus.
Let me start with an uplifting story before we delve into the depths of injury depression.
I signed up to run this "winter distance series" through the winter - keep my endurance running up to par. I was doing 7, 8, 9 mile runs through November just... like it wasn't anything. High 9-min mile conversational pace, cruising. Then I went to Breckenridge for a fun weekend with some friends, didn't workout too much, save a 5-mile walk through ice/snow with my friends's sister and came back on a sunday to a slow, cold, and painful 10k run. I couldn't really pinpoint WHY it hurt so badly, but it did.
I took a week easy - it was a taper week anyway if I were to race this 10k (the first race of the distance series). On race morning, I felt less than fantastic. My hamstring felt wonky, sort of tight and throbbing, so I warmed up and it didn't really go away. I had big goals to finally break a 9-min mile in a 10k and I knew I just wanted to do it. I was there... I wasn't going to back out now. So I ran it.
I tried to follow my rule of "if it doesn't stop hurting after the first 10 min, it's time to throw in the towel" but then I ran the first mile in a calm 8:57 and though I was still in some serious pain...my PR was there, calling my name. UGH FINE. So I didn't listen to my rules and I ran all of the 10k in 55:38, ruthlessly destroying my previous PR (by, you know, a few seconds, which in running is RUTHLESS) and also my hamstring.
I limped around afterwards and I don't think my friends really believed how much pain I was in. But, it was not pretty - not at all.
Thus began the saga of injury. My hamstring was a painful mess. For a while even walking was hard. I couldn't swim because kicking and pulling my legs in to push off the wall hurt and when SWIMMING hurts, you KNOW you're in trouble. I got in the water one day and got out after 700m - NOT pretty.
For Christmas, my grandparents gave me an R8 roller which is truly a painful miracle in my life. I cannot speak highly enough of this thing.
Then finally, about 5 weeks later, it seemed the hamstring was recovered, but not without other problems - my muscles were weaker. I was having shooting pains near my knee, I swam and my hips got so ungodly tight on the OTHER leg I limped around for a day. I spent a night rolling around in my bed because one of my legs had more shooting/stabbing pains going through it. In short... body falling apart. I'm 22 years-old. THIS IS RIDICULOUS.
This weekend I knew would be fairly quiet so I convinced myself it was time to get my act together and go to yoga. Now, most of you probably know I've always spoken very highly of bikram yoga. However, for about 10 reasons, bikram did not sound like a good idea so, though I've had less than fantastic experiences before, I bucked up and grumpily AND painfully moseyed on over to a 90-min vinyasa flow class.
HOLY SHNIKIES.
1) I don't think I've ever been so tight in my life - least flexible yoga experience um... EVER. Some poses that usually are a no-brainer were totally hopeless.
2) That was the best, most challenging non-bikram yoga class I've ever been to.
3) I may or may not be hooked.
In short, I need to believe in stretching.. and probably this yoga studio. NO MORE INJURIES.
