My Hip
My hip is getting better. I'm convinced it was my shoes. I'd been doing my daily runs in a pair of Nikes, my races in Brooks Axioms, and my speedwork in Sauconys. Needless to say the Nikes piled up the mileage much faster, and I retired them a couple weeks back. Off the shelf came Brooks Adrenalines for the daily runs. They felt quite different right at the get-go. The fit nicely, but the cushioning wasn't the same as the Nikes - I could tell my feet hit the ground differently. Not bad, but I think it affected my stride a little. Six days later, it was Monday night, I was running hard with the Flyers's recent British Import, and about two miles before Engineer's Gate, the pain started. When I ran again Thursday in the Adrenalines, it was again very painful, but I ran the Half in the Axioms, which didn't aggravate it as much as I thought it might, although the next day it hurt again when I ran in the Adrenalines during my recovery run. I did run a hard race, after all.
Having the shoes as the possible culprit at the back of my mind, I switched to the Sauconys for Monday, Tuesday, and tonight. The hip still hurt yesterday (and I wouldn't have expected it to get better overnight, even if it was the shoes, anyway) but today when I awoke, the pain seemed diminished. To play it safe, tonight I skipped my speedwork and did 9+ miles in the park. There was still a little pain, but it was feeling much, much better, and I finished my run smiling for the first time in days. As long as I don't have a blow-out during my Friday long run, I should be able to cruise through my taper to the marathon.
Because of the pain, I began to think I might be bound for a serious injury, or just have to give up running for awhile, maybe including Vermont. So I l became very unmotivated during the last two nights, and almost didn't run at all. It's weird how easy it is to lose your motivation when you begin to have such self doubt. I know it's good to exercise caution, but it sucks when it seeps into your own self-image and your belief in your own ability. Suddenly, after all the progress I've made in the last few months; the last year; the last three years - last night I felt like a failure. All because my ass hurt. Talk about putting pressure on myself. Even if I do wake up tomorrow and feel a resurgence of pain in my hip, and even if I can't run a marathon, I need to remind myself that these aren't the things that define who I am.
Anyway, if I still feel pain, I'll make a doctor's appointment and take care of it according to his/her orders. No biggie.
Having the shoes as the possible culprit at the back of my mind, I switched to the Sauconys for Monday, Tuesday, and tonight. The hip still hurt yesterday (and I wouldn't have expected it to get better overnight, even if it was the shoes, anyway) but today when I awoke, the pain seemed diminished. To play it safe, tonight I skipped my speedwork and did 9+ miles in the park. There was still a little pain, but it was feeling much, much better, and I finished my run smiling for the first time in days. As long as I don't have a blow-out during my Friday long run, I should be able to cruise through my taper to the marathon.
Because of the pain, I began to think I might be bound for a serious injury, or just have to give up running for awhile, maybe including Vermont. So I l became very unmotivated during the last two nights, and almost didn't run at all. It's weird how easy it is to lose your motivation when you begin to have such self doubt. I know it's good to exercise caution, but it sucks when it seeps into your own self-image and your belief in your own ability. Suddenly, after all the progress I've made in the last few months; the last year; the last three years - last night I felt like a failure. All because my ass hurt. Talk about putting pressure on myself. Even if I do wake up tomorrow and feel a resurgence of pain in my hip, and even if I can't run a marathon, I need to remind myself that these aren't the things that define who I am.
Anyway, if I still feel pain, I'll make a doctor's appointment and take care of it according to his/her orders. No biggie.
posted by Skylight at 11:18 PM
3 Comments:
Yup, I totally get what you're saying about the impact of external events on one's determination. My motivation and confidence have seriously declined as a result of the ongoing lung issues. It's very hard to separate running out from my definition of self, though, especially after doing it for som many years. If running doesn't contribute to who I am as a person, then what does, and where do I draw the boundaries between who I am as a person and the factors that influence who I am?
I agree, it is dificult to separate what we do, such as our profession, our hobbies, or in this case our sport, with who we are. We define ourselves through our strength of character, honesty, integrity, kindness, patience, etc. I'd also agree, as you imply, that running can play a part in influencing and strengthening some of these things, but I don't believe it defines us.
Running defines me. I am always either running from, or running after girls.
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