Thursday, January 28, 2010

Frustrated being on the sidelines...

I have been sitting on the sidelines since January 16 with a very serious groin pull. More specifically it is the "adductor longus" that is the problem. That is the muscle that runs from the pelvis to the thigh bone. An example of using it would be bringing your second leg into the car, something I couldn't do without the assistance of my hand for several days.



Over the last 10 days, I have been resting the muscles, treating the area with ice and some light stretching. In the last week, I feel that I have improved 150%, but I still have a long way to go. I am now facing the fact that I may not be able to run the LA Marathon on March 21st, which is something I have looked forward to since I made the commitment in November. I have a number of friends running the race and I thought it would be fun to be surrounded by some great people as I venture down the path to completing my first marathon. I still have hope that I will be able to make that journey with them.

Yesterday, I made an attempt to run just a few feet and there was just too much pain in the pelvic area after a few steps. So I decided to hit the pool this morning and see if swimming had any effect on the groin. After a short warm up, I started to get back into my normal swimming rhythm. I noticed some slight discomfort in the first few laps, but then it went away. This was the first time I had been back in the pool since December 24th, although I swam about 800 yards in the open water in both Grand Cayman and Cozumel, both of which were so much more fun than swimming in a pool.



Once I knocked out 500 yards, I decided to try and run in the pool. The discomfort in the groin area returned, so I decided to go back to swimming. I finished up 500 more yards for a total of 1000 yards for today. I sat in the hot tub for a while and I must say that I felt pretty good when I got out.

My plan is to hit the pool several times over the next week and take my bike out for a quick spin on Sunday. The doctor says if I can ride the bike, pain free, it's OK to ride then. I will continue icing and stretching and if all goes well, I will try a very short and very slow run next Thursday at A Runner's Circle....that is a big IF right now...trying to keep a positive attitude though.

3 comments:

Glenn Jones said...

I had this *exact* injury about a yea ago. I pulled my adductor when I slipped at the Dana Point Turkey Trot in the rain. It took about 2 months to resolve. I cut *way* back on mileage (60 miles in Dec 08, 80 in Jan 09), kept everything slow and easy, and nothing over 4 miles for a month. Don't try to rush it - you *can* reaggravate it and be down longer. Good luck!

Ms. V. said...

Just remember that you can run a fall marathon if you're not ready in March. I'd happily do NIKE or Fresno with you...or better yet, apply to New York, and we'll all go!

Feel better!

Southbaygirl said...

Bob, please don't get down!!! There are SO MANY MARATHONS you can run if your injury isn't healed by March! And I agree with Ms V-apply for the NYC lottery! I've entered it too-it's a great race! I've run it before!

The key is to listen to your body and do not jump into running too fast!!!!