I went
for a walk on Friday morning. Normally I would have run, but I am not
messing around with the pain in my ass. I am so worried it is going to turn into something
major. That may seem like an overreaction, but I can't help but be
overly cautious!
This
winter, I took two weeks off from running and instead went on walks
every day. I really started to enjoy it and vowed that I would
continue walking a couple days a week.
I'll
give you one guess on whether I followed through with that or not.
Friday's
walk was my first since January. And guess what!? I enjoyed every
minute of it! The weather was warm but drizzly and dreary. It smelled
warm and rainy. I had some great pod casts to listen to and trucked
along nicely at a 16:34 pace. I got in 4 miles before work, 1 mile at
lunch, and 2 more miles after work.
Why
can't I do anything in moderation?
Running on the trail for almost two hours on Saturday made the pain in my ass worsen a bit. It subsided by the next morning, but that just goes to show that running for awhile definitely makes it worse! I looked up the area I was feeling and it looks like it may be my gluteus medius that is sore. Guess what? All the exercises and stretches that were recommended to prevent the injury are the same mobility exercises I have been doing for the past several months! What the heck!? This should not have happened!
So guess what!? Since I don't want to mess around with this PAIN IN MY ASS anymore, no more running for me! I am going to take a week off. On the days I don't lift, I will walk. The weird thing is, I am not dreading it. Sure, I wish I could just go run whenever I want. But that's not my reality and I have come to accept it.
WEIRD UPDATE! My running shoes bit the dust, so I ordered new ones. Well, the new ones arrived a few days ago but there is a weird defect in them in which something hard is digging into my toes! So I had to send them back. Once the company approves that there was indeed a defect in them (which they will), they will send me a new pair of shoes. SO THIS IS PERFECT! I CAN'T CHEAT AND GO FOR A RUN BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE ANY RUNNING SHOES HAHAHA!
Running on the trail for almost two hours on Saturday made the pain in my ass worsen a bit. It subsided by the next morning, but that just goes to show that running for awhile definitely makes it worse! I looked up the area I was feeling and it looks like it may be my gluteus medius that is sore. Guess what? All the exercises and stretches that were recommended to prevent the injury are the same mobility exercises I have been doing for the past several months! What the heck!? This should not have happened!
So guess what!? Since I don't want to mess around with this PAIN IN MY ASS anymore, no more running for me! I am going to take a week off. On the days I don't lift, I will walk. The weird thing is, I am not dreading it. Sure, I wish I could just go run whenever I want. But that's not my reality and I have come to accept it.
WEIRD UPDATE! My running shoes bit the dust, so I ordered new ones. Well, the new ones arrived a few days ago but there is a weird defect in them in which something hard is digging into my toes! So I had to send them back. Once the company approves that there was indeed a defect in them (which they will), they will send me a new pair of shoes. SO THIS IS PERFECT! I CAN'T CHEAT AND GO FOR A RUN BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE ANY RUNNING SHOES HAHAHA!
Do
you like to go for walks?
Ever
had weird pain in your glutes?
I had an awful case of sciatica a couple of years ago - I'm so glad it hasn't come back. I was sooooo uncomfortable every time I had to sit for longer than 10 minutes. I hope that a week off helps your booty feel better.
ReplyDeleteI think a good podcast or album can force us to throw moderation to the wind! Whenever I make a really good playlist I am extremely tempted to do two-a-days just to listen to it more! ESPECIALLY if it's a long playlist and I didn't get to listen to the whole thing during my first run/workout!
Thanks girl! I am glad your sciatica hasn't come back. The only sciatica pain I have had are weird random bouts of it but then it just goes away. Hoping whatever is hurting my booty goes soon!
DeleteWell, sending your running shoes away is a good way to make sure that you do not cheat--lol!
ReplyDeleteWhat podcast are you listening to these days?
Hopefully, a week will do it!
Thanks!
DeletePodcast- Skeptoid
Hang in there, Meg!
ReplyDeleteI have had hip pain on and off (both sides) ever since I was in a bike accident in the year 2000. I (literally) feel your pain. Massage, acupuncture and PT help me a lot. About 3 years ago, I embraced the run/walk/run method (Jeff Galloway) so about 1/3 of my runs are walking and then I save a mile or a mile and a half at the end for Macy (my dog). At first I wasn't loving the idea of walking during my running but now I see it really is the only way for me to have running in my life (43 w/ back and joint stability issues). Usually I go about 5-6 miles total and the running portion can be up to 3-4 miles and I have now fully embraced it and am totally OK with my training.
It is actually nice that w/ out your shoes right now you don't have an option to run. Last fall I remember I felt "something" in my knee one night (turned out to be be nothing) but I was going back and forth on what to do for my run the next day. Rick said to me "taking the day to walk will not hurt you. running might hurt you" which is so logical but sometimes runners totally lose their logic. So, I basically promised him out loud that I would not run. Promising was the only way I trusted myself. And guess what? He was right.
P.S. email me if you want to chat more about the hip pain and what ended up finally working for me most times!
That is a really good point- walking won't hurt it, running might. I need to remember that on days I am tempted to run when maybe I shouldn't!
DeleteMy butt pain is migrating. After the long trail run it kind of felt more on the side. Yesterday I felt it in my gluteus maximus. Today I don't feel it at all! Hopefully a few more days off will help!
I have a hard time just walking without wanting to a least jog a little bit..haha, but I know I have to STOP that. I think if I walk with my dog that might keep my mind of wanting to run. Perhaps I should get some podcasts too!
ReplyDeleteThat is a good idea walking with your dog!
DeleteIf I didn't have pod casts, I'd be so bored!
Previously when I suffered butt/hip pain, I tried all the modern methods of treatment... frustrated with lack of progress (recovery), I went for acupuncture... cured me 100%. I have not had hip/butt pain for years... Now I just need to go to see if they can help with this plantar fasciitis!
ReplyDeleteInteresting- glad you cured it!
DeleteI wish I had time to walk midday! How long is your lunch?
ReplyDeleteI get bored on walks and always end up running :( I'm glad your defected shoes will force you not to cheat lol.
Lunch is 30 min and there is a door to the outside right by my classroom. So I can walk for like 16-17 minutes and then inhale my lunch. See the thing is, most of the time I do work for half my lunch anyway. But Friday was so nice I was like, screw this, I'm walking!
DeleteMy problems are usually on my left but this weird butt pain is now on my right! I am falling apart.
ReplyDeleteI like to walk if I have someone to walk with otherwise I get bored.
ReplyDeleteHope the walking helps you get rid of the pain in your ass:)
Haha the literal one of the figuratives ones? ;) Or both!
DeleteIs this pain on the same side as your it band/knee stuff? If its not, its possible that it could be your posterior hip muscles (piriformis/glute med, etc) pulling on your sacrum to balance it out if there is lingering tightness on the other side. This is what I had figured out because my right glute was feeling all weird but my left hip was really the trouble side. Not sure if that makes sense, but its what I sort of learned from all my PTs so something to consider! I know you are very familiar with mobility stuff so that should help (I like the lax ball) but also I found that stretching makes it worse for me because it pulls the sacrum more out of alignment. I hope that it goes away quickly, but glad to hear you are enjoying your walks!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all this info! Yes it IS on the opposite side as my IT band/knee. And it is so weird, like I was telling Rachel, sometimes it feels like it is in my gluteus maximus- like when I clench my butt cheek I feel it. Then on other days it feels more like my gluteus medius. I have NOT been stretching it because it is not one of those feelings where it feels like stretching would help, you know what I mean? I mean, I continue with my normal stretches but I don't specifically try to bend in a way that would make me feel the butt stretching. I don't know what the lax ball is I will have to check that out!
DeleteI do think I know what you mean about it not needing to be stretched- I actually know its more of an SI thing when I have a harder time clenching my butt cheeks, if that makes sense. And I think that has caused alot of my issues bc my glutes were not engaging. Its probably worth seeing a chiro if it doesn't get better on its own. Use the lax ball just like you would a foam roller- cross the leg of the side your working on over the other leg so you can really get in there.
DeleteOkay, one more question- what is SI? I don't have a lax ball but I think I have something similar... it has teeth. It is awesome/horrible hehe.
DeleteIts just the abbreviation for sacroiliac joint...so basically the joint between the sacrum and illium. I think what was happening for me was when things on the left were tight it pulled the SI out of place and the right piriformis was working harder to keep things in place.
DeleteOh man your device with teeth sounds interesting!
I'm almost certain I have piriformis syndrome and have had it since Octoberish, so I totally understand the pain in your ass. I have it in mine too. I went to the doctor and she told me to get a massage. Helpful. I admire you for being able to just go for walks. I cannot just walk. I was having dinner with my running friend the other day and he was talking about how his sister used to walk to work all of the time. He said, "I always asked her why she walked everywhere when she could run there or ride a bike." I totally agree. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWell see I look at it this way. I could continue to run on it and it gets worse or hangs around longer. Or I could take a break from running for a week or two and have it gone for good! The pain in my ass has been moving around. Sometimes it is like IN the cheek and sometimes it is on the side. It is weird. I am gonna foam roll it tonight.
Delete