One side of my family has given me the desire and the ability to run genes. The other side of the family has given me short hamstrings, inflexibility, and the little piece of bone that likes to rub on my ITB (iliotibial band - runs down the outside of the leg from the hip to the ankle) genes. I won't tell you which family gave me which genes because I'm not playing the blame game here. I'm just pissed off.
I can run. I can run far. I can run far fast. I love running far fast. It's a rush that isn't just physical. It's emotional and spiritual as well. I love this sport and how it completely shreds my body and builds it back up stronger than ever.
I don't love the bad genes that I've inherited from my goose-stepping German forefathers. If you haven't figured it out by now, my right hamstring and my right ITB are absolutely killing me. This is putting a damper on my sub-3 hour Boston Marathon attempt this April.
The thing is I hurt when I'm not running and I hurt for about the first two miles, but after that, I feel pretty good. Last night, I did a cut-back speed workout where I warmed up, then ran three one-mile repeats at 6:15 pace. It felt good. I didn't feel so good this morning. As a matter of fact, I could barely limp to the train station and almost missed my 5:14am train. The slip on the ice didn't help matters.
This morning, I ran a slow ten with my friend Ray. I was limping for the first couple of miles, but after that, again, I felt good.
What this is all telling me is that the distance isn't the issue. My speed is the issue. I need to get in some more speed work and tempo runs without snapping a muscle. I'm going to try a ten mile tempo run tomorrow. If I haven't posted by Saturday, you'll know it didn't go well.
One more thing. I'm going to see my sports doctor tomorrow. In order, these are the things on my shopping list:
- refill of my Bextra prescription (Yes, I know Bextra is a COX-2 inhibitor and that Vioxx was pulled off the shelf because of a link between COX-2 inhibitors and heart failure. Do I care? Frankly, no. Just kill the pain and stop the inflammation.)
- use his medieval stainless steel instruments of pain on my hamstring and ITB
- electro-stim, yes please
- a cortisone shot in my ITB
- a cortisone shot in my hamstring
Can't wait! I love going to the good doctor.
2 comments:
Okay, I can't believe I beat your mom in posting about this one. I'll say it first: MICHAEL!! I guess it's time for me to start to hide your running shoes again (all 15 pairs of them).
(The only reason that your wife beat me is that I am in California on business and have limited access to the Internet.) MICHAEL! Use some wisdom -- especially with medication that causes heart failure! Short hamstrings are not the only thing you inherited -- most of your great-grandparents died of heart disease. With love, your non-running German-gene Mother.
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