Saturday, March 29, 2008

The Tragic Tale of the Pain in my Ass

Sigh. In the past year, the only injury I've had has been rock-climbing related. I think that run is at an end.

Starting last Sunday, I had a little twinge in my back. I didn't think much of it. Figured I had slept wrong and it would go away in a couple of days. When I went out to run that day, I sort of ran out of steam after about a mile. I wasn't tired; I didn't hurt; I just sort of . . . stopped. When I got back to my house, my dad said, "Well, there was probably a reason why you didn't want to run today." Whatever, I thought. The reason is because I suck!

The next day, I went to Pawnee Prairie Park to try that long run again. I thought that it would be more interesting and therefore more bearable to run on trails than on the long, straight, boring dirt roads. And I was correct! After the first ten minutes, I felt right as rain and at peace with the whole world, running over a soft, grassy trail and enjoying the sounds of nature.

Then, after about 20 minutes, I felt a little niggling pain in my right buttock, just to the right of my sacrum. Ooh, I thought. I don't think that's good. So I slowed to a walk, trying to determine what that pain might possibly be. After a few minutes of walking, it went away, so I tried again. Nope, there it is again. And I continued in that manner for the next 20 minutes or so, experimenting with walking and running to see what caused pain and what didn't. It was never so bad that I couldn't have run through it; I could definitely have kept going through this pain. But it was the kind of pain that made me slow down because something is definitely wrong back there.

Tuesday I managed a twenty-mile bike workout without pain, but today's spinning class brought it out. I have an appointment with a physical therapist on Tuesday, so we'll see what's up. I think that it's sciatic pain brought on by knots and tension in my piriformis, but considering the alternative possible causes (i.e. a herniated disc), I think it's best to be sure. Until then, I will not be running or cycling (except for my Monday morning spin class).

And that is the tragic tale of the pain in my ass.

5 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear that, Jamie.

    Unfortunately, I'm all too familiar with pains in the ass. Since the beginning of the year, my gluteus minimus has been wreaking all kinds of havoc with various parts of my ass and legs. It's amazing how everything is interconnected.

    Matter of fact, after this morning's 15-miler and then 3+ hours on my feet volunteering for a greyhound rescue, my ass is killing me. Time for some stretching and rolling.

    Good luck with the PT!

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  2. Jamie,

    I am inspired by your enthusiasm for things you love to do regardless of the pain that you endure.

    keep it up with this great spirit.

    Shilpan
    http://www.successsoul.com/blog/

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  3. Poor Tri HardAss! Well, the nagging running injuries that most runners get are: shin splints, bad knees, and ITB stuff. Since it is none of those, I, in all my infinite wisdom, can conclude that it will not last a long time. Because, if it were something that were REALLY going to slow you down, we would have heard of it before now.

    Enjoy the time off while you're parked on that sore ass of yours, and feel better soon!

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  4. This must mean you really are a BAD-ASS!

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  5. Oh no! Oh no! I bet you will be okay, but I totally understand. I am always so worried about injuring myself -- what I would give for my 20 year old body again that doesn't creak when I get out of bed in the morning. I hope your doc report is good!

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