As I suspected, from trawling the internet, I have a bursitis at the site of the pes anserine. That, to you and me, is the point at which the main muscles of the thigh attach to the tibia or bone beneath the knee. It's quite a specific pain, although I am also aware of tight spots in my lower back thigh (hamstrings). The physiotherapist kneaded it, none too gently, while I tried to talk with occasional winces and attempts (almost) to stop him. Then, ultrasound/gel/thingymajig for 15 minutes before being sent out the door with instructions not to run, but to cycle and swim. I should add that he also watched me walk and decided I should see the bio-mechanics guy in the clinic. There is no surprise there. I have, what I call, a very girlie gait where the knees tend to want to meet. The question is, do I need orthotics or just muscle strengthening. As PT explained, by going into the 48 mile a week range I am putting a lot of stress on a machine (my body) that is tracking poorly. It makes sense and I had wondered about it. The question is, can we work with this, fix this, or do I need to adapt my goals i.e. less mileage per week, forget about anything over half marathon and so on? Honest answer, I don't know.
How was I about all of this? Initially, I was very disappointed. Running is supposed to be a hobby, fun, something I do on the side to keep me well and happy, not something that requires effort, visits to medics, more money and so on. Ugly questions about retiring (?!) from running, modifying goals (my seven-year plan) all raised their heads and begged to be answered. By bedtime, I had only one answer: I can't answer these questions. I simply have to see how the next couple of weeks go. I don't even know if I will be running the Half Marathon on Sunday the 6th of May. If I do run it, it will be just a gentle jog, without hope of improving my times.
How am I today, Monday the 30th of April? Disappointed when I see how low my running mileage is for the month ( a mere 57.9 km). I did another 7 miles on Tuesday last before going to see the PT. Still wondering about the cost, time, effort required to get well. Still anxious that we heal and cure this problem rather than just manage it, but more willing to take time, think of the long-term goal to keep running, fit and active through to old age. There is impatience. It's amazing how envious I am of runners I see on my daily commute. The mean me occasionally watches for signs of deteriorating gait and potential injury! Yes, there's a mean me!!! The optimistic me is planning on a full recovery, however long it takes. I like running, I want to run.
In the interim, I have swum 1.5km on Friday last, a mix of easy freestyle and 2 x 250m of sprint sets (50m/2 fast). I have cycled, 20 miles on Saturday and 40 on Sunday. Saturday was meant to be bursts of speed (more fartlek than interval) and Sunday was supposed to be easy long ride. Sunday was windy, there were times when just staying on the bike was a challenge. Fortunately, we had swopped our original plan to head to the Wicklow Hills for a spin along the old Galway road which saw us dealing with cross-winds rather then heading straight into either on the outward or return leg. I enjoyed the cycling, I got into a great rhythm, occasionally waiting for P whose bike is considerably heavier than mine. It is really cold here again, so we are back in leggings/long sleeves and even rain jackets. Despite the weather, the lack of running, it was a fab weekend. I am in fine fettle this Monday morning, ready for the challenges of the week.
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