After overcoming my bout with groin pain in April, I returned to my marathon training effort, goal: Marine Corps Marathon, Oct. 25, 2009. My performance improved with regularity, and I lost the 20 pounds I gained from my dearth of running for the previous four months.
August my training was off schedule, and I struggled to make up for it in September. I worked my way up to two back-to-back 18 mile runs with good, chunky hill workout (Mormon Temple and Stoneybrook Dr) included over a weekend, when I noticed a pain in my left knee. This reminded me of a similar problem I encountered a year earlier, almost to the day and the same location, preparing for the NYC Marathon, when my patella (aka kneecap) was briefly dislocated.
I took a few days off and picked back up on my training. I still felt pain in my left knee, but the pain subsided during the run and has steadily diminished. There was some question in my mind about how prudent it would be to run the MCM with knee pain, but now there are no doubts. Aside from the training interruption, I'll be in good shape for the run.
The question now is what will be my target pace? I have a 30 minute range of goals to target:
1. 3:00 - The tantalizing 3 hour mark. This requires averaging a 6:53 pace. Aggressive but somehow in my delusional mind within the realm of possibility.
2. 3:03 - Break the 7:00 pace.
3. 3:06 - Previous PR achieved at the 2008 DC Marathon.
4. 3:10 - Time qualifier for the NYC Marathon
5. 3:19 - Previous MCM PR, which started a continuous streak of BQ times.
6: 3:30 - Boston Qualifying time for my age group (45-49).
My mindset now, the night before the run, is that I'll aim between #1 and #2. Am I getting greedy, as I normally do, and have to lower my sights? We'll have to see how things play out on race day.
-Em
Showing posts with label injuries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label injuries. Show all posts
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Hurdling Injuries: Groin Pain
It's been a long road back from last year's NYC Marathon. Shortly afterwards, starting in early December, I decided to address a lingering groin pain that was slowly getting worse. I tried stretching, ibuprofen, running slowly, but nothing would work.
I took a stab at self-diagnosis using Google and was fairly convinced that it might be an inguinal hernia. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inguinal_hernia) The pain was in the right area, plus the pain would increase when I sneezed or coughed. While the pain was always present, it was manageable and low grade. Since there was no bulge or swelling it didn't fit the symptoms of the classic inguinal hernias.
Then I discovered something called a "sports hernia," also known as "athletic pubalgia." (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletic_pubalgia)
Technically not a hernia but also causing chronic groin pain, it doesn't seem to be a commonly understood malady. The lack of a good definition of the cause made me believe my symptoms fit. What's more is that there are outpatient surgical procedures which claim to resolve the problem.
Surgery seemed like a drastic option, and how could I even be sure it would be successful? I did see a doctor and she considered the possibilities of hernias, muscle strain, and even hip fracture. Nothing turned up, so she referred me to a sports physician. The recommendations was RICE application (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation). No improvement noticed.
The whole time I had largely stopped running. Around February, I gave up on my entry to the Boston Marathon, and forfeited the entry fee. To make matters worse my diet had deteriorated and I had put on about 20 pounds since November.
Early April I gave up on any resolution (no surgery!) and decided to start running slowly. Around this time I decided to take another crack at resolving the pain by working out using forward lunges. (See http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/movements/forward-lunge.html) I noticed improvement immediately. Further, adding 35 pound weights in each arm seemed to work even better. I figured it out! I'm back!
-Em
I took a stab at self-diagnosis using Google and was fairly convinced that it might be an inguinal hernia. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inguinal_hernia) The pain was in the right area, plus the pain would increase when I sneezed or coughed. While the pain was always present, it was manageable and low grade. Since there was no bulge or swelling it didn't fit the symptoms of the classic inguinal hernias.
Then I discovered something called a "sports hernia," also known as "athletic pubalgia." (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletic_pubalgia)
Technically not a hernia but also causing chronic groin pain, it doesn't seem to be a commonly understood malady. The lack of a good definition of the cause made me believe my symptoms fit. What's more is that there are outpatient surgical procedures which claim to resolve the problem.
Surgery seemed like a drastic option, and how could I even be sure it would be successful? I did see a doctor and she considered the possibilities of hernias, muscle strain, and even hip fracture. Nothing turned up, so she referred me to a sports physician. The recommendations was RICE application (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation). No improvement noticed.
The whole time I had largely stopped running. Around February, I gave up on my entry to the Boston Marathon, and forfeited the entry fee. To make matters worse my diet had deteriorated and I had put on about 20 pounds since November.
Early April I gave up on any resolution (no surgery!) and decided to start running slowly. Around this time I decided to take another crack at resolving the pain by working out using forward lunges. (See http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/movements/forward-lunge.html) I noticed improvement immediately. Further, adding 35 pound weights in each arm seemed to work even better. I figured it out! I'm back!
-Em
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