Running update
Had my first appoinment with physio 10 days ago, and after a week of intense therapy and tlc the pain is mostly gone but running is still out of the question. I have suffered a series of repetitive strain injuries in my left leg brought on by too much too soon, consisting of a mild bursitis in my iliotibial band (left hip), hamstring tendonitis, and shin splints. Two days ago I realized I had to face the music and make a couple of big decisions.
Participating in the 5k Run for Reach race this Sunday is completely out of the question. I haven't done any running in the past two weeks, I'm still not completely healed, and I realized that if I push things and make the hamstring worse, I could be looking at a long term hiatus from running. Considering how much I enjoy running, how easy it is to just get out and go, how important it is to my mental and physical health, I can't risk putting all of this in jeopardy.
The Ottawa Race weekend 10k race at the end of May is possible but doubtful. Once I've been cleared to run again I know I will need to start slowly, pretty much from scratch. There just isn't enough time to make an attempt to build up to 10k in five weeks. Oh pooh!! I was very much looking forward to testing my mettle in this race, it's what I've had my sights set on for the past five months, and it's been a big motivating factor. But again, I'm not willing to risk it. I will take things as they come, and just build, build, build.
Thankfully, I do have my bike and an 18k (one-way) commute to work which will help me keep up my cardio...and my sanity. Dealing with an injury can make returning to a couch potato existence go almost unnoticed, so cross training is the easiest way for me to avoid this. New saddle bags, which are a VAST improvement over the freebies I had for last year, make things much much easier. I'm also going to invest in a pair of trail running/hiking shoes and get out onto the Gatineau park trails this year, but I'm not talking pleasure hike, I'm talking bust-your-butt-pace hike. Besides, it might just give me more incentive to try mountain biking....