I have a case of what appears to be hamstring tendonitis in my right leg. At first, the injury led me to drop running from my training, and replace it with aqua jogging, while continuing my training with swimming and biking. However, at the end of last week, it became painfully (literally) clear to me that I would have to also drop the bike and aqua jogging. My coach took it a step further and said: no kicking while swimming. My first response: SERIOUSLY?
I found it impossible to be optimistic and find the silver lining at first. This news simply wrecked me. I spent Sunday afternoon sulking, icing and saying, “I don’t want to talk about it” every time John asked me, “How are you doing with this news?”
As I laid on the couch last Sunday, elevating my legs, and shivering from the large bags of ice I had placed all over my lower body, I felt completely helpless. I felt pathetic. I felt weak. How could I possibly finish an Ironman in July if I can’t even train properly? Who the hell am I kidding? I had lost my mental focus and the momentum that I had been building in my training. I had just come off a great 3.5 bike ride on Saturday (despite the injury), and now I felt like I couldn’t even get off the couch.
I spent most of Sunday and Monday secretly, inwardly freaking out. I tried not to verbalize my feelings because I felt like that would only increase my defectiveness, my weakness, my brokenness. I tried not to concentrate on the injury, but really, that’s been a futile exercise, made especially difficult by the fact that I have had a fairly constant dull ache in my hamstring. Pleasant.
When I got into the pool on Monday, I grabbed the pull buoy and placed it between my legs. No kicking. How the hell could this even count as a workout? Instead of thinking about swimming, I thought: I will gain weight. I will lose fitness. I will lose strength. I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am, and now one injury would ruin it all. My thoughts zeroed in on nothing but doom and gloom. So, suffice to say, that Monday morning swim was not effective for my training. My head was not in the game. I might as well have stayed under the covers for all the good that did me.
I realized I needed to be more pro-active, that I couldn’t just sit around icing and flailing around in the pool. First, I called a chiropractor, Dr. Reed Lerman, who had helped me with a minor case of hip bursitis I had last year. He uses laser therapy (sort of like ultrasound therapy) to help improve recovery. After two treatments last year, my hip bursitis improved within a week. So, I thought, perhaps this will help with my hamstring? I had a treatment on Tuesday morning, and by the afternoon the bulk of the pain in my hip area had lessened. More importantly, just the idea that I was doing something helped to improve my mental state.
And, this mental improvement, helped me make better use of pool time. By the time I got in the pool on Wednesday, I was ready to focus again. Instead of concentrating on what I couldn’t do, I thought about what this injury has “freed” me to focus on. For example, swimming with the buoy allows me to concentrate singularly on my stroke, in particular making sure I pull my arm all the way through the entire stroke (back near my hips), and ensuring proper body rotation so I don’t have to lift my head out of the water to breath. Guess what? This resulted in greater efficiency in my stroke, which was evidenced by decreasing lap times.
And, because I can’t bike, run or do lower body strength training, all of my strength work has been concentrated on my upper body and my core–which are my weak areas to begin with. I’ve included core work every day this week. If I had full use of my lower extremities, I wouldn’t be able to spend as much time on my core. Yet, a strong core is the KEY ingredient to triathlon success–it’s also important to help prevent injury. Hmmmm.
Yesterday, I had an appointment with my primary doctor, a sports medicine guy. He allayed my fears that this injury was some type of chronic condition, assuring me that based on his assessment of the hammy, there is nothing ACUTE about the problem. Just my body saying: Whoa, lady, we need to chill for a minute. He also gave me a script for physical therapy, that will also include some strength training. I have my first PT appointment today. I’m excited to be officially ON THE MEND.
I might have a temporary problem with my hamstring, sure. But, don’t count me out. In a few weeks, I’ll be rested, recovered, and ready to start kicking some a$$. SERIOUSLY.
My foot started with a dull ache on Thursday afternoon (Thanksgiving) as I was preparing food to bring to my brother’s house. It felt “tight,” so I tried some stretches. But, the pain lingered. And lingered. And then did some more lingering. It was lingering and lounging on the top of my foot, as indicated in this picture. (Notice, also, the use of dark nail polish to hide the black toenails underneath.)
