I felt it most when I swam and ran. Kicking in the pool and trying to lift my knees up when running would put an additional strain on that area. I was concerned that I would take a while to heal up since my workouts would not let the area rest.
I had a company 5K I committed to on Dec 3rd and I showed up with every intention of running it. The soreness and discomfort was still on the back of my mind. That Saturday morning I put in a 2 hour spin then headed over to the event site. As I started my 2 mile warm up the first step I took left serious doubts in my mind as to weather I would run the 5k. Each step I took was pretty painful. Imagine you had sore abs and you sneezed really hard. That’s exactly how each step felt.
I told myself I had 2 miles to warm up. If the pain did not subside then I would not run the 5K. After my 2 mile warm up the area had warmed up enough that I went ahead and decided to run. The course also appeared to be pretty flat so I figured I would not have to put much effort in to lifting my knees as hills were not a factor.
This 5K was one of the most interesting 5Ks I’ve ran. It was more of a social fun run and there were lots of children in the race mixed in with the competitive runners. The start line was so packed that I had to start 3 rows deep in order to get my timing chip behind the mat. Yes, that meant that the 3 rows before me were on the other side of the timing mat.
The gun went off and there were kids everywhere. I spent the first ½ mile dodging kids. I was too busy concentrating on not running into kids that I forgot all about the sore area. Once I was out in the clear I started to focus on my run and the lower abdomen pain resurface. It wasn’t as painful as my 2 mile warm up however I felt it every time I lifted my knees to try and push harder.
I wanted to step on the throttle to go but, it was not happening. The course looped back towards oncoming traffic for about a half mile. That half mile was another game of dodge kid ball. J I found myself running on a road covered from left to right with oncoming runners/walkers. I had to do some serious maneuvering to keep from running into kids who were not looking where they were going. As I turned the corner I was happy to be out of that on slot of oncoming traffic.
I finished out the race the best I could and started my 5K cool down. As I was out on the cool down run a motorcycle cop drove up next to me and started apologizing for all the oncoming traffic during the race. He told me that there was a mix up with the 1 mile fun run and the 5K race. They didn’t turn the 1 mile fun run people around in time so they ended up on the 5K trail. That explained all the oncoming traffic. I laughed and told him, no worries it happens. I also felt for the people who started off the race thinking they were only going to do one mile and ended up doing a 5K.
Sunday morning came and I talked myself into taking some time off. I was still sore in the lower abdomen area. I was about to start my triathlon training the next day and I wanted to be as fresh as I could be. Monday came around and I had an easy swim to put in. As I lay in bed that morning I could still feel the lower abdomen area as I stretched out. It was still pretty intense so I decided to take that Monday off.
Here I was week one of training and I already started with a day off. Sometimes that’s just how the ball bounces. My thoughts are better now then later in the season. I got through my first week and I could still feel the lower abdomen area but, it was not as intense as the previous week, so positive thoughts were in my head. I know it would take a while to heal given that my workout engaged that area on a daily basis.
I’m almost done with week two of training and unfortunately I had another derailment in my training. I caught a bug on Tuesday that knocked me out. I ended up having to miss my Tuesday workouts and my Wednesday morning workout.
This bug was a nasty one. I was in bed for almost 17 hours. That’s unheard off for me. My body was fighting off something and left me with the chills for the majority of those hours. I kept looking forward to being outside again. As twisted as it may sound I enjoyed being sick as it allows me reflect and appreciate my health when I have it.
Most of us walk through life taking our health for granted. I’m not saying that we all have to go out and run a marathon but, we can at least get outside and enjoy the fresh air. There are thousands upon thousands out there who are not as fortunate as we are and would love to be in our shoes to be able to get outside and simply walk a few miles.
I’m still nursing my lower abdomen injury but, I know with time it will heal. I also know that I will workout and push through the soreness as it heals.
Thank you for reading this blog entry. As always feel free to email me any questions or comments you may have.
..ej
ej@trilifeblog.com
www.facebook.com/trilifeblog
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