WTF : "Back" to the couch

And the injuries go on...

Just a downer update, sometimes I really hate running.  I love it, but when I can't run it drives me crazy.  Its those times where I almost wish I didn't love to run, wish I was one of those people who just looks for any excuse to spend quality time on the couch or indulge in daily Happy Hours.  You know when you are on a run and pass those cool people in their roaring-20's (or any age for that matter), yucking it up in the bar, or maybe rushing home from work to catch their favorite TV show, or maybe they just finished up a rousing 30 minute workout at the gym (and they hated every minute of it).  Those people don't care if they are injured and can't run.

So after all those weeks rehabbing my stress fracture incurred running Chicago, I finally made progress back to a decent weekly mileage of around 45-50 Miles Per Week.  Last weekend I had a great 16 mile long run Saturday morning at a nice easy pace with my running club, then Sunday set out for a nice size trail run.  Though I felt tired and dead legged I pushed on.  This was a mistake, I should have turned around 1 mile in and gone home, but I was stubborn.

11 very exhausting miles later I finished up.  Though I was feeling very tired and sore all over, it wasn't the "injured" sore, but instead just the "wow what a great weekend of training" sore.  All the aches cleared up within 24 hours.  But something just didn't feel right in my back.  I have this weird tightness/ stabbing pain in my lower right back, anytime I take a step or "stomp" on my right leg.  I rested 2 days, crossed trained the 3rd day; by day 4 it felt a little better, now is day 5 and its still not feeling great.   I am currently signed up for 2 Marathons, a 50 k and a 50 Miler this Spring.  Airfare booked for Boston.  The thought of battling injuries in the coming months is not pleasant.

I know its my own fault (who else's fault could it be?).  I laid out a great plan for coming back and have already violated a few of my self-imposed limits.  But I had come back gradually, went by feel, and then when you are feeling great whats the point in dialing it back?  The trails were slippery that day, and already running on tired legs I must have pulled, twisted, or strained something at one point.  No idea at which point that was.

I was initially freaked out by the thought of Sciatica, or damage to the Sciatic nerve that can cause serious and long term injury.  After asking around and doing some reading I think its just a lower back strain.  The consensus  seems to be that it could take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to heel up.  Lower back pains apparently aren't too severe, since you get a lot of blood flow back there things should heal up nicely. This article on Pulled Back Muscles and Lower Back Strains seems to describe my symptoms.  The cure? All that crap I hate - resting, ice, stretching, NSAIDs, heat pads, cross training (maybe not in that order).

Right when I think I'm out, they pull me right back in!!