Last week, I finally did what I should have done over a month ago and made an appointment with Spine and Injury Clinic of Laramie. I went in last Tuesday and consulted with Dr. David Milam. I explained to him the issues with my lower back and he immediately jumped into a diagnosis and treatment. It was like being back in the training room in college, which was great.
Anyway, what I thought was a lower spine issue is actually a bum left piriformis muscle. The second he touched that spot, I wanted to scream, it hurt so bad. But, that is a good thing, since obviously a muscular injury is much easier to treat than a spinal injury. He hooked me up to the stem machine for about 10 minutes, then did a quick series of deep tissue massages, stretches, and chiropractic adjustments. He sent me home with some literature and exercises and stretches to do daily. I immediately felt better, went for my first nearly pain-free run the next day, and then saw him again for another round of treatment Thursday. I will go back in tomorrow for a quick look, and then be on my way. Three treatments and I'm back on my feet. Those guys are awesome. Why did I hesitate so long to call them? I won't be doing that again.
So, what caused the issue in first place? I more than likely tweaked it running Silent Trails (in the slippery snow again) and then continued to run trails on it. I was also inconsistent in my running after Jelm. I also stopped doing the little things, mostly due to being lazy. I sit on my butt all day at work, rarely get up, slouch badly, and don't stretch. Then we went to Oregon, and a couple of hours in the car, getting stuck on the plane for five hours, and the return trip home certainly didn't help things. Then I took time off to heal it, when, as Dr. Dave suggested, I actually should have continued to work out in order to keep things loosened up. Rookie mistakes all around.
So how did he fix it? I get up once an hour at work and do two stretches, a hamstring/piriformis stretch and a hip flexor stretch. I do a couple of exercises with my core work three times a week, and I spend some time with my foam roller at night. And holy hell, has it worked.
I have been good on my resolution thus far. I have a 17-day streak going back to Dec. 31 of doing at least 30 minutes of exercise everyday. So, I'm excited to be on the mend so I can continue. Right now I'm still biking a few more miles than running, but I hope to shift that ratio in the next week or two. My focus for the rest of January is to keep cross training, take it easy, and get the little things done so I can start thinking about mileage. There is no reason to be thrashing myself outside right now (especially considering our recent run of sub-zero temps). Stay healthy now, work on getting a little stronger, DO THE LITTLE THINGS, and worry about miles come April and May.
Ultimate goals are still Bighorn and then the Wonderland Trail. Horsecow, Elizabeth and I have been hammering out some details and I believe we will all be in the Pacific Northwest July 20-28. I'm really excited about this. But I have to stay healthy and work to where I can run back-to-back-to-back ultras. That could be difficult, but certainly doable.
Week of Dec. 31-Jan. 6
51 miles (7'33") - 20M run, 23M bike, 8M hiked
Week of Jan. 7-Jan. 13
57 miles (5'06") - 23M run, 34M bike
Year to Date
116 miles (11'20") - 47 run, 69 bike
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