Recovering Post Wasatch

Well it's been two weeks today since Wasatch finished so I decided to write a quick note about my recovering and return to training..   Anytime you run a 100 miles it puts a little stress on the old body which requires a little recovery time, and this one was definitely the case.  A couple days after Wasatch I started having some pretty significant pain in my left hip/gluteus area. I made a decision to go for a run on  the Tuesday evening following the race to try and "shake things out".  The first 3 miles were excruciating on the hip to say the least but once warmed up things settled down and I felt pretty decent, I put in a fairly leisurely 5 mile run and returned home, showered and went to bed..  

During the evening or early morning hour I awoke while attempting to turn over to a pretty stabbing sensation to my left side in the butt region..  It hurt and I realized I absolutely could not move or sit without some degree of pain.   As I "experimented" with the pain area I discovered that if I pressed two fingers into a spot on the lower side of my hip area that I could move with limited to no pain.  So I began the next couple days doing exactly that..  if I needed to move, I simply pressed that "magical" spot and went about my business.   

On Thursday AM I was still struggling with the pain and posted a message on Facebook to one of the running groups I'm active in the Wasatch Mountain Wranglers.   I enquired of people as to their thoughts on my injury and what my best course of action should be to follow.  As usual there were lots of suggestions, but the consensus was see a doctor, but most important see a Physical Therapist.  It just so happens that one of the members of the group is a PT Andrea Campian @ FastTrak Physical Therapy in Salt Lake City..  Andrea offered to see me the next day, I decided to take her up on it and I head to Salt Lake for the appointment.

Andrea was quite thorough looking at every possible issue and double checking the area to ensure that her diagnosis was rock solid.   She isolated the pain area to the Gluteus Minimus and gave me a few recommendations as to what I should do, which included your standard RICE - An acronym for rest, ice, compression and elevation; a procedure for treating certain injuries - See more at: More Running Terms.  I kind of agree, chuckle under my breat and head out.

I head home finish packing and head out with the boys for a little "adventure" in the Wyoming back country.   On our drive I do something I haven't done in two years - I buy a bottle of Tylenal, and decide it will get me through my weekend in the mountains with the boys.  The crazy thing is, it helped.

Over the next two days we hike oh I'd venture to guess 15 miles or so where ever step is very tough, my leg hurts, I just smile through it and keep going.   By Sunday I'm in pretty rough shape as my leg just plain hurts, we head out though and I'm glad that I purchased the bottle ot tylenal as it takes the edge off a bit.   By mid morning I'm beginning to move slower and slower but I decide to ignore the pain..  By noon something strange happens I realize that the pain is gone, and when I say gone GONE.  We head home I'm dancing the jig as I enter the house.

Over the next 4-5 days I begin running, put in some miles in Utah, then Seattle, and then on the Vancouver for business..  Each day I do a little more, and a little more wondering where that "break-point" is, but now after 40 miles of running and a week there is no sign of the pain coming back.   Tomorrow I'll ramp up the miles to my "norm" and we'll see how things go.   Next weekend I having pacing duties at the Bear with Dee Wolfe..  her first 100 on my favorite course..   Should be awesome.