The potential impact of an injury.
On Tuesday evening, I had the pleasure of running with two of my Nation's Triathlon teammates, Rob and Brian. I hadn't trained with them since last summer, and it was wonderful to get my blood pumping with them again.
Rob has always been a wonderful mentor to me -- he never is short of encouragement when it comes to me reaching my full potential as a triathlete. When we would ride together, he would always be the one waiting at the top of the hill, pushing me to give it just a little more while at the same time having that unwaivering belief in his voice that I could conquer anything.
Brian is no different, always cheering me on whether I'm in the pool, on the bike, or out on a run. His incredible energy can light up any room, and his optimism always has a way of being contagious, even at times where the light at the end of the tunnel seems only a speck.
Fortunately for me, Rob and Brian wanted to have an easy run that night. Their easy run is the equivalent to a good hard run for me, so I figured it would be the perfect scenario for everyone.
We started out at Dondero Middle School in Royal Oak, planning to run 4-6 miles. We started at a pace of a 10 minute mile. Within a few hundred yards, I had a pulling sensation in my right hamstring area. I ran through it, figuring it would go away (which it did for the most part) after a mile or two. It ended up being a great run, especially because Rob got me to do a couple of good sprints which I hadn't done in a while.
As soon as we stopped, I started to stretch. A few minutes later, we decided to run to Rob's house (just a quarter mile away at most). As soon as I started up again, that pain intensified to the point to where I could almost not run at all. I almost stopped, but pushed through it (what's another couple hundred yards?) and the pain once again subsided. SHAME ON ME for not listening to my body.
That night, I was in so much pain I could barely walk. I slept on an icepack, hoping the pain would subside. It didn't. Yesterday, I had a pretty significant limp. I went to swim practice last night, thinking that would be the one sport I could get away with, and I couldn't swim across the pool without feeling pain.
My swim coach, obviously concerned, insisted that I rest it and suggested I go to a doctor right away to see what can be done. (Dr. S, check your messages.) Hamstring injuries are not something to take lightly, she said. She also let me know that there is a chance that I may have to scratch my race(s).
The news of a potential scratch devistated me. All of this hard work that I've been doing, all for what? I hope that it doesn't come to that, but today isn't showing much hope. I am still limping, though the pain does seem to be a little less. Only time will tell, I'll keep you all posted. Wish me luck.
Rob has always been a wonderful mentor to me -- he never is short of encouragement when it comes to me reaching my full potential as a triathlete. When we would ride together, he would always be the one waiting at the top of the hill, pushing me to give it just a little more while at the same time having that unwaivering belief in his voice that I could conquer anything.
Brian is no different, always cheering me on whether I'm in the pool, on the bike, or out on a run. His incredible energy can light up any room, and his optimism always has a way of being contagious, even at times where the light at the end of the tunnel seems only a speck.
Fortunately for me, Rob and Brian wanted to have an easy run that night. Their easy run is the equivalent to a good hard run for me, so I figured it would be the perfect scenario for everyone.
We started out at Dondero Middle School in Royal Oak, planning to run 4-6 miles. We started at a pace of a 10 minute mile. Within a few hundred yards, I had a pulling sensation in my right hamstring area. I ran through it, figuring it would go away (which it did for the most part) after a mile or two. It ended up being a great run, especially because Rob got me to do a couple of good sprints which I hadn't done in a while.
As soon as we stopped, I started to stretch. A few minutes later, we decided to run to Rob's house (just a quarter mile away at most). As soon as I started up again, that pain intensified to the point to where I could almost not run at all. I almost stopped, but pushed through it (what's another couple hundred yards?) and the pain once again subsided. SHAME ON ME for not listening to my body.
That night, I was in so much pain I could barely walk. I slept on an icepack, hoping the pain would subside. It didn't. Yesterday, I had a pretty significant limp. I went to swim practice last night, thinking that would be the one sport I could get away with, and I couldn't swim across the pool without feeling pain.
My swim coach, obviously concerned, insisted that I rest it and suggested I go to a doctor right away to see what can be done. (Dr. S, check your messages.) Hamstring injuries are not something to take lightly, she said. She also let me know that there is a chance that I may have to scratch my race(s).
The news of a potential scratch devistated me. All of this hard work that I've been doing, all for what? I hope that it doesn't come to that, but today isn't showing much hope. I am still limping, though the pain does seem to be a little less. Only time will tell, I'll keep you all posted. Wish me luck.
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