Weekend Update

This past weekend marked my first 'double' weekend with significant mileage. I was scheduled to run 14 miles on Saturday morning and 8 miles on Sunday. I went for broke on my 14-mile run, tackled one of the biggest hills in Lincoln and ran through a hilly residential area. I knew I had to push myself a little on the terrain and tried to keep my pace under control. I finished the run just under 2 hours at 1 hour 56 minutes and immediately jumped into......
That's right. An ice bath. My injury made me promise myself I would be better at recovery, prevention, replenishing.....basically I don't want that moment to come when I ask myself...
"what if?"
The ice bath is not totally unfamiliar as it is actually common practice in the PT world. It is frequently used with the patient population with Multiple Sclerosis and I had to dive in during my residency to say "I did it". All in all it is not a horrible practice, but it takes some getting used to.
By the time Sunday morning rolled around I was BEYOND thankful to only have 8 miles as my legs felt shredded. I had no clue how I was going to accomplish this run, but of course tried to stick to my "one mile at a time" mantra.
Within the first few steps an unwelcome feeling snuck into my right low back/pelvis and the feeling of doom rushed over me. I must have turned as white as a ghost and Chris immediately knew there was trouble. Within a few minutes it was gone and returned for 3 short sessions of 30 seconds or less. This 'hide and seek' game persisted nearly all day with little hints. I knew my leg soreness was likely not helping and I likely pushed my pace too hard. I finished the run again with a chilly ice bath and in hindsight only wish to have worn compression garments afterwards.
I have been thinking a lot lately. This injury, my running life.....I am hoping this was just a friendly reminder. "Hey Erin, you promised to take better care of me", my body is shouting.
Don't worry.....I AM listening.....