Tennis Ball Miracle

I continue to recover from the marathon. All of the soreness and muscle pain has been gone for a week now but I am still having some stiffness and pain in my hip/butt/lower back (left side). I have self-diagnosed myself with piriformis syndrome, basically I pulled a muscle in my butt and that has aggravated my lower back and hip. This makes it occassionally painful during walking and running when my left leg makes the swing from front to back and also certain twisting/bending positions will tweak the area.

Rest is the only true cure. The muscle just needs the opportunity heal itself. However, I have been doing deep-tissue massage (read: sitting on a tennis ball) and it has allowed me to walk without pain for the past several hours. Ta-da!

I've also tried to stretch thoroughly with special attention on the area and I think that is helping as well.

My goal and hope is to be back to running by Monday.

In the mean time, I've been enjoying the hours and hours of sleep I've been getting in each night. I've been sleeping consistently over 8 hours, sometimes even over 9 hours, since the marathon. It's been wonderful! Sleep is the secret weapon toward recovery.

I don't understand how other runners can jump right in to their running schedule after a marathon. I cherish this downtime. It feels good. It makes me crave running. Also, I know my body needs the break!

And so, until Monday I raise my glass and salute my lazy side (and the stray tennis ball I found in the back of the hall closet - you're a miracle worker).

Recovery

Recovery from last Sunday’s marathon is going very well. Monday and Tuesday were the worst days in terms of stiffness and pain. My quads were sore but my hamstrings felt tender and my calves were very tight. By Wednesday, my hamstrings were feeling much better. When I woke up Thursday, the soreness was greatly reduced and my calves felt much looser. Today, Friday, five days after running 26.2 miles my legs are pain free, I’m feeling good and I can finally walk down stairs.

Thursday was my first day back in the gym. I decided to concentrate on core exercises since I stopped all strength training during the final month of marathon training. It felt good to get the muscles moving and to work specific core muscles. I went back to the gym again today but focused on stretching. It felt good to just sit in some of the positions and breathe deep.

I’m having some pain in my left piriformis muscle (read: a pain in the butt) so I’m a little hesitant to get back to running. I’ll be at the beach on Saturday morning and I’m hoping I’ll feel up for a short 2 or 3 mile run in the sand. Perhaps the softer surface will be exactly what my legs need.

Today’s Daily Dozen:
45 minutes of stretching w/ an easy warm-up and cool down