Monday, July 18, 2011

This too shall pass

So everything seemed to be going great after my mid-week update. On Thursday, I did a nice tempo run. Friday was an easy day, with just a 3.3 mile hike because I was planning on a fairly heavy weekend.

Saturday's plan was 5 miles easy on a dirt levee road, to be followed by a 20 mile bike ride, no hills, on the recently reopened bike trails. Sunday was to be my long swim with a short easy ride. And somewhere in there, I was going to do some more yard work.

Fast forward to Saturday morning, at roughly the 2.6 mile mark of my easy run. I cannot for the life of me figure out what happened, but suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my lower back that stopped me in my tracks. My running partner walked with me for a bit, then I tried running again. No dice. Walked some more, then tried running again. Still a No Go. Walked more, and finally did a bit of a shuffle run just to hurry up and get to the car so I could get myself and my achin' back to the house.

Suffice it to say, the weekend contained no bike rides, no swimming, and no yard work. Instead I was dealing with back spasms and trying to figure out how to get them to stop. Not my idea of a fun weekend.

This isn't the first time that I've had this problem. Seems that I have both a chronic knee issue and a chronic lower back issue. All the more reason to be grateful when nothing is hurting and I can get out and move my body the way that I want to. By now I know how to work through the back problems. It's just frustrating and painful for the better part of a week.

So there won't be much in the way of swimming, cycling, or running this week. And the yard work will need to wait. But I'm trying to stay positive. There will be lots of walking, stretching, and a few extra rest days. That's all good stuff. And sometime later this week, or whenever I'm feeling 100% again, I will carry on with my plans. In the grand scheme of things, it's just a bump in the road. Sometimes I just wish the road was a bit smoother. :-)

18 comments:

  1. Hmmm, I'm no doctor, but I can't help but wonder if the two persistent issues could be connected in some way. Maybe there's a weak or over-used muscle somewhere in there that's causing you to pull from the strength in your lower back, and then over time, consequently throw off your knee?

    Goodness, that sounds like conjecture, but maybe?

    Either way, hope it feels better soon!

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  2. Oh no! Lower back pain is horrible! When I was having spasms and pain back in March, I could barely even lift my right leg. Alternating ice and heat along with rest did seem to help. I hope you recover quickly!

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  3. ugh, you poor thing. that sounds awful. i really hope your back gets back to normal soon. at least you had a somewhat restful weekend. :)

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  4. :( Speedy healing vibes!

    I am a big believer in chiropractic. Not sure how you feel about it, but it has definitely helped me through the years!

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  5. Yikes, back pain is tough. I went through 6 months of therapy for bulging discs in low back and agree with Theia...chiropractic care is where it's at! totally recommend it if you haven't already tried it. Hoping for a fast recover!

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  6. Oh no, I'm sorry to read that! I hope you feel better soon. Take it easy.

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  7. I hope you feel better soon! I know how frustrating injuries are but hopefully after some rest, you will be back at it with no pain!

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  8. Feel better. "They" say that the water is best so you might want to try swimming first.

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  9. Oh no! I'm sorry to hear this! This exact thing happens to my hubby. Right out of nowhere it seems. Takes muscle relaxers and rest to heal up. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

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  10. Oh no!! :( I hope you get relief ASAP and can straighten out whatever caused it for good! Gonna try a chiropractor?

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  11. I hope you get well soon. Sometimes I feel the same pain at the lower back. The cure is prevention with stretching after the workouts and when I have pain: physio and thermal baths. After 3/4 day everyting is ok.

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  12. oh no! That sounds so painful and frustrating :(

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  13. Have you tried a chiropractor? I swear most of my pains and aches have disappeared since I'm seeing one regularly. It pays to look after your spine!

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  14. Hope you are feeling better and the rest is doing its magic.

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  15. Oh, no! No fun! Take care and rest up!

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