I’ve been getting questions lately about my training and I’ve opted to keep most of it on the low down, until now.

The reality of my hip injury is that it is more complicated than a lot of issues I’ve dealt with. As well as it needing time off, it also needed some TLC: a fair bit of massage, keeping my [chronically tight] calves loose, ART + Graston + acupuncture and most importantly it needed for the rest of my body to give it support – it needed cross training and strength training to fix my muscle imbalances and weaknesses.

If you have no idea what I am talking about, I injured my lateral glute and tensor fascia latae (TFL) muscle running some steep hills in a 20K race in February. I refer to it as my “hip” because quite honestly it’s easier to.

The biggest difference in my recovery was acupuncture. Not even 50% covered by my insurance, so I limited it to 3 sessions but with rest and acupuncture 75% of my pain went away. With functionality then returning, I was then able to go after the root of the problem; after all I was told this would likely be the injury that ended my running. So why rush it, only to find myself dealing with it in what…another year? Two years? Every year for the forseeable future?

I started running 2-3 times a week after I was cleared, with the slowest recovery build I have ever known. I started spinning, bought a Bosu trainer, went back to barre class and committed myself to core work 3x a week.

The wrench in my plan was my insurance company – they stopped paying for my Graston + ART, kept labeling my claims as accidents (redirecting me to my car insurance) and I fought and fought and fought them from February through June. Thinking about it even angers me still, but both Dr. Mike’s office and I fought so hard. In the end, they refused to pay and I had to stop getting treatments. I currently still have a sizable amount in unsettled claims…and haven’t received treatment since April.

Without Graston + ART and not being able to get massages as often as I liked, my right side had setbacks…and I didn’t continue to recover as I had.

I can say with absolute certainty that it wasn’t me. I have a hard time with injury guilt, but really I did what I could, when I could and just couldn’t afford/justify the out of pocket expenses for my rehab. It’s just the reality of the situation. It’s “just running” but it isn’t “JUST running”, because if it was then I wouldn’t love, enjoy and fight for it like I do.

In June, I hinted at the fact that I wasn’t running Wineglass but left it at that. I made up my mind then and my decision hasn’t faltered. Secretly, I hoped I could get from 20ish mile weeks in June up to a better base, but I didn’t force the mileage and I didn’t think I could run any marathon October 5th. Nevermind a PR effort. And I have made very little progress since June.

So the miles are low, the hip area is shaky and with a crazy July + August, the marathon was just never meant to be.

Staring down my 30th birthday next week, I realize that I’ve changed a lot since my early years of running. I’ve become mentally stronger with each passing injury and quite honestly have learned from others’ mistakes (I cringe with the high volume/too soon comebacks) as well as my own. Although running may not define me entirely as a person, I am a runner and it hurts to not be out there like I want. However, I intend to be a runner well into my 90s, running through injuries recklessly will stop me long before I turn 80, or even 40.

So no wine-ing for me at Wineglass this year. And quite honestly, I hope this blog doesn’t come across as whining. It hasn’t been easy, but I never seem to opt for that route.

We’ve moved, I’ve regrouped + reset my focus and hope to be healthy enough to make a half marathon PR attempt in late fall/early winter. And maybe, just maybe I’ll blog before I attempt that feat…

Jill