Slow and Steady…

When I met with the doctor down in Boston last month, I was told that it could take as long as nine months for me to start running pain-free again. It’s been just under nine weeks since I sustained my hip injury. Imagine my surprise when I was able to crank out 3.3 miles on the treadmill last night. Although I have been incorporating short stretches of trail running into my hiking as of late, this represents the longest distance that I’ve been able to continuously run in over two months.

I’d be lying if I were to classify the workout as “pain-free” – the discomfort is still there. What’s most remarkable to me, however, is that the pain has gone from being absolutely debilitating to, well… more of a nuisance than anything else. A manageable annoyance. It no longer appears to be affecting my stride, and by focusing on my posture and cadence I’m able to draw attention away from the nagging hip at times.

While it certainly feels wonderful to hit this milestone, I know that I still have a long way to go. Running is wholly about enjoyment for me. I refuse to let it become something that I detest simply because I’m pushing through pain. As tedious as low-impact exercise machines can be, I’m confident that they’ve contributed significantly to my progress – and I will continue to suffer through my 2+ hour elliptical/arc trainer workouts until I’ve recovered enough to run entirely pain-free.

Thank goodness for hiking on the weekends! I could never be a 7-day gym rat.

Three trip reports/hiking albums to come this week. I can’t believe I’ve fallen so terribly behind. Here’s a quick picture from the Willey Range, courtesy of my friend Dr Wu. To think that all of the snow we had two weekends ago has now entirely melted…