A Long Month

Its actually been well over a month since I first developed pain in my lower back area and its been a bit trying at times but it has also been a learning experience. I really had no idea how complicated the hip area is, and I guess that is because I had never thought about it before. We are the only bi-pedal animals out there so it makes sense that the area that keeps us upright and keeps our spine perpendicular to our hips/pelvis is fairly complicated. I spent a few bucks on massage treatment that managed to make me somewhat functional but it was really the hours spent rolling around on the floor with a tennis ball and looking up photos online which taught me the most about the area. As I loosened up the initial problem, then the secondary problem and so on, I discovered eventually that it was a combination of a groin issue I have had for a few years and an IT band issue i've had for a long time.  The groin is fairly easy to loosen up but the IT band takes a little more work and time. This time around its a different part of the IT band that is the problem. Where the discomfort used to be in the lower part around the knee, now the problem lies in the origin of the IT band in the external lip of the iliac crest. Anyhow, it's very much under control and getting better all the time, so much so that I am actually starting to feel efficient rather than fighting against my body. I noticed this the most on my hour run yesterday while quite sore all around from my Sunday run on the north shore.

In other news, I'm pretty fired up about the race next weekend. Upon returning to running my aim wasn't to get out racing again, but to get out and enjoy running far and on the awesome trails here in Vancouver, however I find myself looking forward to getting out and testing myself. By testing myself I mean getting a gauge on my fitness level by seeing how my time on a particular course measures up to current and past performances. I have never had a particularly competitive mindset, at least nothing like i've seen in other people, so its not the anticipation of a fight that has me excited but getting on the trails  without my backpack of gear wearing my New Balance Minimus Trail shoes I just bought.

I actually took these out on the trails on Sunday and they performed beautifully. It was difficult to purchase a pair of shoes since i've been lucky enough to have been given shoes from Brooks for a while, but wow, these shoes are great. They are essentially a racing flat with grip, but of course they are more than that because a racing flat would fall apart on the gnarly north shore trails in no time. About the only thing they wouldn't be good for is running down a rock garden, at least not for my feet at this point. They don't afford much protection on the mid-foot. Other than that i'm in love with them. Any shoe you can throw on bare foot and do a two hour run in and not get a single blister is a winner in my books. My lower legs are a little beat up today(two days out) but thats to be expected, and I also bombed the last 20 mins of the run which didn't help.  Hopefully they will be well enough to do a solid hill repeat workout tomorrow then i'll take it easy till Sunday and post a race report!