The Goat Butt - My Injury

I never had sciatica when I was pregnant. I didn't know anyone who suffered from it, until recently. I wasn't aware of how common it was, and not just for pregnant women. Many runners that I have met are able to empathize with the awkwardly painful and debilitating problem. 

The butt crisis began on March 16 while sprinting the straightaways and jogging the bends at MWHS during Wednesday night speed workouts at the track. I woke up that night in agonizing pain and was unable to race the Blarney Stone 5K on St. Patrick's Day, as I had intended. It was the first of 17 races that I played spectator/photographer and not an active participant. 

Having constant pressure against my butt relieved some of the pain, but how realistic was it to have my butt pressed up against something 24/7?

 A goat at the Henry Doorly Zoo and his beloved log. I know exactly how you feel.

The worst part was that I was in the most pain, when my body was in a relaxed position. This made the activity of running no more painful than walking, sitting and/or sleeping. So, I did what any addicted runner and wanna-be ultra-marthoner would do - I ran. 

I managed the pain by running more, sitting less, and going slow. At the speeds I was going, I could run forever without extreme pain. I read and watched DVDs about suffering runners (Running on the Sun: Badwater 135, Running the Sahara). Whether I was injured or not, running 50 miles at altitude was going to hurt. I knew my body was strong, but I needed mental toughness. I did what the Leadville 100 creator, Ken Choubler advised when he said, "Make friends with pain, and you will never be alone". Me and my pain-in-the-ass, we were best friends. We survived Leadville, and even more painful, the drive back to Omaha. 

After the Boxer 500, the pain morphed into a constant burning pain in my deep right glute, which worsened and shoot down my leg whenever I'd drive, sit on a cushioned surface like a couch, desk or kitchen chair. Sleep comfortably in a bed? Forget it. I could only sleep if I were flat on my back, on the couch, with pillows wedged my side to prevent rolling onto my side because the pain would wake me. 

I employed physical therapists, massage therapists, and chiropractors and underwent a series of hopeful treatments including inner core strengthening exercises, Myofascial-release, deep tissue, manual adjustment, ProAdjuster, electrical stimulation, Graston Technique, Active Release Techniques, and even optic nerve exercises. There were seven chiropractors and treatment methods varied in numerous ways, but regardless, nothing provided relief that lasted more than 4 hours. 

A recent MRI showed that I have a slightly enlarged, yet insignificant right piriformis, bursitis on my right hip (lateral extra-articular snapping hip syndrome), and herniated lumbar disc between L4 and L5. I've been told that it really doesn't matter: Many non-runners suffer from a herniated disc, and many people with herniated discs are asymptotic. I am grateful that it's not something worse. Taking into consideration that my strength, flexibility, and reflexes are good, eliminates the need for surgery at this time. The prescribed treatment is (more) physical therapy.

Here are some of the other notable (slightly mental) issues that I am dealing with at this time:

1. Social isolation from regular running groups. I've never spent this much time with just Taia since she was born.
2. Fear of getting fat due to calorie input exceeding calorie output. Hello? Thanksgiving is right around the corner.
3. Unusual eating patterns and cravings. It's no longer okay to enjoy carbo-loading.
4. Irregularity.
5. Moodiness, especially towards people who talk about how great their run was that day.
6. Sleep? I wish. I used to have issues falling asleep and now I have issues falling asleep and staying asleep. 
7. Holy pent up energy and restlessness, especially now that it's getting cooler and perfect running weather.
8. No equivalent/replacement activity with an endorphin rush or sweat stimulator similar to running.
9. Increase of non-running activities/drinking activities that usually follow a group run...now I skip the run and go right to the drinking. Lots of guilt. I feel like a binge drinker.
10. Realization that I have no outfits suitable for everyday wear. I always look like I just got back or about to head out for a run. I'm an impostor. 
11. I'm visibly aging. I may need to invest in foundation, concealers, and make-up because I have none.
12. Fear that I'm ruining my kidneys with all the ibuprofen 600mg I've taken the past month.
13. Taia has asked to "Run with BOB" on a few occasions. BOB is getting dusty. Feeling guilt about making excuses that she doesn't understand.
14. Feeling like a liar when I say "I'm a runner".
15. Avoiding Daily Mile and my Running Log, where I want to cry seeing blank dates and pages. 
16. My beautiful, fabulous Pure Cadence shoes that only have 8.5 miles on them after owning them for a month. I used to go through a pair of shoes in that amount of time.
17. I'm supposed to be test-wearing a shoe right now so I feel obligated to run more miles.
18. Anxious about not having a race on the calendar for the future. I'm now a person with no racing goals. It's such an empty feeling. 
19. The question of the day used to be: "How many miles have you run (so far) today?" Then it was: "Did you run today?" and now it's just: "How's your butt?"
20. On the odd occasion that Rodney gets on the treadmill or goes for a run, I've experienced jealousy, and I've never felt that before. 
21. Wow, I suck at everything that's not running... like swimming (aka flopping around in a pool, thank goodness it's only 4ft deep); yoga (balance, breathing, and clarity are not skills I possess), strength/core classes (What happened to my muscles?); spinning (Whoa! haven't used those leg muscles in a while).