Category Archives: hip pain

A run

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Well my editor skills are suffering today as I could not for the life of me figure out a post title for this post. Should it have been something witty? Maybe a bad “spring” pun? Ugh, just don’t have it in me today. A day where I don’t have a bad pun in me? I may need to call the doctor.

Today was the second run in a row for me after yet again allowing for another somewhat lengthy running break. For the first part of my break I was recovering from a pulled back muscle, well that’s not really it, more of a pinched nerve? When this happens to me it really puts me down and my entire back seems to get stressed out and painfully tight. My doc has given me a prescription for what I had hoped were muscle relaxers, but really were more a heavy duty anti-inflammatory. They worked pretty well but seem to have lost their potency, the pills are probably four years old or so so I guess it is not surprising. Then I was housebound for a week while my wife was in AZ (don’t ask it is how we roll, one vacation at a time). I could have gone for a run then, but I used my isolationism and house guarding as my excuse. The flip side of that was that while I was home that week I go quite a bit of yardwork done, so that was very cool.

So yesterday I decided to go for a run even though I had a rehearsal that night. I figured it would be a part of my exhaustion experimentation that I have been doing. I thought I’ll just go for a short run. Good plan, but it didn’t last and I went for nearly five miles. It was just so good to be running again! We are going through a tough allergy season in the NW and my breathing was really labored. But I slogged through it and just enjoyed myself. After I felt great, but as rehearsal approached I started to get really tired. I laid down for a little bit and that seemed to help somewhat. During rehearsal I was a little spacey but I found myself able to concentrate, at least enough to play my normal bari parts. Overall it was a good practice and I am really glad I didn’t use it as an excuse to not run. And that makes today’s run two in a row!

Today’s run felt a lot better, especially in the breathing department. Beforehand I was feeling a little bit of tightness and pain in my hips. As the run went on the tightness still nagged at me. So I attempted to straighten my posture and get my hips aligned with my steps and that seemed to help quite a bit. So I think I will focus more on that in the days and runs to come. Also when I got back I made an extra effort to be more precise on my hip stretches that I do after every run. Everything feels pretty good at the moment, so I think I may be on to something. Now I just wish I could solve my foot pain issues. I am not convinced that I don’t just need a little toughening up and that if I keep at the regular running that it will lessen. I am also considering using my hepi-pad inserts instead of the ones that came with my new shoes (this is only the third or so run on my replacement Altras, so I am somewhat skeptical that I need to replace them. I actually think I will give it some time first before switching.) BTW, I ran a sub 10 min mile pace today, made me happy.

Tomorrow I go to the urologist for a cystometrogram that is used to measure the pressure in the bladder to give the urologist some insight into what is happening with my plumbing. He is confused by my symptoms as I seem to be all over the place. I was hoping that my neurologist would send me to someone who has some experience with ms, but he (aptly named Dr. Richard which cracks me up to no end) apparently doesn’t and was even a bit irritated with me. I am not looking forward to the test, but it should be over somewhat quickly. And hopefully he will have a better idea of what I can do to get my bladder issues taken care of (frequent urges, difficulty passing urine, rushing to the toilet but not all the time). Very annoying.

Sub 10 min miles becoming the norm

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Today I ran the fifth or sixth sub 10 min mile pace run in a row. I am starting to feel like it is the norm for me and that I need to set another goal for myself. Perhaps I should shoot for 9:45s as a goal instead of the uncannily consistent 9:57 with an occasional 9:56. I have been really surprised at how steady my pace has been, seriously with the exception of a 9:42 all of these runs in the streak have been 9:57 or super close. My run today managed to get completed before the rains returned which despite my love of running in the rain was really nice.

I ordered a new pair of Altras the other day and I was super excited when my new pair of Repetitions arrived. A couple of disappointments some no big deal and others easily repairable. First off I went with the Repetitions as they were a new model that offered up more cushioning (yet still zero drop) something I really want in my current worn out pair of Instincts. When I opened the box I though their bust of been a mistake as I ordered running shoes and not boats. They were huge with a gigantic looking sole. But not a big deal, I don’t really care about looks when it comes to my running shoes. As I said to a friend (who replied I said the same thing to a coworker the other day) Altra really could use some of Nike’s designers on staff. The second disappointment was in addition to the boat-like stature of the shoe they were also huge, like at least a size if not more large. This went against everything I read in peoples comments which generally complained about the new Altras running small. But easily repairable, free returns at Zappos. I only went a half size smaller as I think my pair may have been mistakenly sized at 13 (more like a 15). So my 12.5s should arrive by tomorrow, hopefully they do the trick.

I also need to get some new running shirts. I haven’t bought any new ones since my favorite Brand InSport went out of business. Plus I am feeling cheap and the shoes were more than enough of an expenditure.

After my run I did my normal set of hip stretches and thought to myself that this has really solved the hip issues I was having last fall. I have been pretty consistent about doing them and they have worked well into my regular after run routine. Initially I blamed the issues I was having on the zero-drop shoes and the way my shorter leg (>.5 inch shorter on the right side) was striking. I was greatly disappointed as I really liked the zero-drop running thing and it worked really well with mu mid-strike. I am really glad to have them! I can’t find the page I found these on, but I think I speak of them on another post I did on my hips…

Fall running

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Well I guess it is time to write again, well past time. Looks like it has been a couple of months since I wrote anything here. I haven’t been running a whole lot lately. The problem has been me, I keep letting other things get in the way of running and embracing excuses for not doing it. For the most part the days when I haven’t run have been merited, but I have had several 2-3 week stretches where I haven’t run at all. The only thing to do is get up and run, so that is what I will try to do.

This last week I have been doing pretty well with facing the cold and getting out to run. Today’s run was the chilliest of all of them and it looks like the cold temps are here to stay in the NW, we are getting close to winter so it is nothing to chastise. Just embrace it and bundle up. Today’s run went really well, despite the chill I stripped off my warm layer after about a mile. Gloves followed a couple miles later. So I guess it really isn’t that cold. My running partner (though it has been almost a years since we have run together) and I were chatting yesterday about an epic 19 degree run we did a couple years ago. Now that was cold! Ok, enough cold talk!

I have been running on my zero-drop shoes again. The hip exercises (an a break from the ZD shoes)I have been doing have been alleviating the pains I had attributed to them. My feet have felt pretty good. I haven’t been averaging super long distances, most have been around 5 miles. My feet have been a little bit sore recently, but I attribute a lot of that to the qigong I have been doing on a regular basis for the last 4 weeks. Several of the exercises have me rising up on my toes and holding there. I definitely feel it in my feet. My hope is that I will be able to toughen them up a bit, I am already noticing a beneficial difference in how my feet feel with the qigong.

My paces have all been hovering around 10 min miles, most of the runs a bit slower than that. But todays was 5 miles at a 9:30 pace. I pushed it a bit today, but I haven’t really been too concerned about going fast. Mostly just want to run and keep my health up and weight down.

Third week of getting on it

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After nearly running 30 miles a couple of weeks ago I had a week of less frequent running and only covered 17 miles. Still it felt pretty good and I am feeling pretty strong right now. So this week started and I decided I would try to get a good solid start. My base run that I set out to do this morning turned into an 8+ miler and at a decent pace as well 10:15 miles. It was pretty hot this morning but I weaved back and forth to maximise my shade and I brought water with me.

I have been adding on more of a cool down workout after finishing during these last three weeks. In addition to the stretches and pushups I normally do I have consistently added the hip stretching exercises as well as a pull ups (which are more of hang downs. I have been holding five sets of palm facing out for five seconds and five with my palms facing the other direction.) I seem to be seeing some improvements in my hips and haven’t had nearly the soreness that I was experiencing and the hang downs are coming ever so closer to actually being pull ups (one day!)

One day last week I pushed my pace and averaged a 9:30 over five miles. The pace felt good and I finished the run and my post run workout without issue. But despite having water with me, I seemed to get really dehydrated. I kept peeing so I was pretty sure I was solidly hydrated, but soon I felt dizzy and sick to my stomach. I focussed on getting fluids into me and flet quite a bit better, however the cocktail I had was not a good choice! Still I managed to recover after awhile and soon felt normal.

So far my return to my normal shoes (over the zero-drops) has seemed to be a success. I miss the larger toe box but my hips feel a lot better (of course much of that could be the hip exercises I have been doing). I haven’t been covering a ton of miles so that may have something to do with how good my feet feel as of late, but I think the normal shoes and the way my lift works in my right leg is the main reason for the improvements.

Hot run

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In my recent return to running I have found myself stalled by the heat and the bad habit I have developed as a musician of staying up late and sleeping in. This has caused me to miss the cool temps of the early hours. Today I got up at 6 or so and thought about running, then thought about needing to take my rebif, then immediately went back to bed. Dang it another day of sleeping into the warm hours! Oh but not this time! While I did sleep for a couple hours I decided to go anyway. Fortified with a cup of coffee and half a clif bar I filled up my water bottle and headed out.

As I snaked through the neighborhood heading for shaded areas I realized it wasn’t too hot out after all. That realization lasted about a mile. then I started feeling hot. But I kept sipping water (and even eventually refilled at a water fountain) and kept going. I felt really good (other than feeling hot) and the problem areas that I have been experiencing (hips and hamstrings) all felt really good. I didn’t have any pain in my hips which I was bummed to see return after my month away from running. But today I felt great and even decided to push my miles a bit back to the 10k base distance I had been doing. My back has been bothering me for the past couple of days for some reason but it actually seemed to improve on the run. Not sure if the run managed to loosen up the tightness or what.

So my plan for the next couple of days is to try to repeat this run, though maybe not the full distance as I have music all week to perform (three shows! and two rehearsals!) My hope is to run tomorrow and the following day, I think I can do it (as long as I get up a reasonable hour.)

Even my feet felt pretty good on this run. I have been running in standard running shoes since getting back into it. I am thinking about trying to make a full foot lift (rather than just the heal) to use with my zero drops in hopes of evening out how my hips are situated. We’ll see.

Four weeks of dreaming of running

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Dang those hamstrings! This week I finally got back on the roads after a good month of recuperation. I probably wouldn’t have taken that long but I have been busy with the work thing. At least that was my excuse, and it was an excuse that seems to have paid off. I have run the last three days in a row and I haven’t had any issues with the hamstring at all. The hips, now thats another story. They still seem to be giving me grief.

The hip grief started up in ful force right off the bat. I have been putting in the time to stretch them out while I was not running. I am sure it has been worth the effort despite still having soreness in them. I do think that I have gotten a little over zealous in my approach to trying to create some greater flexibility in that area, especially during this week of returning to running. If I can just remember to go slowly in my hip stretches then I should be fine. But I find myself wanting to get it over with as soon as I can and that increases the speed in which I throw my leg back behind myself (literally throwing the weight of my leg back behind me rather than gently lifting it into position, bad Marco!) I do think that overall I am doing myself good through this process… I hope.

The runs this week have been somewhat slow and short. I had to force myself to do shorter runs which have slowly been increasing (4-5.1-5.2) I don’t feel like I am over-doing it at all yet. We’ll see how this continues, but so far so good. In the three runs this week I have noticed that the point in which I begin to get tired has gotten further along each time. Which must be a good thing, not sure if I would say that it reflects an increase in physical performance but it still looks good to guy who is trying to get back into it. Overall I feel a lot better too after just three days. I think I have really been jonsing for those endorphins. Feels good to have the coursing through my system again!

One last thing, I have been running on regular running shoes (as opposed to the zero drop shoe) in the hope of leveling out my hips. I am not real sure it is helping any, but I am going to keep it up for awhile before I give up. The zero-drop shoes are much more comfortable, I htink it is the wider toe box that I mostly miss as my feet feel a bit squished and achey in the regular shoes.

Another base run in the books

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Today has marked the start of a third week of solid running. I am feeling like my fitness level is getting back to where it should be, or at least where I like it anyway. The runs come quite a bit easier to me, I am finding the energy to push myself when I want to. And I am even remembering to push myself more often. I think the increased fitness is not allowing me to forget that I want to run fast! I am starting to feel a bit ragged in terms of being able to physically keep up with what I am wanting to do. My knees have been a bit sore lately which is a new thing for me. I have also been experiencing some pain in my hips and glute especially on my right side. I found an interesting article on a set of exercise takign about 20 minutes to relieve hip pain. After the first time I did them I noticed a difference right away. A big thanks to Julia Horton for this:
Relieve Hip Pain from Running with 10 Minute Exercise Routine.

Hip extension on all fours. On all fours, extend one leg back behind you, lifting it high so that foot goes well above butt height, but keep the leg fairly straight (not perfectly straight, but almost straight).

Hold it there for a solid second, then bring back to past original position so that knee is ahead of the support knee, then extend the leg back behind you again. Do 8 repetitions each side. Then repeat again at any time during the session.

Hip abduction on all fours. Picture a male dog lifting a leg to relieve itself. Lift your thigh out to the side so that the thigh is parallel with floor, leg bent at knee at 90 degrees. Your thigh should be perpendicular to your trunk. Hold for one second, then return to start. Do 8 reps each side.

Lie on back, legs straight. Pull one knee towards chest so that you feel a stretch in the opposite hip area, where the leg merges into the pelvis. Hold 30 seconds. Switch legs. Do two sets each leg.

Standing external hip rotation. Place hands on something for balance and stand straight. Lift one knee in front of yourself like a high march. Then bring knee out to the side, so that thigh is perpendicular to trunk.

Leg is bent at 90 degrees the entire time. Bring back to original high march position. Do not set foot down; keep rotating knee outward, then back inward. Do 8 sets each side — twice.

Standing hip rotation. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, hands on hips. Rotate hips five times in one direction, then in the other direction. The motion is similar to that of doing the hula hoop, except it is much slower, to get a good stretch all the way around.

Standing hip extension. Place hands on something for support. Stand straight. Lift one knee up and extend leg out behind you. It’s okay to lean forward to allow this motion. This exercise is similar to “hip extension on all fours.” Do 8 reps each leg.

It will take 8-10 minutes to complete these exercises. Do them once or twice a day (I did mine once a day).

I did the sets again after I ran today and it gives me hope that I can knock this hip pain back. So far so goo