Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Keep moving forward.

"Winners must have two things:  Definite goals and a burning desire to achieve them."  -Unknown

That was the quote that was hanging on the wall while my leg was shocked, stretched, poked and prodded today at the physical therapist.

I think I need to read this about 1,000,000 times a day to remind me not to give up.  I've made it this far in my training cycle; 4 months of injuries and issues and I haven't give up yet.  Why should I now?

PT hit some new painful spots in my hamstring and behind the knee as well as unlocking my hip (AGAIN).  I was told to complete my 22 mile run this weekend as planned so that I can properly taper for the race in 3.5 weeks.

Woah.

Is it really time to taper?  I feel like I haven't even been able to train yet.

The run today was... disappointing.  I experienced more pain and discomfort than I had hoped for, but I'll have one more treatment and another rest day under my belt before I tackle the last long run.  Let's hope it's not teeth-gritting.

Now for my internal debate-

Should I take Ibuprofen before the run?  Or not?  Would you?  Have you?

This was the song I was singing as I headed to the PT today.  This part of the lyrics was SO APPLICABLE :)

My body needs a hero.
Come and save me.
Something tells me you know how to save me.
I've been feeling weird.  Oh!
I need you to come and rescue me!

15 comments:

Amy @ Run Mom Run said...

I never take one before I run. I'm not inclined to medicate anyway though, so that may make a difference. But I read once that taking ibuprofen while running can damage your liver if you're not properly hydrated. Besides, I figure the pain is my body talking to me, if I muzzle it will I miss something big and end up being out of wack longer?

That being said I have a few friends who do regularly and don't seem to have a problem.

Ali Mc said...

I took ibu profen AND tylenol before my race and kept taking it and I felt great :) it CAN however mask an injury getting worse. So it's your call.

Sweet and Savory by Sarah said...

I personally wait until after. I want to know the pains I feel so that I can assess them personally.

kalie said...

I agree w Amy. I would rather hurt and know the hurt than mask it and run risking major injury.

I know you have had a really frustrating training cycle, but fwiw, I think you have been really aggressive and positive about it.

Kelly said...

You're definitely not supposed to, that being said, I've always taken Aleve (which may even be worse) before runs and sometimes during...I'm a disaster waiting to happen! ;) Hope you feel better!

Julia said...

i sometimes take ibuprofen before my run and sometimes i dont. if i take it before i will take it first thing when i get up, eat breakfast, get ready and then head out. honestly i used to take ibuprofen so much in college when i played softball...that im not really sure that it does much for me now. its more like a placebo effect or mental calmness for me. that sounds bad but i had serious arm issues and was one of the only pitchers so i just had to grit through it for several years.

regardless...i hope that your run goes well! i will be thinking of you! you got this. you are a true fighter...the fact that you never give up will eventually bring some positive for you...i just know it! keep fighting and staying strong!

and! LOVE david guetta!

Christie said...

I hate that you are going through this too. I felt the same when when taper week came... like I did not even do any work to deserve a taper. Let your body heal though. Teresa had me do a lot of my training on the elliptical to avoid any unnecessary pounding making things even worse. Your body will surprise you on race day girl.

Coy Martinez said...

Im praying for you friend :)

I'm sure we could sit down and swap some serious stories that are so identical. For my last marathon, my only choice was to slow down when I trained but the problem was that it messed with my natural gait. I didn't want to slow down! It was just a mess. And you're right, tapering, what's that? It's such a duct taped training job that gets us there when we're trying to keep ourselves in one piece anyway! :)

Mandy said...

My personal choice on this is always take it AFTER if needed, unless it's race day. On a training run, I want to be able to listen to my body without fear that medication is masking something.

Mindy Kohler said...

I usually take 2 Ibuprofen before a long run, it seems to help my knees keep from getting stiff. Plus, I don't think regular Ibuprofen isn't strong enough to mask real pain it just helps relieve minor discomforts. But what do I know ;)

Rachelle Wardle said...

I can't believe it's taper time. This winter/spring really flew by!! When are you doing your 22 miler? You better not be skipping out on the Color Me RAD run!! I am totally just running it for fun (no garmin) so we should run together and have fun. :)

I have taken IB profin before a run before and never had a problem. I would just try it before your 22 miler and see how it goes.

sNick said...

Only YOU could relate that song to running.

Ann said...

Ahhhh - i hope you feel better soon! and i LOVE that song!!!!

Katie said...

I hope you feel better soon!!

I take it after but only if the pain is really bad. I wrecked my arms in a cross teaing workout on Tuesday and I was eating advil like it was chocolate covered! I'm not afraid to take advil when I need it, but I only take it after.

That being said, I tried this stuff called xija (a utah company I think) which is a bunch of anti-inflammatory stuff before a 1/2 Marathon last year. Also, acupuncture. Acupuncture 24 hrs before and xija 20 minutes before.

But, I know nothing.

2 Slow 4 Boston said...

Hope your long run went well. I love that motto from you PT's office. Keep up the good fight!