Well, the title of this post says it all. June was a not a great training month by any means. It started off well with me sticking to the scheduled targets till the middle of the month, and then, well, it was all downhill from there. I had this discomforting feeling in my lower back since the last few months (actually, maybe the last few years), and this seemed to have increased in the weeks gone by, so I though it was probably prudent to go to the doc and have it checked out.
Started it gradually with the X-rays (warmup), picked the pace up gradually with an MRI, and then was trying to sprint to the finish with some Physiotherapy (or so I thought). In the process, I went through three doctors, two of whom immediately ruled out running, one for 21 days, and the other one, for life. Haha! That son of a gun actually said that Indian roads are not good for running, for anybody, so this running business has to stop. So, I went to the third doctor, one who is an expert in Sports medicine. As expected (and probably to cheer me up), he did not rule out running for me (how could he though, he is a sports related injuries expert after all :). So, I returned pretty confident that with some physio, some core strengthening, I will be soon back on track.
Fortunately, none of the doctors considered whatever I have with my lower back as a serious situation, and did not seem too concerned with the X-rays and MRI reports. That was a good sign for me. The physio sessions lasted a week, mostly heat treatment and electrical stimulation of the affected parts. Well, I do not think that after all those sessions, I saw any improvement. What I found a bit helpful however were some core strengthening exercises, which I found while going through the latest issue of the Runner’s World.
http://runnersworld.com/fastabs
Summary:
Monthly Mileage
Target: 169 KM
Achieved: 92 KM
Key intermediate targets achieved was a 10K run where target pace of sub 5:30/km was comfortably achieved (actual 5:22/km). Towards the end of the month, I had already shifted from the Higdon’s plan, and as July started, Comrades organizers launched the official Comrades 2010 training plan from coach Lindsey Perry (starting July).
Next month: It is already a week into July, and today I seem to have really broken my back. For the last one week, I was trying to stick to the Perry plan. Today morning just as I was leaving for work, bent over to pick my keys, and felt a searing pain in my lower back, and since the morning, have just been lying on my bed. Things like bending my back no longer look like a doable activity. I wonder if I will be able to get to the road running in a couple of weeks or not. Hoping for the best, and ready for the worst.
Training progress from last month: Comrades 2010 Training: May 2009
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