Well the verdict is in and the doctor said...."I think it may be a micro-hamstring tear close to the buttocks" . Great just what I didn't want to hear. I wanted a definitive answer. Not a speculative one. Now, do I trust his opinion, which by the way was an out of pocket expense of $350, or do I pay for another doctor or do I wait until my actual HMO doctor appointment in 3 more weeks and hope she refers me to a orthopedic/sports doctor which might be another 3 weeks? Stupid freakin LAUSD insurance plan.
To further add to my frustration, the doctor also recommended physical therapy and told me that most likely the LA Marathon would be out of the question for me this year. That really hurts. I hate knowing that my team of middle/high school runners will be running without me. I feel like a loser and hypocrit if I am not battling the 26.2 mile monster with them. I really hope he is wrong about the marathon, but I should be wise about LA, since I really want to be able to healthful run the Boston Marathon this April. If I have to sacrifice LA for Boston, then that is what I will have to do. Damn injury.

As for the next 3 weeks, I will continue to rest not run and try and stay a little fit through swmming, riding my trainer, and maybe even do some pool running. All of which do not come close to bring me the joy and freedom I feel when running.

Yesteday's workout for my team went great, they killed the hills. Today and tomorrow are rest days for them, however a few of the really competitive runners will probably run 4-5 easy miles today. Saturday, we do 15 miles of hills. It is our first really tough, long run of the year. But after a half marathon last week, the 15 miler this week and the upcoming 18 milers (yes 2 of them) and 22 miler, we will all be ready to PR at the new, fast LA Marathon course. So excited for my team I can hardly wait the remaining 65 days.

Enjoy your training!