Dealing with pain

If you run then you know pain; it is a common issue that, we as runners, face day to day. It could be that nagging calf pain, or that stupid knee pain that hasn't been bothering you lately but just came back out of no where, or a side stitch that just won't go away. Whatever it is, the dedicated people that we are, foolish to a point, usually run through the pain and pray that it will get better. For years I was very successful doing this. Oh my calf hurts- it is only Achilles tendonitis let me ice it and rest for a few days and presto it is all better (until it acts up again in a few days). But this injury is more than that and I am actually worried.


My hip and groin have been killing me for almost 2 months now. At times it seems to be getting better and then bam- the pain is back. Before Saturday's half marathon I rested a few days, stretched religiously and prayed almost every hour that I would be OK. I started off fine and hit my first mile in 7:05, right where I wanted to be this early in the season. Every mile that went by I was hoping the pain wouldn't come back but at mile 5 the pain slowly crept back in. By mile 7 it was getting worse. At mile 10 I wanted to quit. I kept plugging along as best I could and if it wasn't for the fact that I am a coach of 165 middle/high school long distance runners who were also there running, I would have quit. Knowing that those kids are there running and suffering too kept me going.

I finished in 1:29 which is respectable, but I wasn't happy. I was dying in pain and could barely walk. The only thing I could think about was "Damn there goes the LA and Boston Marathons".

Here it is Monday, a fresh new year, and I am already dreading this year. If I can't run for a few weeks to a few months I don't know what I will do. Deep down inside I know that the rest will do my body good since I have been running and training non-stop for 18 years. But the previous fat person I was is only thinking about how much weight I will gain. This time the runner's mind is not winning, it is the fat person's mind that is keeping me down. Damn, being fat really messed me up.