Finished

Today was the 5K in NH. It was an early start, but a VERY well organized race. Once we got up there and got out of the car, we realized how windy it was. It was pretty chilly up that way! Layers are key and I'm glad I had an extra fleece to toss on. Yeah, it ended up tied around my waist, but I'm still glad I had it at the start.

After registration we were hanging out at the HS gym for a while. I did some great yoga postures and did my best to stretch out my back and loosen up everything. Then we dropped our stuff back at the car and headed up to the starting line. As we were walking, I could feel my back starting already. It wasn't pain, but I could feel it.

I started off great once the race began. I quickly lost my much faster friends but the start was pretty crowded. The 5K and 1/2 marathon started together and raced together for about 2 1/2 miles, then split. I was keeping a pretty steady pace for a bit and felt good. My legs were good, my breathing was great. I didn't feel like I was pushing myself and overall it was ok... except for my back.

I was so afraid I was going to push it too much and really injure it worse. I had to start walking after about 1 1/4- 1 1/2 miles and walked the rest of the way.. well, more like limped the rest of the way. It was pretty bad. My back was KILLING me.

My friend Kristin was VERY ahead of me in the 5K. She walked back and got me and walked back towards the finish with me. Then we headed up to the car for Advil, ice and clothes. I had a very strong limp to the car. It was obvious that my hip was out of alignment. I felt like an older overweight person waddling along with a pronounced limp. I was just walking uneven. It wasn't fun.

Sitting in the car with the ice packs on, after the Advil and then stretching for a while helped. When we got back to the center of town near the finish line, I sat at the restaurant with my legs all curled up in one of my favorite yoga poses to stretch out my right hip. I was leaning forward towards the table to stretch it more on my lower back too.

By the time Trevor finished the 1/2 marathon (taking over 20 minutes off his time from the 1/2 in February!), we grabbed some burgers for lunch, then walked back to the car at the HS. I was walking MUCH better by then. The ice wasn't all that frozen by then, being in the car, but I still put the packs back on my lower back for a little while on the ride home.

I'm a little sore right now. I took a great shower and now I have heat on my back. So we'll see how I feel tomorrow. VERY grateful I am seeing the chiropractor tomorrow. I need that appointment!

Overall I'm disappointed that I couldn't even make it to 2 miles running. My back just hurt so much and I don't want to make it worse. I have another race next weekend, so I hope I'll do better and I hope a couple more chiropractor appointments and more stretching continues to help work it out. I'm just nervous with only 2 weeks left. I don't know how this is going to go.

Funny though, I started off great, just going at my own pace, in my own little world, running along. After I started walking for a little bit, limping along, one of the pace runners came past me, holding up the pace flag.... the 9:30 mile pace! The whole group came running past me as I was walking along. Although having that many runners pass me as I was walking along was tough to take, it did make me feel good. My pace for my first mile plus was ahead of and faster than the 9:30 pace runner!

Even walking 1 1/2-1 3/4 miles or so of this race, I think I finished in around 40 minutes. I'm still waiting for the official times to be posted. And that wasn't even good walking, that was my limping/waddling along! So I'm ok with that for my time today.

VERY nervous about Boston, but I'll do the time I can do and not try to hurt myself too much. I'm scared and frustrated and upset with this injury, but as much as I want to be able to do this, I don't want to injure myself in a way that would impact me long term. Running Boston isn't worth that. And as bad as my back is, if I tried to really push myself, I know that is what would happen.

I'm grateful today that I can walk and put weight on my right leg. I'm in MUCH better shape than I was after the St. Patty's 5K. But I ran that whole race at a PB pace. And I walked more than 1/2 of today's. I'll have to figure out what's going to work with me for Boston and how to manage it.

Two weeks? Damn! This is going to be so hard!