Doctor Appointment

This morning I ran 7 miles on very wet trails and dirt roads over and around Kezar Mountain. I felt good, none of the shooting type of back to hip to posterior leg pain of a few weeks ago, just a steady aching bruise-like pain in the butt and hip. I'm doing better keeping my right leg in allignment and keeping good form.

I had appointmemnts with my osteopath and with my chiropractor after my run. The osteopath is convinced that the back is safe to run on and says the pain will keep me in check and prevent me from doing too much too soon. He did strength testing and although the range of motion is very limited on that side, the strength is back to normal. He also said it was safe to let the chiropractor do his thing, but doubted it would help at all. I have what is called radiculopathy, pressure on the nerve root at the spine. As long as sensation and strength are not being effected, it isn't crucial to do something about it right now. By the way, the chiropractor really didn't seem to help matters, I felt a little worse after leaving him. Tomorrow morning I start physical therapy to work on the hamstring on that side. It has really tightened up with all this back trouble.

One interesting thing... I mentioned that my osteopath said not to do too much too soon, well he says trying to run the Vermont 100 in three weeks is OK with him. Very slow running doesn't hurt because there really isn't a lot of jarring at that pace. The good doctor has apparently done his research because he understands that a one hundred mile race is a slow jog at best. Before I left, he asked the two age old questions that everyone asks, "where do you go to the bathroom during the race?" and "do you stop to sleep?" I've got to come up with some sort of clever answers to those questions for the next time someone asks.