Issues

I'm really good at getting weird things wrong with me (see also hip impingement, and I don't have a blog about it but cryptosporidium!). Add lumbopelvic instability to the list, also called pelvic ring instability or pelvic instability.

I got very little sleep April 1-2 and run-cheered at the St Louis Marathon on April 2, so when I woke up with sore glutes on April 3 I figured it was just from fatigue and sitting in the car. Both sides were sore so I didn't really give it a second thought. I ran as scheduled on on April 3 (easy) and 4 (workout) with the soreness, and after the workout I was really feeling it - but it was both sides so I still didn't think it was anything. Then on April 5-6 my right side felt better but the left side was still giving me grief, and I thought it was my piriformis. I began doing all of the piriformis rehab and strength, probably a bit obsessively. Both glutes got sore again and I felt something in my right piriformis and at times in my lower back, but I thought it was just from the extra strength and was thankful my left piriformis felt good.

I ran the Easter Sun run races on April 8 with minor discomfort, and took two days off after them to be cautious. By then the spot that I thought was the issue was fine, so I went back into a normal week of training that included a good workout on April 12 and a 20 miler that I bombed (but did not hurt during) on April 15. April 16, the front of my left hip started hurting during my run, and I immediately started walking because I worried that it was related to my hip impingement. But not long after my hip was fine and some other spot hurt.

A PT friend graciously assessed me that afternoon, and told me that lumbopelvic instability was causing the pain. Pain that moves is often how that presents, and it's weird because nothing is actually injured but those wonky imbalanced ligaments in my pelvis are causing pain. Of course the first things I asked were how to fix it (I have lots of exercises to work on, many of which are just tedious and not even "exercise") and what caused it (mostly genetics). If you Google it you'll find it's often an issue for women after pregnancy [face palm].

It will probably take 6-8 weeks to get through this, and I can run through it as tolerated, but unfortunately the pain levels I'm experiencing aren't allowing me to do more than 4-5 miles at the moment. I also stop anytime I start limping because that can lead to other problems. I have been able to ElliptiGo without pain so I've been subbing that in for most of my running since April 17.

The timing was crappy, but it almost always is. I won't be lining up for the Lincoln Marathon on May 7, but surprisingly that hasn't really bothered me. What has bothered me is not getting my daily endorphins! While I enjoy racing, I am at a point in my life where I'd be perfectly content to just do the training. Plus, often when it rains, it pours, and at the moment I really need to be running. Maybe I'll learn more patience thought this - because I need it, immediately!