Went back to Endurance Rehab. And every time I go I always ask myself the same question... why did I wait so long? The last time I checked in with them was before IMAZ. Just maintenance, keeping in loose. Race went well. I didn't have a follow up scheduled or any sort of training plan for that matter and with each passing week I've been getting progressively tighter and tighter in my L hamstring. One hour on the table, lots of releasing, stretching and a touch of torture (also known as ASTYM or scraping) and I'm a whole new person. No tightness. Yes, I'm sore to the touch from the scraping but I feel great! Why the hell did I wait so long?
I guess I will become a semi-permanent resident in rehab and just stay on top of it all for as long as possible. I can certainly commit to rehab once every week or two. It's a small price to pay for staying fresh and loose.
And since I'm on the topic of rehab... another thing I was pondering this morning is: what is pain? What makes something painful? Is discomfort considered pain? I was sure to tell my therapist that I wasn't in pain, I was just tight. My tightness wasn't slowing me down, but I could feel my hamstring pulling 24/7. He in turn referred to my symptoms as pain. Hmm. I guess anything outside of normal could be considered pain. And the tightness is certainly a pain in my ass. But it doesn't stop me from doing my normal activities. That's where I draw the line. Can I continue to run/ bike/ swim at my normal pace? Then I'm fine. Maybe it's not as enjoyable as it would be if I were normal. Hmmm. That 15 mile trail run the other day would have been much more fun it I hadn't had so much tightness in my hammy.
But, seriously, what is pain? ASTYM is painful. But so are paper cuts. (especially the ones you get from cardboard boxes.) My twisted ankle was painful. My strained hip flexor was painful. Migraine headaches are painful. But none of this "pain" lasted longer than a few minutes (provided I stopped whatever activity aggravated the pain). My Skirt Chaser was in a lot of pain after his fracture this summer. I can't imagine what that must have been like. Suffering, on the other hand, is a term I am familiar with. I think suffering is different from pain in some key ways. Suffering is endurable. You just have to be willing to endure it. It's uncomfortable, but tolerable. I don't think I've ever experienced real pain, but the small bits of pain I've dealt with were limiting. I think pain is what makes suffering more tolerable. The more pain you've seen, the easier it is to withstand the uncomfortable. Because it's not painful.
Anyway, I'm back in rehab and happy to be there. I'm going to keep going because my therapist makes my body feel good, and relieves all my issues. I wasn't given an athlete's body. Certainly not a runner's. But considering all the other addictions I could have, I'll stick with running.
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