Just What The Chiro Ordered... Maybe

What I failed to mention in yesterday's post about my new 5K PR is that I blew out my right hamstring at the beginning of the race. This hamstring/glute gives me grief every summer (marathon training time) and it had been acting up on and off for weeks. On Saturday, I'd almost reached the one-mile marker when I felt a big "POP!" at the back of my thigh and behind my knee. 

There was a moment of panic, then for a second I thought maybe the pop had actually released the hamstring because it felt good, then I took another few steps and returned to panic. The hamstring hurt. 

But the beauty of a race is your adrenaline is flowing and your attention is easily diverted. I kept running and it was fine. Until I stopped.

Then my leg hurt like a mother. 

I called Chiropractor Extraordinaire Jeremy Phillips at Elite Performance Chiropractic early Monday morning and left a sob story on their answering machine about my leg, asking if they could fit me in. They called back and gave me a 1:30 appointment which basically meant Jeremy skipped lunch to see me which is why we LOVE him. Best. Chiro. Ever. 

So he's working on my leg, digging in, and I ask what's wrong with it. "Pulled hamstring," he said. 

"And what does one do to fix a pulled hamstring?" I asked.

"Nothing you're going to be willing to do," he said, yanking my leg out to the side. 

I cracked up laughing. Obviously, I need to give up running for a short time to heal. Jeremy knows me well enough to know it's not going to happen. 

Except this time it might. His assistant Erin tried to logic me out of it. "Can you maybe just cut your mileage back this week?" she asked. "You're not training for anything right now, right?" 

Well, no. I'm not. And really, if I were to take a week off, this would be the week to do it. Lots of work, short on time, and no races on the horizon. I don't know that I'll take a full week off--after all, what is life without a Saturday long run?--but I can take a few days off. 

Following doctor's order. Huh. Following any orders. Totally new experience for me. ;)

Cheers,

Dena