Frustration

Finishing Day 4 of no running. It is driving me crazy!
See I made a big mistake on Saturday before I got on the treadmill to run three miles. I forgot to stretch. Shame on me, because I always stretch before I begin a workout. I think I was rushing around on Saturday to get a workout in that I forgot to do it. At the end of my run on Saturday (it was only 35 minutes), my groin felt tight, but nothing that would make me contemplate my Sunday run. I was finishing week 2 of the 12 week half-marathon training. Sunday's run would be an easy 6 and would not be a problem. Meanwhile, every time I walked on Saturday, I could feel the "twinge"
Enter Sunday. Had the Stabilicers on the bottom of my running sneakers so I could run in the snow. Speaking of: I forgot how difficult it is to run in the snow. You definitely have to use more leg strength to push off of snow than off of pavement. Because of this, I could feel the groin muscle getting overused and at the 5 mile point, it was definitely hurting. I had slowed down at that point and was just trying to get the run done. When I got home, the treatment plan was plenty of ice, relaxation and a Blue Moon. I don't think the beer has any sort of medical benefit. Maybe the relaxation part.
Woke up on Monday and I was walking with a definite gait. Time to call the Chiropractor. Since I have become a running addict, I have made friends at the Chiropractor again. I have also made friends with their ultrasound therapy machine. The idea of this therapy is that it reduces the healing time for soft tissue injuries by increased blood flow. I first used this when I had pain with my IT band after my Denver half-marathon. What a difference that made! I went in on Monday to have some therapy done. Monday night, I did a light upper-body and ab workout. Waiting to see if I could run on Tuesday.
Big mistake! I could only run about a half-mile and when I did finish, it felt like the pain was creeping all the way down to my knee. Treatment plan: time to ice again. Now, I'm getting nervous. Will my training be out of sync?
Wednesday: time to make friends with the Elliptical again. It was like time had never passed. If you are new to working out or are looking for a workout that is easy on the joints, I would recommend the Ellipitical. I was working up a good sweat, yet didn't feel any pressure on my groin.
It is now Thursday (actually it's Friday now as I haven't gone to bed yet), and I still haven't run. On Tuesday night, I felt defeated. So frustrated and angry, I felt like crying. How long was this injury going to last? What impact would it have on my training? I had done some google searches and found that people have been sidelined with this thing for a week, two weeks, a month, maybe more. What would my recovery time be? Maybe I was being a bit dramatic (I have been accused of that), but I felt like my running had reached a new level. My times were getting faster, my focus had returned and then this had to happen. What now?
I don't have the answers to this yet. Only time will tell. I am thinking of getting back on the treadmill tomorrow to see what happens. Maybe I will be pain-free. Or maybe I won't. All I can do is try again and let the chips fall where they may.
Until next time, stay fit and healthy!