Thursday, October 21, 2010

my poor hamstring

So I have a few things to blog about that are actually triathlon related!

Today I had my 6th trip (I think??) to the chiropractor. Kenny, the chiropractor, has been doing a variety of things to my hamstring, glute, and hip flexor including ART, ultrasound, and Graston. While I am fairly optimistic that this treatment WILL help me, it has succeeded in making my hamstring more sore than it was before all of this nonsense. Today was my first foray into Graston since.. 2001 when I had it done on my ankle because of tendonitis. And my memory was correct - it HURTS. Actually, it REALLY F-ING HURTS!

I was lying facedown on the table and he was flexing my hamstring and rubbing the stainless steel Graston tool along the grain of my muscle. You wouldn't think it would hurt but it really, really does. You can feel the tool scraping against the scar tissue. It's making me cringe just thinking about it right now! He said to me, "I can tell you're in pain when I hear the crinkling of the paper." There is a paper thing under the headrest of the table - I'm assuming for sanitation purposes, and while he was doing the Graston I was cramming my head as far into the table as I could. Seriously, I need a leather strap to bite on or something. It's just awful. My hamstring is now KILLING me. But if it helps, then I don't care! I think next weekend he is going to send me on a run to test it out, and hopefully I will be ok to do some short runs because my off-season is over in 10 days!

Tuesday morning, Mary dragged me out of bed to swim at 8 am. Yes, I know, I'm lazy, but I worked until 11:15 pm.. so I think I'm allowed to not like getting up at 7 am the next morning! We went to her super swanky gym where there is a heated, outdoor pool that is still open in mid-October! I was skeptical that it wouldn't really be that warm, but it was sooooo nice to be swimming outside, in the morning, in freaking October! I would say I swam for about 45 minutes and then she taped me using an underwater video camera thingy, which will get analyzed this weekend! I really don't even want to see it. I hadn't swam in weeks, I was tired after 10 minutes, and I don't think my swim form is great to begin with. Plus, swimsuits are not flattering. Period. Every time I saw her with the camera, I started laughing.. while swimming.. so I'm sure that the video just looks absolutely ridiculous. But then we sat in the hot tub which made up for the embarrassing swim video.

Our machine is down at work so we are really, really slow this week. Last night I had one thing to do. The most exciting part of my night was when my coworker left his cell phone on his desk and I had to take it out to him at the gate at like 8 pm because he didn't want to come inside. Tonight I have one thing to do as well. I'm hoping that tomorrow (Friday) my supervisor will let me come in on days instead of evenings because it's pointless to be sitting at work on Friday night with nothing to do. I'm hoping to work 8-4 or so (it's hard to work evenings on Thursday and then get up and go into work at 7 am on Friday.. 8 is more feasible). It's not that I have any fun activities planned for Friday night (I never plan anything on Fridays when I'm on an evening shift).. it just makes the weekend longer when I don't have to spend Friday evening at work.

So that's that! 10 days left of being a lazy blob! I am almost excited to start training again. Almost, but not quite. :)

5 comments:

  1. I came across your blog and the title grabbed me with a death grip.

    I too am suffering from a sore hamstring and I am just not up to doing anything that sounds more painful then the soreness I already have.

    I am ice bathing, TENS machine, biofreeze, stretching (cobra pose for sure) and wrapping.

    I hope your hammy heals quickly and then maybe I'll take a lesson from you and head to the dr.

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  2. Heal QUickly Alexa!! We have training to do!! Ahhhh!!

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  3. So, I alternate between sweating and drooling during Graston. Also, the other day I was there and my chiro was chatting on and on about something while she is literally digging into my leg with the tool. After a very long time, she says, "you didn't hear anything I just said, did you?" Another time she takes the tool down my calf and says, "Wow. This is so bad...Did I just say that out loud?"

    Hang in there...I'm told it works!!

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  4. The Graston thing sounds awful. I was cringing while reading your description... I hope it helps, at least!

    I'm jealous of your outdoor pool swim in mid-Oct... wish I had one of those around here!

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  5. Kelly - mine tries to talk to me too (he's very chatty) and I just don't even respond because I can't concentrate on anything other than NOT yanking my leg away from him!

    Anne-Marie - that outdoor pool is great however I'm not a member at that gym because it's SO expensive!

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