This was a very challenging running weekend for me.  On Saturday, I did something I’ve never done before.  The alarm clock went off, I made an assessment of my legs, and concluded that I couldn’t do the race I was registered for that day. 

This was probably the most difficult running decision I’ve ever had to make. 

I hate quitting.  It makes me feel like a loser.  I like to think I’m a fairly tough runner, but this makes me question that. 

Although I didn’t race, I did do a long run on my own at a fairly decent pace for something of that distance.  Still, at no point during the run did I wish I had gone down to race.  There is no way that I would have been able to hold a pace that wouldn’t have embarrassed me. 

And the run hurt.  Really badly.  Particularly over the last few miles, I had to stop and stretch several times.  There were several loud groans / screams when the pain got to be too much. 

My legs have been hurting since January.  It started off with tightness in my hamstrings and then soreness in my glutes.  That soreness progressed into pain, which then started radiating down into my upper hamstrings.  It felt different than a strained muscle – that I’ve had before.  This was something new. 

Regular stretching didn’t seem to help.  A massage made it better for a bit, but the pain came back in a week.  I just haven’t been able to train like I want to.  And it’s showing up in my performances.  I’m slipping back and getting overtaken by so many people I used to be able to run with. 

The positive that came out of the weekend was at least some sort of answer about what’s going on: piriformis  syndrome.  Essentially, the piriformis is a muscle in the glute (butt) that runs from the spine to the hip.  When the piriformis gets inflamed, it presses down on the sciatic nerve, which in turn sends a radiating pain into the upper hamstring. 

Causes of piriformis syndrome include extended periods of sitting (my job) and long distance running (my hobby). 

Not fun, but it’s good to have a name for what’s going on.  And an action plan. 

I’ve been scouring the internet for treatments, and so far my method has been to throw the kitchen sink at it.  I’ve been stretching.  I’ve been doing complimentary strengthening exercises.  I got another massage.  I’m taking Advil. 

The one thing I’m not doing yet is rest.  This may end up being dumb, but I’m going to try and train through this as much as possible.  Having basically ruled out the pain being caused by a compressed disc in my back, it doesn’t appear like I’m going to be making things worse by running.  It’s just going to hurt like hell.  If I feel like I’m sliding back, I will try and take some time off. 

It’s just that Boston is right around the damn corner. 

I keep reminding myself that I’m probably overdue for an injury.  I’ve been very healthy for the past 2+ years.  And everything I’ve read and heard leads me to believe that this is not something that will stay with me for the rest of my life if I’m good about taking care of it. 

So I throw it out there to you, oh wise readers of the internets: what advice do you have?  Do you know anyone who has been through this?  Any miracle cures you know of?

I’m just here trying to be patient …