Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut…..

Anyone remember that old Almond Joy/Mounds jingle??  I have it stuck in my head now, and maybe now so do you!

So, I am feeling like the nut these days – as in being cracked with the nutcracker.  My body does not love me AT ALL.  It is falling apart…just like the nut cracks and breaks apart, I am too.  It’s so frustrating.  I have been trying to be an endurance athlete since May of 2009, so not that long really, but in that time I have had:  a tibial stress fracture, damaged cartilage in my shoulder that may still require surgery, two damaged nerves in my foot, constant back pain, and now pretty severe hip pain.  I wouldn’t have any idea what it was actually like to train without pain or fear of the next injury.  I had a pretty good run this summer.  I was training hard and mostly injury free until the shoulder injury, and things have just kind of gone downhill from there.

So what am I doing about it?  Re-evaluating, changing things.  I am hopeful to make some positive changes that will impact me in the long run.  I’m just afraid I’m doing too little, too late to be able to get me to the finish line of this marathon.  I’m still plugging away at my marathon goal, but I’m in pain EVERY single run, EVERY single step.  I’m scared to death I might have a stress fracture in my left hip, but I’m still running….and staying away from a Dr or an MRI I just don’t want to know.

What I am doing is seeing a new Dr.  Yes, he is a chiropractor and I know a lot of people don’t believe in them, but I do.  He is a specialized chiropractor who practices ART (Active Release Technique).  Basically he works on the soft tissue that has been damaged by overuse.  He also has a “movement coordinator” who gives you specific exercises and stretches to work on at home to improve the situation.  I have been for 3 visits and have seen some improvement.  He told me it’s going to take some time.  He told me the damage I have done to my back has left my entire core unstable.  It’s like I’m running on a house of cards.  He thinks the shoulder injury was do to my unstable core, and certainly the current hip and back pain.  So that’s what I’m working on.  Stabilizing my core, which means DAILY core work – mainly planks and stretching literally every hour if I’m able.  This Dr. also focuses on overall wellness which I think is pretty cool.  What are other things that are impacting you?  He suggested I read the books Born to Run and The Paleo Diet for Endurance Athletes.  Yes, he is a proponent of minimalist running and the basic concepts of the Paleo Diet.  I’m not crazy about the thoughts of doing Paleo, but at the end of the day I’m just about ready to try anything.  I have read these theories before, they are not new to me, but maybe there is something to the fact that grains cause inflammation in the body – which I certainly don’t need to add more to what’ already there.  So, over the next month or so, I will likely try the diet out for a few weeks. 

I’m at this point.  What do I really have to lose?  I’m going to give this guy 4 to 6 weeks.  If I’m following his regimen and seeing benefits from this “madness”, I will continue.  If not, I’ll try something else.  So that’s where I am……..hopeful….always hopeful!

Have any of you ever tried the Paleo diet?  How about ART?  Thoughts?????