Celebrating a running-free National Running Day

That’s right. I’m celebrating National Running Day by honoring the sport I love in the best way I know how: By taking an entire week off, starting today.

Let me explain.

Two years ago, I tore my hip labrum, which led to months off from running. Many physical therapy sessions and a cortisone shot to the labrum later, I was back! And my IT band hurt something fierce. Long story short: I’ve struggled with it ever since.

For the past few weeks, that pain has been back with a vengeance. Something about it has felt just plain wrong — not just painful, but ‘omigosh, I might be injured’ painful. Might be a result of too much BOSU work, or my backpacking trip, or just the running gods deciding it was my time. No matter — it hurts, and it’s really freaking me out.

I got a massage. I took an extra off-day here and there. I iced compulsively, and took my prescription-strength anti-inflammatory. I kept throwing weeks at it, hoping it would bounce back. It hasn’t.

So after a somewhat painful Pacers run last night, I’m officially promising not to run until next Tuesday. That’s a whole week. Gaaaah! It’s a horrid feeling forcing yourself to stop your favorite activity, but better to stop for a week now than to push through the pain and be sidelined for several months.

It’s a good time to focus on swimming, anyway, with the Bay Bridge Swim a week away. More importantly, I’m shooting for the right answer to that running hypothetical: Would you rather run tomorrow, or the rest of your life? I’m celebrating National Running Day by choosing to run for the rest of my life.

Stay tuned for some posts about getting the most out of your cross-training, including some better tips about how to master the rowing machine and some justification for my swimming habit (hint: it worked for Alberto Salazar!).