Injury Update! Compression Saves the Day!

A few weeks back I suffered a light hamstring/glute injury at the BTN Big 10K.  In 2009, issues with my hamstring/glute resulted in 4 month of physical therapy and prevented me from starting the Chicago Marathon.

Hoping to avoid a second DNS at the race, I am taking the rehab of my leg seriously.  In my last post, I shared a few of my favorite stretches/exercises to work the glute.  While these have helped, some nagging pain in my leg still remains.

While at Fleet Feet picking up a new pair of running shoes, I decided to invest in some compression shorts. Over the past few years, the use of compression socks and shorts while running has been the new trend.  I have not had much luck using the socks DURING a run (though I have felt the benefits when using them after a long run or hard race).

But they come in pretty cool colors!

I had a 16 mile run on the schedule last weekend, and was determined to at least make it to double digit mileage after my failure the previous week.  Willing to try anything, I decided to give compression shorts a go.

Enter, the CW-X Pro Compression shorts:

Clearly, I am not this model

 And, of course, new shoes (well, new pair of my current Nike Flyknits):

The color sort of looks like "Fruity Pebble Throw-up"

Saturday morning came, time to test the new gear.  I woke up determined run 7 miles, preferably 10, and cap the run at 12 if I felt really good (the previous week I had 15 on the schedule and didn't make it past 2).

Almost immediately I could tell that my run was going to go well.  I stopped every 3 miles to stretch my glute, and avoided hills that may stress the leg.  The compression shorts definitely stabilized my muscles, and I felt a lot better then I had the previous weekend.

Early morning runs aren't so bad with these types of views!

 At mile 6.5 I stopped at a Fleet Feet Hydration Station, and debated whether I should stop at 10 or stretch the run to 12.  I decided I felt good enough to go for 12.  While my leg flared up around mile 9.5 (apparently I should have been a little more cautious), I managed to finish the full 12 feeling strong.

He didn't run with me, but enjoyed hanging out on the porch afterwards!

I'm still not feeling 100%, but I am encouraged by my recovery progress, thanks to the rehab exercises and the additional help of the compression shorts! I also used them this week on a bike/run brick run, and found them to be comfortable on the bike.

In 10 days I will be racing my 4th Chicago Triathlon International Distance race!  While my target race for this fall is the Chicago Marathon (I am raising money for the Anti-Cruelty Society ), the Chicago Triathlon has become one of my favorite races each year.  I hope that I will recover well enough to continue the streak of personal records this season.