Pain in the Ass – Literally!

I took two days off working out to give my mind and body much needed rest. Mentally, I did not feel any better. Physically I felt as though the rest did my body good. I like to do an over-distance run three weeks before a Half iron race, so I didn’t want to wait any longer to get that workout in. So, yesterday I did a 15 mile run.

The run was fantastic! I did three loops of a very hilly 5 mile route, stopping between laps only long enough for a water refill from the 1 liter bottle I stashed in the woods near the starting point.

Each loop has 700 feet of climbing. The Rev 3 Tri route is course is easier (I hope) with only 900 feet of climbing in 13 miles.

Lap 1:    52m 02s   10m 23s/Mi     Avg HR: 147
Lap 2:    52m 11s   10m 25s/Mi     Avg HR: 147
Lap 3:    55m 59s   11m 10s/Mi     Avg HR: 151

I felt strong and mentally focused during the entire first lap. I tried to stay in Zone 2 on the flats, keeping a pace of less than 10, fly fast on the downs, and work up the hills into Zone 3-4. I tried to “let my body go” on the downhills, as fellow blogger, Sonya, describes in her latest race report. Everything was going perfectly so far!

At the end of lap 1, I jogged easily down the hill to my water bottle stash. As soon as my pace slowed, I felt a sharp pain in my ass. Thus the title of this blog! I didn’t think it was sciatica. I’ve had that before. This felt more like hemorrhoids or something. Not something I normally suffer from, thankfully! Anyway, it was really, really, really uncomfortable. I stopped and filled my water bottle. I trekked into the woods for a pee. Tried to poop also, hoping to get rid of that pain in my ass, but no luck there. Actually, I have only had to poop in the woods once during my running career. Well, okay, maybe twice. Hey, dogs and cats doo it, right?

For your enjoyment: Methods for pooping in the woods!

Next, I jogged over to the starting point for the lap 2. I stood there drinking water, contemplating whether or not to continue. I decided to go ahead, but made an agreement with myself that if the pain didn’t go away quickly, I would bag the run and not feel guilty about it.

I started out on lap 2 and was uncomfortable for a couple minutes. I began wondering if I should pack ‘Preparation H’ in my B2B special needs bag. Hahaha. A minute later, I was in a good running groove, and forgot all about it. Weird. Lap 2 went just as well as lap 1, and I was pleased to make the same pace!

Stopped again for a water refill. Peed. No other potty issues arose, so I started out on lap 3. My legs felt pretty trashed on this loop. Still, I was on pace until mile 3. Then the tough hilly section hit. I remained mentally focused, but muscles just wouldn’t fire. The last 3 miles was pure agony. I didn’t let my slowing pace drag me down mentally. Actually I was trying to dig deep and find a second wind, which never came, but I still feel good about this entire run.

The pain in my ass never came back. So weird. I’m glad I pushed onward today. My legs and knees were very sore last night, and pretty sore this morning. Still sore now, mid-afternoon. I like the feeling of sore muscles. It reminds me that I’ve worked hard. I must be crazy.

I was still very moody and crabby last night after this run. But, I feel in much better spirits today. Not sure what all this means.