12-Miler and Growing Older

I woke up early this morning and decided to get in a 12-miler by running two loops of Deer Grove East. I love running the trails of Deer Grove and try to hit them as many times as I can each week. There is an asphalt path that runs over gently rolling terrain with marshland, open grass fields, and some wooded sections. There is also a gravel path that follows the main path and you can run on the grass as well. I usually opt for the gravel path and grass to save my legs a bit.

The temperature was in the low 30s when I started, so I wore a light wind-breaker and some gloves. Otherwise, the weather was perfect.

I felt a few painful knots in my muscles, so started slowly. Eventually everything warmed up and I increased my pace. The run was supposed to be easy, so I held myself in check.

The only sour note was the pain in my lower abdomen. I felt it from the very start of the run and it waxed and waned throughout the run. It was never so painful that I felt I should stop, but still unpleasant.

I am still not sure what the cause is. I have actually had this lower abdominal pain for over a year. At times it has been worse than it is now, so I am not as concerned at the moment. Still, I would prefer to run without any pain at all.

Since it has lasted for so long, though, I am beginning to suspect that I might have what is known as a sports hernia. This is not the same as a traditional hernia as there is nothing protruding through the abdominal wall. Instead, it is caused by strained muscles that never heal. I have heard of people resorting to surgery as a cure. I don’t want to go that route.

I am still convinced that it is the result of combined weakness in the lower abdominals and excessive stiffness in connecting muscles. I will continue to stretch, strengthen, and apply contrast therapy. The last is a method of applying heat followed by cold and then alternating between the two. The goal is to stimulate blood flow in the injured area. For the heat, I use a bottle filled with hot water; for the cold, I use ice packs.

I am feeling less sore as I type this, so I will remain hopeful that I will beat this “injury”. I have managed to deal with all other injuries I have been afflicted with since I started running two years ago. And yes, I am an old decrepit man—I turn 40 this year.