Tighten those glutes!

Welcome back blogging world!  It has been a couple of years since I have blogged consistently due in part to a lack of consistent running and mostly due to my crazy work schedule.  When I left teaching, I thought that my new job would allow me to focus more on myself but it has been the opposite.  60 plus hour work weeks have made running low on the priority list; I enjoy sleep too much!

When I tried to get back into running consistently (at least on the weekends), my nagging injuries flared up.  I had a blast at the 2013 Leona Divide 50K since I ran smarter and faster than my out of shape self anticipated.  After that, my hip issue eventually sidelined me; in July, I could not run more than 0.1 mile before my hip/leg buckled.  I finally broke down and got x-rays and the MRI to rule out major issues; thankfully, I "only" have internal and external snapping hip syndrome.  It's causes pain and very loud popping sounds that make my husband jump when I do squats or stand up.  (eeek)  I took time off and gradually built back up mileage, while doing the few exercises my chiro gave me.  A couple months ago, I got up to doing 20+ miles and hoped I would be able to do Leona Divide this year.  But then the nagging hip flexor pain got worse and I realized I'm sick of being injured; it is time to get to the bottom of this, fix it and get me back out there running pain free.

My awesome ortho sent me to Rausch Physical Therapy last week for a running gait analysis and PT. Today I had the gait analysis and, while it was weird,  hearing two PTs talk about me while I ran on the treadmill, it was awesome hearing what is making me hurts so much.    Basically, my form sucks; I have zero glute activation (in fact, he used the term flaccid to describe my glutes - lol), many other weak muscles.  I am happy to have a PT plan to attack the super tight hip flexors, strengthen and activate my glutes, and work on the other muscular issues that cause severe supination.  Though I typically suck at adhering to plans, I am committed to getting stronger and coming back to running pain free.  Until then, I have to keep my running at a minimum but get to keep running.  Here's to making my backside strong!