Update: Diagnosis and plan of ATTACK!

Ill cut straight to the chase....my MRI results came back that I have a partial tear in BOTH hamstrings, woohoo! I also have extreme tendinitis in my left hamstring. Yep, that sucks! I was definitely not expecting to hear that when the doctor called me. He started off the call with "How are you feeling" and me being optimistic, as I am, I replied "I think I am doing a bit better". Well he asked me that question because he was expecting me to say that ive been in a lot of pain based on the MRI report and images.

I definitely wasn't expecting to hear this news...partly because I have had zero pain in my right hamstring which is good news. I didn't think I had any tears because usually you feel a pop of sorts or have bruising when a tear occurs. Well this is also good news that I had neither happen. The fact that it hasn't been healing or getting better indicated that something was wrong though because usually I respond well to treatment.

A few days before I even had my MRI we decided that I was going to fly to Albuquerque for 5 days over Easter weekend to see my former physio Jonathan Pierce to get some intense treatment. I have worked with Jon for the past 4+ years in San Diego but in the fall he took a new job with the Brooks Beast Track Club in Seattle. Since I have worked with him for so long, he was always able to just read me and what was going on with my body when I walked in the door for treatment. In Albuquerque, he treated me everyday, most days twice and he found that my body was very tight and locked up in many areas. It was not allowing me to have the best mechanics and was putting pressure on my hamstring. This is something that I believe should have and could have been caught earlier but moving on...

I left Albuquerque physically feeling better and mentally in a better place. Jon and I came up with a good plan to attack this injury and get me back to where I should be. I revamped my team of therapists here and everyone is staying in touch with Jon as my main therapist/leader. We want to make sure that we all work together and that everyone knows what everyone is finding.

I went to see a top sports medicine doctor with my MRI results and he prescribed me some strong anti inflammatory medications (yes, I made sure they are NOT on the prohibited substance list) to get the inflammation down in my left hamstring. We think that if we can get that down/gone that I should be ok since that is the main source of the pain.

So, i've been cross training super hard on the elliptical and hiking as second workouts. I've been doing all my regular racewalking workouts but on the elliptical instead. Its so nice to be able to work hard doing something that I have no pain doing. Today, however, I was able to run for the first time in a month and had no pain! I did 15km's total alternating 1km hike, 1km run while pushing Isabella in the stroller. I have felt good the rest of the day and so I am going to try to racewalk tomorrow.

The hardest thing in this is being patient and not pushing too hard or doing too much too soon. Even though I have time, I feel like I dont have time. It is now April 3rd and this is not where I would have hoped to be at BUT this is where I am and I have come to terms with it BUT I am not settling for it. From all of this, I have come to realize that your biggest competitor is someone coming back from adversity. They cross train their butt off, they are more fired up than ever and it is all getting bottled up and ready to explode for when it counts. Trust me y'all, im coming! This comeback is going to be better than the last and the last was goooood.

Ill keep you posted on my progress. I am excited for what is to come because I know that what is to come is going to be my best ever. How can you not be excited about that! Thanks for the uplifting words of encouragement.

Keep on walking,

Rachel