Salinas Valley Half Race Report and MRI Results
This past Saturday, I ran the Salinas Valley Half Marathon. For those not familar with CA geography, Salinas Valley is a little south and east of Monterey, pretty much in the middle of NOWHERE. Agriculture and a big state prison pretty much.
The race was held in Soledad, but I stayed in Salinas, about 30 min away. A friend of mine and her mom were also running the race, so I hitched a ride w/ them at 6 am in the morning. We were bussed to the start, which was at the Mission Soledad and waited for the start.
My goal for this race was to make it through and hope my hip didn't act up too much. The race started promptly at 8 am and the first couple miles flew by as I was able to lock into a nice pace early on, going about 10:30/mi. Approaching Mile 3 though, things started to get tougher as the rolling hills started. Not very steep, but in succession, they take a toll. I hit the 6 mile mark around 1:02 which is an excellent time, almost too good if I was going to PR this. I approached Mile 7 with the Everest of hills...long, steep and curved. This hill really took a lot out of me, but I wouldn't feel it for a while. By the way, it's just you, other runners and the course, no real spectators beyond the aid station volunteers as this was again, in the middle of NOWHERE.
Trudging on, I had hit Mile 10 about 1:42 and had a choice to make, I could pu**** and go for the PR and risk a bonk, or dial back. Well not going all out isn't in my DNA, so I decided to pu**** Another big hill at Mile 11 was my last obstacle that I got through and cruised into a nice downhill into Mile 12. Hitting it at 2:03:30, I knew a PR was in reach, but I'd have to dig deep. I rounded the final corner I could see the finish...up another HILL. These race organizers were truly evil. I turned on whatever afterburners I had left and started chanting my mantra "What do you got left?" as I crossed the finish in 2:14:17. A full 40 second PR!
The finish was at a very nice winery and I waited around for my friend and her mom to finish, my friend PRed her race as well by 8 minutes!
On Tuesday, I saw the orthopedist again to go over my MRI images. The good news is that there's no major structural damage to my hip joints or muscles. What I do have though is called Iliopsoas tendonitis, which is large muscle that runs from your back to the hip. The tendonitis is right where the tendon attaches to the hip. My options are about 6-9 months of rest (meaning no running) or just keep my rehab up of stretching, acupuncture and perhaps some sports massage. Now that I know what it is, I can hopefully treat it better and be on the way to being pain free once again.
I have 3 more races scheduled this year, so I will finish those out and see.
Brian
~350
The race was held in Soledad, but I stayed in Salinas, about 30 min away. A friend of mine and her mom were also running the race, so I hitched a ride w/ them at 6 am in the morning. We were bussed to the start, which was at the Mission Soledad and waited for the start.
My goal for this race was to make it through and hope my hip didn't act up too much. The race started promptly at 8 am and the first couple miles flew by as I was able to lock into a nice pace early on, going about 10:30/mi. Approaching Mile 3 though, things started to get tougher as the rolling hills started. Not very steep, but in succession, they take a toll. I hit the 6 mile mark around 1:02 which is an excellent time, almost too good if I was going to PR this. I approached Mile 7 with the Everest of hills...long, steep and curved. This hill really took a lot out of me, but I wouldn't feel it for a while. By the way, it's just you, other runners and the course, no real spectators beyond the aid station volunteers as this was again, in the middle of NOWHERE.
Trudging on, I had hit Mile 10 about 1:42 and had a choice to make, I could pu**** and go for the PR and risk a bonk, or dial back. Well not going all out isn't in my DNA, so I decided to pu**** Another big hill at Mile 11 was my last obstacle that I got through and cruised into a nice downhill into Mile 12. Hitting it at 2:03:30, I knew a PR was in reach, but I'd have to dig deep. I rounded the final corner I could see the finish...up another HILL. These race organizers were truly evil. I turned on whatever afterburners I had left and started chanting my mantra "What do you got left?" as I crossed the finish in 2:14:17. A full 40 second PR!
The finish was at a very nice winery and I waited around for my friend and her mom to finish, my friend PRed her race as well by 8 minutes!
On Tuesday, I saw the orthopedist again to go over my MRI images. The good news is that there's no major structural damage to my hip joints or muscles. What I do have though is called Iliopsoas tendonitis, which is large muscle that runs from your back to the hip. The tendonitis is right where the tendon attaches to the hip. My options are about 6-9 months of rest (meaning no running) or just keep my rehab up of stretching, acupuncture and perhaps some sports massage. Now that I know what it is, I can hopefully treat it better and be on the way to being pain free once again.
I have 3 more races scheduled this year, so I will finish those out and see.
Brian
~350
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