PS, what a pain in the ass

Piriformis syndrome, at least that's my internet aided self diagnosis on Friday. According to the experts, at runningahead, lots of different ways to treat it. I'd already massaged with "the stick". Looked like I was trying to ride a broom, in order to hit the tight spot. Did some sitting in a chair attempts at the Pigeon Pose, that seemed to help. But, what really seemed to work was changing my stride.

Tuesday mornings speed workout is when this thing first surfaced. I must have overstrided trying to run fast on my 400 meter repeat. (Dumb, trying to run someone else's pace) It hasn't been the same since. More of a tightness and discomfort in the glute, just below the belt line and deep down attached to the pelvis. Really frustrated on Friday mornings tempo effort. Barely able to hit the paces and felt every stride in my rear end.

Saturday's recovery slog seems to be the turning point. I'd been reading a thread on the local board about the energy cost of shoes. I decided to try out the 180 steps per minute. It just seemed to aggravate the pain in my rear. But, it did make me realize that I hadn't really been running effortlessly, lately. The lifting of the knees, and lighter foot strikes. All the things form drills, ingrain in your brain, started to come back.

A mom pointed out to her daughter, my stride. I'd like to think she was telling her, about my great running form. Actually, it was probably "look at the goofy old bastard trying to run fast". The effort hadn't increased but the pace was about a minute quicker than my typical slog in the last couple of weeks. The best thing, the tightness is gone. Still some soreness. And the run, it felt effortless.