In this blog post, I will write about my running injury and possible diagnosis. Also, I will reflect upon how being a runner affects one’s life and become an identity. Therefore, I would be glad to have comments and if you would like to share your experiences in these matters – the injury and/or how being a runner affects your life and well-being. Finally, I have a book recommendation for runners and for those who have a runner in their life.

Diagnosis

After several months without running, I finally had an MRI and the diagnosis was something I hadn’t heard about before and apparently a rare condition: “there is a risk of ischiofemural impingement”.

In short, it is a pain in the buttocks due to reduced space between the seat bone (ischial tuberosity) and a bone in the thigh bone (lesser trochanter). There is a muscle between those bones (quadratus femoris) which can hurt when the space is too small. This may happen to dancers and to hypermobile persons (I am hypermobile). Also, there are cases of people who have slipped on ice (I slipped in the snow). So, when I read this article, it made sense.

However, I saw an orthopedist who examined my gluteal muscle with ultrasound and he is not convinced. According to him, it is a stubborn inflammation that will only go away with a cortisone injection. He will examine the MRI photos and make a final decision in two weeks.

Symptoms

So, is it an ischiofemural impingement or an inflammation? In short, my symptoms are:

• Pain in my right gluteal muscle and it is not piriformis and not in the hamstring muscle attachment. During all this time, I have been able to do squats, heavy muscle training, eccentric hamstring exercises etc.
• It hurt when I sit down (hip in a 90 degree angle, however, it is much better now compared to 1-2 months ago), no pain when I stand or lie down.
• Pain if I do Power Walk, less pain when I run.
• When I run, it “burns” in the muscle and the feeling extends to my hamstring. But afterwards it hardly feels anything (?)

If you have any experience or know anyone who has of either of these conditions, I would be glad to hear from you! I’ve heard both good and bad stuff about cortisone and I am not too excited about it. However, if that is what it takes, then I guess I have no choice.

During my summer vacation, I started running again – really slowly – 2 km in a pace approx. 1 minute slower per km than my usual pace. Next day: 3 km. Then I ran – walked – ran – walked. I have been able to run 10 km (still very slowly) and it is okay! I still feel the “burn” in my buttocks but it doesn’t get worse, neither during my runs nor afterwards.

Identity

Lately, I have been thinking about the meaning of identity. Many people identify themselves with their nationality and/or their profession. Of course, these are parts of one’s identity; however, not necessarily the main characteristics. Being a runner is an identity. I am a runner and even people around me see me as a runner. When I meet someone I haven’t seen for a while, the first question I get is: “have you run any marathons or races lately?” or “which marathon is ahead of you now?”

I do not plan my physical training after other life plans; I plan my life according to my training. Maybe this sounds unhealthy and it can be if it takes over your life. But we all have different personalities and needs, and some of us have to plan exercising first and then everything else. Furthermore, a plan is not written in stone. If you need to skip or postpone a running session, it should not be the end of the world. Flexibility is crucial for one’s well-being. But prioritizing your physical training is not necessarily sacrificing friendships or your family; on the contrary. All kinds of exercise will most likely make you feel better both physically and mentally. If I run, I have more energy and more time to be a good companion and friend.

For many runners, competition is important and I respect that and I admire people who do personal best by personal best. However, I think it is essential to have in mind that the pressure of performance shouldn’t override the joy of running. I know how training and sacrificing everything for a race can give tremendous exultation if you succeed! But I also know how much opposite effect it can have if you don’t succeed; how low and bad you may feel.

I have run races and been disappointed afterwards. But I always try to learn and most of the time, with some perspective, I can see why it didn’t go as planned. Actually, most races where I have performed much better than expected, were the races where I didn’t have high expectations. For me, participating in a race is foremost to enjoy the atmosphere and feel connection to other runners because we have the same passion. But, I wouldn’t run a race if I knew I couldn’t perform at least what I do on my training sessions. I can run a race for fun but not directly after an injury and not if there was a risk that it would harm more than benefit my future running.

During my period of time as an injured runner, I often felt that I had lost my identity. It hurt to answer ”no, I haven’t run any marathons lately” or ”no, I am injured, so no marathons plans right now”. Fortunately, friends and those of you who commented on my blog post Why I Started Blogging made me realize that I was a runner even though I couldn’t run. THANKS! For the last 6 months, I’ve done my best to be ready for running again. All those gym sessions and muscle training was definitely a part of me being a runner.

Book Recommendation

Finally, I would like to add, that I am more than a runner; I am a book lover, a traveler, an art lover and many more things as well. The book that I’ll recommend, I have recommended before in my earlier blog post. Sorry for repeating the same book tip but I think it is worth to mention this book together with the subject of identity. For runners and for those of you who would like to understand runners better, here it is (again):

Haruki Murakami: What I Talk about When I Talk about Running

If you have read it – read it again – and/or share your thoughts about the book.

 

Thanks for reading my blog!