The leg bone is connected to the...

Anyone remember that song?

I just came in off the road from doing a marathon drive to Rockford, IL and back, left out at 6 am and pulled in the drive about 10 pm. Luckily I only had to drive half way, with one of my managers meeting me half way between Louisville, KY and Duluth, MN, so I'm going to keep this kind of brief.

A couple of months ago I thought I had a groin pull. Turned out it was inflamation of the soft tissue which, if torn, produces a sports hernia. I kept training, the pain remained, but varied in intensity day to day. Last week the pain seemed to move back to the point of origin and felt like a simple (did I just say "simple") groin pull. Last Saturday's long run produced a lot of pain in my hips, specifically the outer muscles. I chalked it up to worn out shoes, knowing I was about 3 weeks over due for a new pair.

Monday morning I ran on the treadmill at the Y and then started circuit training. My last exercise was to be squats, I decided to keep the weight light, 4th rep of my 1st set....POP! Pain streaked across my lower back. Funny thing, as soon as my back muscles "popped", the pain and tension in my hips was gone and later that day I discovered that the same leg movements that typically caused me to grimace from the groin injury, no longer produced pain. It will be interesting to see what pains return as my back heals up. It's feeling much better tonight.

What to take from this? The body is not made up of compartmentalized components, all parts are intertwined and compensating for one part, effects another, etc., etc. Be sure to warm up, stretch at the end of your runs, and rest injuries.