michael conlon: physical therapy god

after running away from "sports" pt last week - i ran right into the arms of michael conlon at finish line physical therapy. now when you hear "finish line" you should automatically think of a race, and getting to the finish. well, lets just say that is the right name for his practice. he is devoted to getting athletes back on their feet, and really assessing what the issues is.

other guy: "your prescription is for your hamstring, so i'm going to work on that."

michael: "your right hip is all locked up, lets work on hip mobility and hamstring flexibility." (ok, so that was paraphrased - but you get the idea)

two sessions in and i am feeling better (definitely not 100% just yet) but i'm on the road to recovery. he still thinks i have plenty of time to get my training in before november 6, which made me feel a lot better.

tonight: 30 minute run, not worrying about speed or distance. will report back!

you call yourselves "Sports PT"??!!?!

well yesterday the long road of PT started, and boy was it a train wreck right out of the gate. i was referred to a place called "Sports PT" which has branches all over, including one just up the street from my office. this is how yesterday went:

8:30am: show up and check in. give my name and they don't have me down for an appointment

8:32am: woman tries to make up for not having my appointment down and gives me some paperwork that i'll need to fill out anyway. asks if i can come back at 1:30pm, apologizes again.

1:30pm: show up for round two. there were people everywhere. people being worked on, people doing their own exercises, people waiting, people coming, people going... it was kind of a mad house.

1:35pm: introduced to my therapist, who sits down with me and gets my back story. i start at the beginning - from my herniated disc 3 years ago to my more recent injuries. i mention that i'm training for the NYC marathon, but that overall i haven't yet really upped my number of miles since training just started. i also mentioned that i worked out over the weekend and my hamstring didn't feel too bad, but that now my calf is really tight.

1:45pm: he interjects, "now, how long is the marathon?" at which point i should have just gotten up and ran out the door.

1:50pm: he looks over my chart, and my prescription, and mentions that since the prescription is only for my hamstring, that's all he'll even look at/work on.

1:50:05pm: i had made up my mind that i was never setting foot back in that place.

the rest of the appointment wasn't awful - he did ok work on my hamstring, but i wasn't blown away. AND it ends up that while they do "take my insurance" i still have a rather hefty co-pay, so it's definitely NOT worth it.

tomorrow is PT take 2. i'm going to a real physical therapist, one who has a great track record and is an overall great guy too. michael conlon of finish line physical therapy not only knows what he's talking about, but is an experienced ironman and marathoner himself, so will not only get me better but will help get me to race day!

vacation!

so i've been off the grid for the last week - in not-super-sunny-because-it's-rainy-season Costa Rica. it was gorgeous, even when raining. it was like i didn't mind that it was raining on me, it made the surroundings greener, and more peaceful. i couldn't complain one bit. and the sun did shine, it just came in small doses - enough to give me a nice glow.

i surfed, relaxed, ate amazing food, soaked in hot springs, went white-water rafting, made new friends, and enjoyed the entire trip. at the end of many vacations, i'm usually ready to go home - ready for the big city once again, and to sleep in my bed and get back to a routine. not so much this time. there was so much i didn't have time to see, so much to explore, so many waves still left to surf! but alas, i'm back.

the vacation was great, and greatly timed. i've been mentioning my pesky right hamstring and before going away i got the coach's advice to stay off it and let it rest for the week. so i didn't have to pack my running clothes (although i did want to!) and i was ok with taking a step back from training - even though it just started!!

well, now i'm back and unfortunately still feeling the same tension in my right hammy. was able to get in to see doc bartoli this morning ("can you be here in 10 minutes?" i sure can be! - usually takes days if not weeks to get into see doc) and it's strained and i need to take it easy. no hills, no speed work, just easy running as long as i don't feel pain. crossfit very modified to not bother the hammy. and lastly, swimming. i think i'm going to bite the bullet and head to the red hook pool tomorrow morning. and physical therapy (pt) - how i have a love/hate relationship with you! it's time consuming, and sometimes painful and sometimes annoying, but will hopefully get this hammy back on track, literally!

today marks week 3, day 3 and i'm feeling very behind. i know there's nothing i can do about the hammy, but listen to my coach and doc and my body and cross my fingers a little that i'll still have enough time to prepare for eleven six eleven.