Still Injured

It's official. This is the worst injury I have had from running (can't say ever, that would be junior year of high school on the receiving end of a slide tackle in soccer when I blew out all lateral ligaments of my ankle and part of my achilles tendon, but I digress). I initially thought I pulled my calf muscle but as the injury "settles in" I am realizing that it is most likely biceps femoris tendinitis. I am beginning to freak out as it has been exactly 1 month since my last "real" run (5.5 miles tempo on the treadmill). The last minor running injury I had lasted a week and was during half marathon training. Before that was when I started running and developed a little PF, which resolved after 2 weeks. Blergh.

So I have been aggressive about rehab and icing. Here is a typical day:
-5:45: wake up, ice.
-6:00-7:00: swim or bike. plus hip and core on T/T/S.
-8:30-5:00: work (on my feet all day), rocking my compression socks
-5:30: ice. study.
-8:30: ice.
REPEAT.

What kills me is the 8-5 with no icing and being on my feet all day but I can't exactly say, oh no I can't see the next patient because I have to ice my knee. Ya, not happening. So after another half hysteric conversation with my boyfriend (emergency medicine consult for free) we decided that I should contact a professional.

my study partner is lazy.

Sample daily convo:
Me: I am never going to run again wahhh. *insert daily complaint of weight gain, boredom, increased anxiety, lack of fitness, loss of social running group*
Andy: Chelsea, you are an athlete. You've recovered from worse injuries. You see people dying everyday, keep it in perspective.
Me: *in my head, flashback to 6 months of crutches and painful patient losses* Okay you're half right and no you're wrong this is the worst injury what am I going to do, I'm never going to run a marathon.
Andy: Call the doctor or quit complaining.
--> 2 weeks after he started recommending this, I've caved. Doctor/PT called.

I hate going to the doctor, especially when they most likely won't have anything to do for me but recommend an MRI (highly doubt any sort of tear as pain is intermittent with no swelling or bruising) and physical therapy. I beat them to the punch and called my old physical therapy place and got on the cancellation list ASAP. It will be nice to get a professionals opinion on my rehab plan and see if there are any exercises they'd recommend. Also possibly get a little ultrasound stim to hurry this process up. I feel so bad because I feel like I'm letting the Nuun team, Lindsey/Out for a Run Training, and my 2014 race goals down. Add to this, my trip to Nicaragua in 2 weeks where I likely won't be getting much exercise and losing even more of my fitness.

I recognize I come off as fairly negative and annoying but look at it this way. Except for this month on my outpatient clinic, I deal with dying children on a far too frequent basis. I see horrific diseases and devastated families and running is my time to throw on dirty gangster rap and let physical pains override the emotional ones. It's my "me" time and my time to reset. I realize that not running is not as bad as cancer or poverty, believe me. But it's really hard to lose the one thing that is all mine and helps me to keep doing what I do.

On a positive note, I've done more core work in the past month than I have in the past year and I am starting to have some serious ab definition. Lauren Fleshman, I'm coming for you.

Abs and Soul.