Aches and Pains

I ran my first ever 5k on Sunday morning! My goal time was 45 minutes and I completed it in 44:10. I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to run or not because of my hip flexor problems that I've been having, but I loaded up with Ibuprofin and Bio-Freeze before I left the house that morning and was pumped up with adrenaline, so I didn't really have any pain. Plus, I stretched as much as I could beforehand.

I didn't have any pain when I was running, but when I crossed the finish line (!) my eyes felt like they were running circles around in my sockets. It was very weird. The race was a truly emotional experience for me. I'll admit it, I cried when I finished. I don't know if it was from exhaustion or relief, but I was a touch embarrassed since I was with a bunch of coworkers. We went to the post race party and got some assistance with our stretches which felt really good.

I took Monday off from exercise because I was still recovering. 3.1 miles may not be a lot to a lot of people, but running 90% of the race combined with forgetting to foam roll my calves and I was a tad sore on Monday. I think that my fitbit only tracked 3,000 steps. Tuesday I went to the gym like a good girl and stretched and foam rolled and stretched some more. At the packet pick up before the 5k I (stupidly?) signed up for a half-marathon. I must have been high. So I wanted to get this first post-race run in to start my training for the half. I warmed up for 5 minutes at a decent pace and then bumped it up to a jog. Pain. Excruciating, searing pain emanating from my hip flexor/groin area. Had to put a stop to the madness immediately. What the hell? How am I going to train for a half-marathon (granted, it's in September) with this kind of pain every time my foot hits the treadmill/ground??

For me, it's the right one.

Needless to say, I finished my cardio on the arc trainer. No pain there. I guess I better go see the doctor.  I always seem to injure myself when I'm attempting to get back in shape. I'm going to heal and complete my goal of running the half in September in Nashville.

Question for you - when you first started running, did you get injured? If you did, how did you not let it demotivate you?