Hold Up...Not So Fast
My plan for today's post was to write about the races I plan on running in the coming months and my expectations for those races. But my post is going to be different...very different, because I believe that I may have a prolapsed bladder. Last week I posted about my first run post-partum (at 4 weeks), an easy two mile stroller run that included a quarter mile walk break between the two miles. I followed that Thursday run up with a 5K treadmill run on Saturday (Yes, my hubby got me a treadmill!!) and a relatively hilly, but slow paced run on Sunday. I felt good after each of these runs, a little tired in the legs and winded, but good. I decided to take Monday off and try to squeeze in a treadmill run on Tuesday. My goal was 4.5 miles which I completed, but at the end of those 4.5 miles something didn't feel "right."
After doing a little "research" I came to the conclusion that my discomfort may in fact be a prolapsed bladder. (Since this post is already bordering on TMI, you can read about it HERE.) It seems that it is a fairly common condition in women after childbirth and mild cases can be treated with physical therapy and strengthening exercises. At the moment this is a self-diagnosis, but I'm pretty sure that my midwife will confirm it when I see her next week.
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One of the things that can exacerbate the problem is running, the impact stresses the pelvic floor. I have been working to strengthen my core and pelvic floor through various exercises, and recently purchased (Thanks to Jackie over at Muscle Up Mom) the Hab It Pelvic Floor DVD(I highly recommend it and so does my sister, who is a Physical Therapist).
BUT...I think I ran too much, too soon. Whatever good I was doing for my pelvic floor through the strength training and kegels was waisted in the frequency and intensity of these first four runs. Which means that now, I need to STOP RUNNING all together and get this prolapsed bladder situation sorted out. My guess is that I'll need to take 4-6 weeks off running or more depending on what the midwife says, spending those four weeks rebuilding my pelvic floor.
It's a wrench in my plans for sure. I was so disappointed last night thinking about the goals I had for a spring marathon. My time goal of 3:30 would really require that I start building a strong mileage base of 40+ miles in December. But if I take the next four weeks off (basically all of November) I'll be starting back at zero mileage per week at the beginning of December rather than the 20 mile week base I was hoping to start with.
As I was expressing my frustration to my husband last night, he made the comment (it is the lesson that keeps making its way back to me...over and over and over again) that maybe this is a good thing as it will help me slow down and be more present in the moment. Part of me says, But I don't want to slow down! I want to go FAST! I want to be the girl that does it all...and does it well. But the other part of me knows that he is right, that I need to be less focused on goals and tasks and more focused on people and relationships.
Honestly, this whole slow down and let go message is one that I keep having to re-learn in so many aspects of my life. Probably because once I learn to let go in one area of my life I simply move on to hyper-controlling another area. The truth is if I don't let go of my plans and goals for a spring marathon, the next four to six weeks I will be a restless, anxious, moody mess--who wants to hang out with that? And that's not who I want to be as a wife or a mom.
Do you have any experience with prolapsed bladder? Have health issues ever derailed your goals? How did you handle it?
--Sarah