For the last month or so, I would rate my butt pain at around a 2 to 4 on a scale of 10. Yesterday was at around a 3. I was very discouraged but grasping on to a glimmer of hope that I would get better. Two days ago, I started putting a tennis ball between my bum and the wall, lean into it and roll it round back there so to speak. The pressure alleviated much of the pain, but yesterday, the piriformis muscles were tender to the touch. It was a new kind of pain, the kind of pain that I am more familiar with. It was the pain you get from over doing something, like ran one too many miles, or lifted one too many reps. I also took myself off of ibuprofen. I started taking it last week hoping that it would reduce inflamation (in case I had one). I'm not keen on taking drugs, especially if it has the potential of messing up my stomach linings and such. I was fully prepared to expect the worst today but strangely, today is the best day so far. I would rate my pain at a 0.5. Every time I feel my behind tensing up, I would massage it out with the tennis ball. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this would do the trick. Of course, I'll be hopping onto the treadmill tonight and go for several slow miles. That would probably make it worse again, but at least I have a glimmer of hope.

Eric - that's great news!! It really does sound like an end (if you'll pardon the pun) is in sight! Start back slow, now and keep us posted. Keeping everything crossed for you!!! Time to start looking for a new avitar? Cheryl

update? Still feeling good after that last run?

You're not sure if it is a fluke or it's actually getting better so you test it out by poking it constantly. !

Yup! Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

If it gets rid of the pain and lets me go back to running, I'd do it.

I hear ya on that one. I am so pleased that you are still feeling good. Hopefully we can share a return to running together. Coolio! You know I was rather rude to someone at a dinner party on friday. The lady was a casual runner and people were asking about her running and said she looked really good (which she does she's lost a ton of weight). She said that she hadn't run in eleven days because it was hard with the kids and it had been raining. I couldn't help myself, frankly I don't care about weather and I have four children and still manage to run five times a week at 5AM. I certainly told her. Oops, it went a bit quiet around the table for a moment until she said 'Claire, not all of us want to win races' which put it in perspective and I felt very naughty. I think that runners are cool! Whatever they do. Claire xxx

I ran about 3.5 miles today myself, on the treadmill. The pain still comes and goes, and that tennis ball is getting plenty of use. I no longer squirm in my chair when I'm at work. My glimmer of hope is shining a little brighter these days. I can't wait until the weather is nice enough for me to go run outside. It will be so magical!

I actually ran outside for real last Thursday, after a serious of mishaps... Up until then, I use the office gym. Yes, that small tiny one with two of each treadmill, stationary bike and elliptical. Every morning, I would pack my gym gear: clean set of workout clothes and shoes. Since I buy my clothes in bulk when they're on sale, they all look identical. I'm not surprised if people think I have only a set of clothes. I put my shoes in my gym bag, and took them back out to verify that I have the right pair as I left the apartment. I buy the same shoes until they don't make them anymore, so I have shoes that are identical. I write letters on them, so a matching pair would have the same letters (A, B, C, ...). I went to the gym after work, and mused at the shrinking aerobic class size as I walked into the locker room. One of my coworkers was there and we exchanged our greetings before he went out. I tossed my shoes onto the floor and started to change. The shoes caught my eyes. They looked peculiar. I looked some more and realized they're both the right shoe! Doh!!! I can do nothing but to go home. I live some 25 minutes away and planned on going back to the office gym after I get the right pair of shoes. After triple checking them to make sure I got the right pair, I headed back out. Halfway there, something made me check for my ID and then I realized I had left my ID in my work bag and I left the bag in my apartment when I went to get my shoes. Without it, I can't get into the parking lot, the office building, and the gym. I needed to swipe it in order for the magnetic doors to open. So, I had to turn my car around and hope that I can join my club on its weekly run. I hurried hope and don my winter running clothes, something that I've worn only several times this year. When I got to the meeting place, no one was there. Their cars were there so I knew they must have left. I got out and started running by myself. The first mile was down hill and I felt ok. A voice instead kept telling me to slow down, but I wanted to catch up to the slower folks so I don't have to run alone. Mile 1 was a steady downhill and I clocked in under 8 minute mile. That was definitely way too fast considering I've been running at 9:00 on the treadmill, and I haven't really warmed up. Mile 2 was a pay back for mile 1 as I climbed the hills. I definitely noticed my loss of aerobic capacity as my quads started burning. I still didn't see anyone in front of me. The route was supposed to be 5 miles, but I decided to cut it short since the longest I've ran so far was 3.5 on the treadmill. I have no idea how fast I ran the last mile, but I know it was substantially slower than the first not because I forced myself to slow down, but because I ran out of gas. I ran my first real run outdoors at 8:07 pace. It was much quicker than I liked but there weren't any major repercussions. It's a mixed blessing since I know that the pains will be back if I up my mileage too quickly. I just want to be able to run long enough to join my club on our Saturday long runs. After the Boston Marathon, they'll be doing easy 10s and I'm still far from that distance.

oooh! Glad to hear the pain is reducing I had heard about the trick with the tennis ball before. Hope you're able to continue to manage and reduce the pain!