I am so frustrated with running right now!! I am training to run a 10K on September 25th (one month from today) but I’m running into some roadblocks that are out of my control. I typically run for about 30 minutes, which ends up being somewhere around 3 miles – a 10K is 6.2 miles. I don’t doubt my ability to build up stamina, but my problem lies in the horrible abdominal pain I experience when I run.
The only thing I can compare it to is menstrual cramps, only amplified. The pain usually starts about 2 miles into my run and by the time I slow down, the pain is sometimes overwhelming. This morning was pretty bad. I ran my usual 3 miles but when I stopped, the pain was so intense it made me feel dizzy. I had the chills, felt like I was going to throw up; the whole glorious package. Once I got home, I laid down on the floor and sipped water for about 10 minutes until the cramps subsided. The worst part about today’s run is that I realized that it’s not something that’s connected to my menstrual cycle, since I just finished my period last week. I was hoping that it would be connected to my period since I would know when to avoid running, but now it seems totally unpredictable.
It’s so frustrating to explain this problem to people because they try to compare it to the stitch in your side you get from not breathing properly – I get that too and this is NOTHING like that. I feel helpless and worried that it’s signs of something worse going on down there. It’s really scary!
I found this forum today, where other women confess that they experience the same pain. The forum simultaneously makes me feel better knowing that I’m not alone, but also makes me consider more serious reasons for the pain, like ovarian cysts, etc:
http://www.peertrainer.com/LoungeCommunityThread.aspx?ForumID=1&ThreadID=24492
These women sound exactly like me, a realization that made me want to cry. A lot of them said that running uphill makes the problem worse, which is true for me too!
I hate looking like a whimp but I don’t know how to get past this. I have a gynecologist appointment next month and I’m hoping she will be able to shed some light on the issue. My last gynecologist was a man and immediately disregarded what I said, so hopefully this next visit is better.
