It was 7am and I was on my way to the race. I was nervous about the swim. It was where I had gotten crushed the year before. Ocean swims were not my strength. I grew up swimming in a pool. The biggest wave you got hit with in a pool was from the swimmer next to you or from the feet of the swimmer in front of you. Swim team was completely different from the crest and fall of an ocean wave. Not to mention the fact that there are no walls to grab onto in the ocean if you get tired or need a rest!
Many athletes take ibuprofen before, during or after exercise to help relieve muscle soreness and to assist in muscle recovery. I have often overheard athletes jokingly referring to ibuprofen as "Vitamin I" in the ultrarunning community as they swear by the drug's pain reducing effects. But just how beneficial or safe is the over-the-counter drug during exercise?
Yesterday I went on my first run in over 6 months! I felt like a school girl waitting to go on a first date. A little scared. A little nervous. A little excited. As I laced up my sneakers, I worried if the pain would return. Was I really healed? Had the all the months of physical therapy worked?
