My much-awaited MRI results were something of a dissapointment. There's nothing terribly wrong, nothing that's defying age. In short, my lumbar vertebrae are all bulging mildly, but the bulging is considered "unremarkable." Typical for late 40s. So it would appear that treatment is up to me.

The problem is that the pain is sometimes very "remarkable" to me. I know what it's like to have a pain-free back, and I know what it's like to have chronic pain.

As for running, no one's saying to stop. It doesn't hurt when I run, so I'll run. But my experience over the last two years suggests that running much volume at one time (long runs) seems to be closly related to the pain, spasms, assemetry and all else that's been sidelining me lately. Then again, so does taking out the trash...

I'm bothered because it feels nice to have a treatment plan for an injury. "Do this, then that, take these and you'll be better by this date..." That's what I like to hear. But no. I'm in trial and error mode. I could stop running, that might help but I'd go crazy without my daily exercise. I will, of course, do some winter sports this year. But nothing an replace running.

For now, its hit the treadmill. It's softer that frozen 12 degree-F pavement. So away I go.