Week in Review

I feel like I have a LOT to post, but the time is short today, so I PROMISE to make up for it tonight with something more substantial. First off, I know I tell him this in comments all the time, but Don's twenty miles has quickly become a glimmering beacon of hope for me on the horizon. Or to put it in one, simple word: My injury recovery won't let me run that far in a week for probably a month I figure.

BUT, as much direness one sees when researching ITBS on the internet, I can't help but come away with some positives (Hating is Julie's domain, after all;)):
1) Most of these people have problems walking. I can walk. Going down stairs is something else entirely, but I can walk.
2) Training starts (and ends) for them with single 500 meter sprints.
3) I was able to run 4.5 miles on Saturday before it started tightening and I stopped as a precautionary measure.

So, I'm still pulling back on the miles, but still trying to keep running. The last thing I want to do is make it chronic. BUT, (and I'm sure Don hears me here) going from a marathon to virtually zero miles is enough to drive anyone insane. I think I have an inkling of what post-partum depression is all about.

Having said all of that, the run on Saturday was absolutely beautiful. We found a tree and park-lined canal about a mile from us that leads out to the Green Belt near the stadium. We ran along it for a few miles, just soaking in the colors, the ducks, and quite a few rather big houses. I didn't any problems with the knee until we hit about four miles, and decided to call it off at 4.5.
I was just jogging ten minute miles, but I think running slower might contribute to the problems. According to a lot of the resources I found, ITBS flairs up due to shortening your stride, because it affects the knee more at impact and the relative position of the band along the side of the knee causes greater irritation.

Which means my worries were posibly well-founded that my late race leg problems were indeed probably brought on by my deciding to keep a pace a full 30 seconds per mile slower than what I was accustomed to running. Well, that and the fact I was STARVING by the noon start.

I can't wait to write my "Run as I Say, Not as I Did" marathon book.

It's all a moot point really. I just want to be healthy again! Wow, this post has gotten longer than I anticipated, and I have to install lighting in the bomb shelter, um I mean cellar. So I better go. I hereby rescind my promise to write more tonight, but will probably post after my next Blitzrun.