Good news is…I ran my first 10 mile run! Our very small running group ran three laps around the Sun City neighborhood loop in Mesquite. First loop 3.3 miles….felt great, no problem. Second loop…6.6 miles…not feeling too bad. Third loop….9.9 miles….um what’s going on with my knee? Then I get the pressure to make the 10 miles and continue around the maintenance shack. At this point, I’m hobbling but I made the 10 miles.
The pain was actually alongside my knee. After doing a bit of research, turns out it’s an IT band issue. This is actually quite common to runners and comes from overuse or impact to the point where the IT band is strained trying to keep the knee in alignment. Well, what a drag! It hurt to run so I had to cut back considerably. This, just after I committed to my first “race” in Moab at the end of the month.
Lot of ice and ibuprofen on the menu. I’ve been doing some stretching but an IT band isn’t something very “stretchable.” After a few weeks, I will begin doing one-legged squats to a chair. I know my quads are not as strong as they should be to support what I’m doing, so will need to work on that. But…anything that stops the very thing that brings you newfound joy just sucks!
