8 miles and a recantation- HA

First off I have to let you know I had to return the Brooks- sniff. I really did enjoy them that first run BUT I exchanged them this morning. I went into my trusted Fit2Run and told them that my knee was killing me 5 or so miles into my run. Oh, your IT band that is common. IT band? what? my knee hurts! Well this is what I found out about IT bands.

Jeff Gallaway's website says:

Where does it hurt? Almost always on the outside of the leg, from the knee to the hip. The pain from I-T band is most often felt on the outside of the knee, slightly below the intersection of the two leg bones. For some, pain may be centered just above that point. In rare cases it may hurt on the outside just below the hip, and occasionally the pain may radiate up and down the outside of the leg, at various times. We will concentrate on the most common site, the outside of the knee.

It says to treat it do this:

1. Take enough time off to get the healing started (usually 3-5 days) 2. Take vitamin C. When I have an injury such as I-T band, I take 1000mg of Vitamin C, 3-5 times a day. Consult with a sports nutritionist for further information about vitamin C and other nutrients which can speed healing. 3. Stretch the tendon. The I-T band is one of few running injuries that is helped by stretching. Start with the stretches recommended and experiment to find ones that reduce or eliminate the pain. You can stretch before, after, and during a run‹and even in the evening, or while sitting at your desk at work. Stretching primarily reduces the tension on the tendon so that it doesn't hurt for a while. By keeping the I-T band flexible you also reduce the continued pulling on it, and may help it to heal to some extent. Experiment with different stretches for the area. The best ones are those that release the I-T band at that time, giving you instant relief. Compare stretches with other I-T band sufferers, but very few runners will use the same stretch routine. You will find that different stretches help at different times, even on the same run. 4. Ice massage. Freeze a paper cup and every night, rub the ice directly on the area of pain until it gets numb (usually about 15 minutes). Be advised that there's usually no healing effect from ice in a plastic bag, towel or frozen gel pac. It helps to ice the injury immediately after a run, but even if you miss this opportunity, ice it well at least once a day. 5. Run on level surface. Uneven surfaces will fatigue the muscles and tendons and increase the chance of I-T band irritation. A road that is slanted can cause I-T band problems on one run.6. Get the right shoe and possibly an orthotic. Even the perfect shoe (whatever that is) will lose support from the midsole, usually without any outward sign on the shoes. To run on these shoes usually aggravates the injury. Shoe experts, (such as the ones in really good running stores) can advise you in finding current shoes which can give the support or cushion your foot needs. Overpronated floppy feet show some shoe wear on the inside of the forefoot and benefit from motion control shoes. You'll have to give them feedback how the shoes feel and whether there are any discomfort areas. The shoe should be an extension of your foot without any extraordinary pressure or tension.

So... I bought these instead

On to the 8 mile recap. I feel enduarance wise I am in GREAT shape. The actual distance didn't bother me. I actually enjoyed running for an hour and a half. About mile 5 my knee started hurting which was most likely due to the shoes not giving me enough support (or so says the shoe lady at Fit2Run). I am taking today off to rest this IT band thing and hopefully can run my 4 miles tomorrow in the new shoes to test them out.

The kids are all feeling better and look at this cutie

she is going to be 11 months old soon. AND she is calling me now :)

Happy Running!!