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Yes, this sweatshirt was a big reason
I did the Hot Chocolate 15K |
I talked to
my marathoner friend yesterday afternoon and described the pain I felt during the race (pain on the outside of my knee/leg), she suggested it was probably my IT Band, which would be my Iliotibial Band if you know your anatomy (I do not). After a little Google research, it sounds like that was it. And it makes sense, because one of the causes of IT band pain is pushing yourself too hard and increasing mileage too quickly, and in the week prior to the race, I ran/walked 7 miles the Saturday before, and then didn't run again until the race. Smart.
So anyway, our times:
I told you the Sailor had a good race. He finished in 1:43:38, an 11:08 pace. Not bad considering the last time he ran such a long distance was a year ago during A-school in Pensacola.
And as expected, I finished in 2:10:43, a 14:02 pace. I'll put a little asterisk next to my records ...
Next up,
Bonfield Express 5K on Thanksgiving morning!
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| One nice thing about walking - time to snap a nice picture of the Chicago skyline |
It =could= be IT band, but it doesn't have to be. Weakness in the medial glute also can cause knee pain via the IT, and your complex of quad muscles can play a part. I've even had "IT band" pain caused by a tight muscle in the back of my knee!
ReplyDeleteBut people get stuck on that IT band thing.....
If it keeps up, physical therapy is a great way to straighten it out and prevent future occurrences!
I think I'm going to try to be smarter about training and hopefully that will prevent future pain. You know, actually STICK to my running plan, instead of doing distance runs on the weekends with no shorter runs in between. And also mix it up with other workouts, like swimming, pilates and weight machines at the gym.
ReplyDeleteYour plans above make sense. IT/knee issues can often be from overuse/increasing, but also muscle weakness. I think the trick is finding a way to strengthen it without irritating things, which is a bit of trial and error.
ReplyDeleteThat said, keep the miles on the low end and mix in some more cross training. You'll get there!