TexasLindsey

So after my IT band flared up on my 19 miler, I took 3 days off.  I took IB profen, stretched, got 10 hours of sleep each night, and took about 3000 mg vitamin C spread out over each day.  I got one of those foam rollers as was suggested to me by Jody and Nicole.  I'm still learning but I can see how useful this would be to make it a habit. 

I also went to my running store and bought 2 new pairs of shoes.  I am going to start rotating shoes.  My previous pair only had 360 miles on them but they felt really worn out.  I could really tell when I tried on the new shoes how bad my other ones had gotten.  No wonder I got hurt.

So I went running today to try out the new shoes.  I took Ryan in the stroller.  He was awesome!  I can't believe how good he was.  I like taking him more than Jake ... mainly because it seems I can go farther. 

I only intended to run 3-6 but Ryan was so good I decided to just kept going until he got fussy... but he never did so I ran 10 miles and quit.  My IT band never hurt at all.  YAY!!!! 

I'm going to keep my pace slow these next couple weeks because I don't want to risk more injury.  I'm running 10-12 miles on Saturday and 10-12 miles on Sunday.  The group is doing 20 miles not this Saturday but the next.  It's the last long run before the taper for the marathon.  If I make it through all that with out any more pain in the IT band, I'll pick up the pace here and there. 

I just have to finish a marathon.  I think I've been getting too ambitiuos and getting ahead of myself thinking I could qualify for Boston...  I don't need to be thinking about that.  I need to just finish one first.  A 9 minute per mile pace for my first would be great... especially if I didnt get injured doing it. 

Splits

10:23

10:01

10:08

9:46

9:40

9:42

9:57

9:38

9:55

9:43

My plan this morning was to take it easy and do 6 miles.  I'm still worried about my IT band.  I just ran according to how I felt.  It was really cool this morning... in the upper 50's.  The first couple miles I felt little twinges around my right knee similiar to what I felt on Saturday but less intense.  I kept slowing my pace and they went away... but then they'd come back after a downhill. 

Finally at 2.7 miles I was deciding whether to head home to not risk any more injury... I was thinking maybe doing 10 yesterday wasn't such a good idea afterall... but before I made the turn to my house, I stopped and stretched my calf muscles again.  I had stretched them before I started running but this time they felt SUPER tight.  After I stretched them, my legs felt brand new.  I didn't have any pain any where what so ever.  So I kept running.... and actually even speeding up... and my knee/leg felt fine. 

Weird.  My calf muscles also feel really tight after I've been sitting for a while and after I wake up.  I'm a forefoot runner so they get a big workout everytime I run.  Maybe tight calfs are to blame for the issues I had on Saturday?!  Hmm... something to look into I guess. 

Ended up doing 6 miles as planned.  Even got down to 9:12 in the last mile and felt pretty comfortable. 

Splits

10:49

10:55

10:49

10:19

10:08

9:12

Ran with my group this morning.  I started out saying I wanted to do a 9 min pace... 8:45 at the max I said.  I just can't control myself around these people though.  My friend, Brenda, and I ran the whole way together at an 8:15 average and we talked non-stop except for the last two miles... So I was feeling pretty good.  Amazingly, my IT band didn't flare up at all.  I concentrated on keeping my knee bent at all times and not over-extending it.  I also too downhills very slow.  I feel great today!  I'm so happy!  

Splits

mile 1 - 8:22

mile 2 - 7:59

mile 3 - 8:17

mile 4 - 8:24

mile 5 - 8:26

mile 6 - 8:26

mile 7 - 8:38

mile 8 - 8:21

mile 9 - 8:14

mile 10 - 8:04

mile 11 - 7:37