When we got to the club, I started to grab my trusty iPod, and my husband immediately intervened. "HEY! You can't run with THAT." Evidently, he wanted to run 12 miles and chat. I'm all for chatting, but you see, we had "chatted" on the 4 hour ride up and the 4 hour ride back from San Antonio the few days before, as well as "chatted" all day leading up to the run. What the heck were we going to "chat" about????? I relented, we chatted. And I guess it's good that we like each other because it wasn't a quiet run. Good thing we can always find something to chat about! So we ran and chatted, and the chatter kept my mind off of the nagging right knee pain that I have. Seems I have ITBS...
*ITBS (Iliotibial Band Syndrome) as per Wikipedia: A common injury to the thigh, generally associated with running, cycling, hiking or weight-lifting (especially squats). ITBS is one of the leading causes of lateral knee pain in runners. The iliotibial band is a superficial thickening of tissue on the outside of the thigh, extending from the outside of the pelvis, over the hip and knee, and inserting just below the knee. The band is crucial to stabilizing the knee during running, moving from behind the femur to the front while walking. The continual rubbing of the band over the lateral femural epicondyl, combined with the repeated flexion and extension of the knee during running may cause the area to become inflamed. ITBS symptoms range from a stinging sensation just above the knee joint (on the outside of the knee or along the entire length of the iliotibial band) to swelling or thickening of the tissue at the point where the band moves over the femur. The pain may not occur immediately during activity, but may intensify over time, especially as the foot strikes the ground. Pain might persist after activity. Pain may also be present below the knee, where the ITB actually attaches to the tibia.
So there's that. Probably due to overuse during the Ultra Marathon. But, I'm icing EVERY SINGLE NIGHT, and wrapping, and it's gotten MUCH MUCH MUCH better. A couple of weeks ago, at 4 miles, it was excruciating, now its just annoying. Seems to be improving, so I should be all better by Rock and Roll 26.2. I was told this summer by a Dr. that I'm more predisposed to knee injuries...so, this irritable-ness is not surprising.
Anywho, it is still warm here in the evenings, and there's mosquitoes....I was please when we rounded the Harlingen Country Club loop for the last time. I've continued to cross train this week, and I plan to run tomorrow and do 16-18 on Sunday. Even with my little post-Ultra hiatus, I'm still on target as far as my training plan goes (okokokokok...maybe I'm a couple miles off).
With all this running lately, and all the races that I've done in 2011, it has become apparent to me that I've picked up a lot of of knowledge about running in general. Never would I ever claim to be an expert or the "do all say all" of the sport, but somehow, over the past 2 years, I've absorbed all sorts of quips and bits of info that I hadn't even realized. Lately, I've had a lot of friends, coworkers, family, etc, ask me questions about running in general, and to my surprise, I usually have a decent answer. And I love that. And it makes me want to learn more, and more and more. I ravage through my monthly Runner's World and move on to finding articles, training plans, and other resources. Everyday, I learn something new! I feel like the knowledge I'm gaining lately is just as important as the actual act of running the miles, because it helps every mile be stronger, mentally and physically. Had I not been reading, I would have never known there was a name for the nagging knee pain. So for the next few months, I'm going to be a "running sponge." I'm going to soak up as much as I can, and I'm so happy to be able to share what I learn.
I'm very honored to say that my wonderful, amazing friend and trainer, Renea, has asked myself and our friend Irma, to help her get our Bod Squad Team running. This makes me very very excited, and I'm anxious for the different things we are planning! I couldn't be happier to be a representative of a great group of ladies who work so hard, and find new ladies that are interested too. I can't wait to get everyone "up and running!" And I just want to thank Renea, from the bottom of my heart, for making it possible. You are helping stir something in me that I didn't even know was there to stir, and I'm excited to see where we can go! You can look up her business page on Facebook, "The Bod Squad Training by Renea Perez." I'll be putting little quips and quotes up there as well very soon!
Just about a month to go until Rock and Roll! I'll try to keep this as updated as I can as we gear up for the big day! Best of luck to all of my friends who are in the home stretch training for their first half marathons and marathons, I'm SOSOSOSOSO proud of all of you!
Thanks for cheering me on!
Lacy
I finally joiined!!!!
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