SO....back on the injury block. Thankfully it's not the sacroiliac which pulled me from the Napa Marathon last March. Now, it's the dreaded IT band that many runners, sooner or later, have issues with. Once diagnosed, I was relieved for a moment or two. I KNEW what I could do before my first physical therapy appt -- foam roll, roll, roll, and roll some more, AND get NEW shoes. I found spots in my glutes that I didn't know existed, and once the tightness was released -- my back pain disappeared. WARNING! I am NOT suggesting that if you have lower back pain you should foam roll your glutes -- I was diagnosed with an IT band issue and I knew rolling this region was good for me. Had I been diagnosed with a sacroiliac issue, hmm, well -- that would have been not so wise.
So I couldn't run the 18 miles as prescribed by my training program -- but I COULD walk. I walked 15 miles and it wasn't easy. I felt FANTASTIC for the first 12 miles, then the legs and glutes started feeling tired. YET, no pain. None. It would have been a very lonely walk had it not been for Wylea -- she really helped me get out of several funks, where I normally would have just given up. Not because I couldn't do it, but because -- well, truth be told, walking for 15 miles is kinda long and boring. We had great chats about our Team In Training experiences (she's done ELEVEN seasons) and we pulled through together.
So now, I've got my aqua-jogging plan in place, sports massage scheduled to knead the IT band, and physical therapy sessions lined up. Fingers crossed. As long as I exercise restraint and not run too soon, I'll be good to go for the Victoria Marathon come October.
