Bad News

I’ve been putting off writing this entry, but I guess now I have to...

Unfortunately, an old enemy called ITBS decided to rear its ugly head and keep me from running. For those of you not familiar with this monster, here’s a little clarification from Wikipedia: “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 femoral epicondyle, combined with the repeated flexion and extension of the knee during running may cause the area to become inflamed.”

I went to my chiropractor, who does ART (active release therapy) and amazingly, felt much better afterward—although the session itself was pretty painful. He basically helped stretch my IT band, align my pelvis, which tends to somehow pop out of place, and used a “graston” (metal “spoon” or “shark fin”-looking object) to help break up scar tissue around my knee. Thanks, Dr. Jacobs! (www.executiveexpresschiro.com)

That night I threw myself a little pity party with red wine, cheese puffs, and a French movie. What’s a girl to do, right? And yes, I’ll admit that I may have cried myself to sleep. I know, I know, pathetic, but in my defense, running had become such a huge part of my life—of my identity, really—that this felt like a huge blow. I felt betrayed by my own body. I felt that I was letting everyone down—everyone who had supported me and donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society so that I could run in honor of my friend Denise. Oh, Denise...I felt like I was letting her down most of all!

I know it sounds a little dramatic, and I have since had time to put things in perspective. Why assume the worst? Maybe this will go away with a little rest, stretching, ART, ice, and foam rolling... Maybe it will make me appreciate running even more (if that’s possible). Maybe it will force me do more strength training. Right?

I took a week off and today I will try running again for the first time. Hopefully I’ll come back here tomorrow with some good news!