So, it's not what you're thinking . . . gangs of nerdy computer people huddled around a mass of musical instruments? Not at all! I've been sidelined with a hip injury since late January. It was exacerbated by the heavy walking on hard surfaces that we did on vacation. The pain got to be so bad that literally every step I took was painful.
It's been a few weeks of rest and, finally, a definitive diagnosis of . . . ."tight IT bands". They run along the outside of your legs, tying everything together from your pelvis to your knee. I had never heard of such a thing (until my kind running friends informed me right away that this was the problem, though I must admit I did not completely believe them). I finally gave in and went to see the doc who confirmed that he was pretty sure it was a tight IT band. I realized, far too late, that ramping up a running program with no knowledge, no plan, and no stretching was not a good idea. I know . . .duh! But really, I thought I could just run and if it was too much I would know!
I've learned my lesson. I've been stretching the IT bands since Saturday and today was my first day without pain every step. Yay!!! Such a huge relief! I have been cranky beyond belief for the past three weeks. I feel like I am finally coming out of the cloud as I can see some light at the end of this tunnel.
My new mission (as assigned to me by the doc) includes regular stretching, regular cross-training, regular core strengthening work, a slow start up on my running program and a subscription to Runners World. Again, who knew? I thought it was a magazine for die hard runners but it turns out that it is for newbies too!
So, a new pair of shoes (picked for me by a running specialist with a slew of cool tools) and a new outlook! I'm actually excited to finally have some guidance on how to avoid injury. I really do enjoy running and I think I'll like it even more if I am not injuring myself doing it.
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