Baby steps

I have been stretching, rolling, taking ibuprofen, and resting to make sure my IT band heals. I told Mike that I was not going to run until I could wake up in the morning without pain. Well, this morning I woke up without pain. But, I could still feel that it was tight. I stretched a lot today day and used the foam roller 4 times. I read about IT band injuries online. I talked to fellow co-workers/runners. Everything I read and heard said that I would be fine taking time off and that I wouldn't lose my fitness before the marathon.

But I want to run! I came home and told Mike that I think that we should try running three miles. As we got ready I was still nervous about the idea of running. We headed out the door and started running. We made it about 50 yards before we stopped. My leg felt weird. It didn't hurt. It just felt odd. Mike gave me a high five and we turned around and started walking towards the house. Then, Mike suggested that we do a loop around the complex (quarter mile) just so I could see how my leg felt. So, we did. My leg felt fine. And then we tried running to the end of the road. So, we did. My leg still felt fine. Once we hit the end of the road, I told Mike that we should just do the three mile run. My leg didn't hurt. Additionally, the weird feeling was going away.

It was 60+ degrees out. I was hot. It felt amazing. We stopped at a crosswalk which is normally when my IT band tightens up. I was so happy to feel that first step without pain. It felt incredible to run without pain. This is the first time I have had a completely pain-free run in over a week.

When we got home, I treated that run like I would a 20 miler. I stretched a lot immediately. I used the foam roller. I took an ice bath. After my ice bath I took a shower, got dressed, and ran down stairs for dinner. No pain.

Tomorrow, maybe we'll try 4 miles :)