Recovering IT Band: Long-term Goals, Fell Apart to Fall into Place

For whatever reason(s) my IT band is giving me a lot of trouble. Whether it was the two weeks of downtime for my melanoma incision to heal and/or trying to train for a full-marathon around that event, the ligament connecting my left hip to knee, my illitobial band, is very painful. It's getting tight and rubbing on my knee bone, which expresses itself as pain on the outside of my knee when I run. From what I've read, I don't think that it can cause serious damage, but I do have to give it a good couple months of rest to (hopefully) get rid of this pain. An underlying weakness in my hip is likely what caused the trouble, which could certainly have been from a lot of things I had to do differently while my incision healed, mostly laying on my unusual side for sleeping and being careful to not swing that arm for a week when I did get to run again. Who knows.

So how am I trying to recover it, while hoping for some long term running goals?

1) Lots of cross-training:

A local university has a pool with affordable access to the public during certain hours. Two or three times a week, I do this wonderful-for-every-part-of-my-body exercise. I was on a high school swim team my junior year. I loved practice because of what a full workout swimming is. It took me about four visits to get my breathing rhythm back for the freestyle, but it feels so good, the process has been worth it.

I also have a stationary bicycle at home. I like riding it for an hour before our boys wake up. Cycling makes me feel that IT band very minimally, so I am keeping the resistance kinda low. But it's a good sweat!

I also have been doing all sorts of strength-training, from clam shells to squats to hip lifts and yoga poses of all sorts. Gotta get my hips up to snuff!

2) Light running:

I have told myself I will not try to run on the road until a 5K with friends mid-May. The treadmill does not irritate it as much, especially with a friend's knee brace. I have run a couple times since the half (that was no longer the full-marathon bc of my IT band) on April 9. I did two miles a few days ago, and stopped because it got tight. I did six today that felt great, but laying down on my unusual side while giving our toddler mommy milk for bed time has just now revealed some pain. I probably won't run again until Saturday... And I may have to cap myself off at 3 miles, no matter what. I am so tempted to overdo it. I miss the feel of a fast, long run.

Before this melanoma hiccup, I was feeling confident that I could run a full-marathon and qualify for Boston (03:35:00). Guys, I was even feeding delusions of being able to qualify for the next Olympics Marathon Trials (that gives me three+ years) (NOT the actual Olympics... Yet.). Currently, that means I'd have to run a marathon in less than 02:45:00. Hahahaha!!!! It has been a humbling pill to swallow uncontrollable variables that have required me to pull back and slow down. And now my delusions reveal themselves in all their hilarity.

3) The Running Revolution by Nicholas Romanov

This coach studied hundreds of hours of footage of some of the best runners in recent history to discover a common, best running form, which he has dubbed Pose Method. Justin got me the book for Christmas, and I did not want to take the time to re-train my body to do this proper form that Romanov claims will help me "run faster, farther, and injury-free for life." Well, NOW I got the time to rebuild my running, so I guess I oughta do it correctly. I already have been working on the stretches and strength-training to adjust my muscles and tendons and ligaments to a minimalized running shoe.

In addition, my marathon-running brother-in-law shared a training manual with me about properly preparing my body for a full-marathon with a solid running base that is not just based on a rushed training method. I have a detailed way to add mileage In a wise way per week that won't overload my body. And I feel so secure and confident about planning my goals in a wiser way by having this knowledge. Hey, if I wanna get to Boston and the Olympics trials (hahaha!), I am gonna do this the right way. I don't want to do it just because... I want to be excellent. Maybe everything fell apart so I could get it in the right place?

Or maybe none of that will happen...

So #4 has become the most important lesson for me to apply myself to at this point, both spiritually and physically:

RELAX.

I still don't know how to do that.

(And I am not ready to share my long term spiritual goals in this setting, so the example will just be running.)

Knowing the goals I have for the future makes present perspective easier to grasp. If I wanna run even my first full-marathon, I can't run my knee to death right now. Not running (or limiting it very much, compared to my former training) is actually getting me closer -- moving me forward -- to running a marathon than trying to go do forty+-mile weeks right now.

And that, having to be still in mind and heart more than in body, is where I am trying to get.

I wanna dream big, but I also want to be humble enough to get there... Or to be okay if God has a different timeline or plan than I do altogether.

Father-God, thank You for teaching me. I need help with these lessons, so I thank You for Spirit and Jesus who remind me of perspective and determination. Thank You for not giving up on me.