on the iPod: "Carmina Burana: Fortuna" -- Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Depending on which source is being cited, the data will be a little bit different. Some will use a percentage, some will point to a ratio, others will focus on specific demographics like age and gender. But none of them paint a particularly rosy outlook for runners. They all agree that injury is inevitable for any runner that sticks with it for longer than a year. Damnit.
I've been extremely lucky in the injury department since running my first distance race in March of 2010. Five marathons and countless halfs later, there's only been a handful of months where I've been sidelined due to aches and pains. But that's exactly where I find myself on this gorgeously sunny and mild Easter Sunday afternoon. Damnit.
As much as I enjoyed skiing Vail over Spring Break, my knees paid the price of heavy downhill pounding four days in a row. One would think that the copious amounts of booze that were consumed -- Bailey's Irish Creme at breakfast, Miller Lite at happy hour, and Conundrum with dinner -- would have appropriately lubed all the joints of my legs, but I suppose that wasn't necessarily the case, because since returning two weeks ago i've successfully run twice, both times experiencing pain that points to one single culprit: a strained iliotibial band. Damnit.
Commonly referred to as the IT band, the iliotibial band is like a ginormous rubber band that runs from the hip down to the knee. I'm no scientific rocket (and neither is former Arkansas football coach Danny Ford) but i'm pretty sure it has to do legs and running and stuff like that. Regardless, i've been experiencing pain in my knee since getting back from Vail and i've decided that it's a strained IT band. It can't be anything else. Damnit.
Essentially there are three ways to "fix" a strained IT band, two of which I don't really like. Fix number one is to take a daily NSAID pain reliever, like Aleve. Upon penning this illustrious tome, i'm headed to Wal-Mart to pick up a large bottle. Fix number two is to stretch as much as possible. I'll be the first to admit that I don't normally stretch. Yes, I know that's awful. Yes, I know that's probably part of the reason that my IT band is strained in the first place. Yes, I'm going to try really hard to start stretching. The good news about stretching the IT band is that it can be done in bed. I like that already. Fix number three is to stop running. Altogether. No running. None. Zip. My grandmother GeGe, whom I loved so very much, used to say that if a person doesn't have anything nice to say that they shouldn't say anything at all, so I'll refrain from musing on my thoughts about fix number three. Damnit.
There are three great races coming up in the next 30 days and, as of now, i'm not registered for any of them. The plan was to run at least two of them, if not all three, but my IT band is making me rethink this plan all together. Unless the Easter Bunny magically restores my legs to their pre-skiing glory overnight, It might be time to suck it up and shelve the running shoes for an undetermined amount of time. If that's what has to happen, then please allow me to apologize in advance for the all-but-certain poor attitude and pouting. It won't be pretty.
Run. Damnit.
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