Back on Track!

I'm pleased to announce that I just experienced my first pain free run in a couple of weeks! I'd like to share the following email chain with you, so that you may track my progess towards the marathon. I'd also like to post the emails below, so that I'll be able to look back on my entire DFMC experience and remember how I kicked my ITB injury to the curb! Please note that I altered a few of the name(s) in the email chain to protect several identities.

EXHIBIT A

Hi Friend,

I hope you had a great vacation! I'm writing because I've been experiencing some pain on the outside of my right knee. The pain first came on during the last mile of a 13.5 mile run just over a week ago. I do not feel pain whenever I'm walking. Whenever I run, however, the sharp pain in my knee comes back. I don't usually feel it until a mile or two into my run. After doing a bit of research, my guess is that it's an ITB injury. What do you think? I've been doing the stretches and icing my knee. I've also been using a foam roller to work out the kinks. I've been strengthening my knee and other muscles using exercises that I found online, and I bought new sneakers. I took about five days off from running, but I've been using the elliptical machine to keep up with my training. I attempted a run this afternoon, but the pain came back after a mile or so into the run. I feel like I'm in such great shape, and I really want to be able to run! I just don't want to make my knee worse. Do you have any suggestions to speed up the recovery process? Do you think it might be something other than an ITB injury? Should call my doctor, or do you suggest that I see an athletic trainer? Do you suggest that I take more time off from running, or should I try to run through the pain? How long does it typically take to recover from this sort of thing? I understand that you aren't a doctor, but I could really use a little bit of advice from an experienced runner. Has your ITB ever given you any trouble? Many thanks for your suggestions!

Thanks,
Katy Counihan

EXHIBIT B

Hi Katy,

I heard that your ITB has been acting up – but I was hoping that because I hadn’t heard from you that it was doing better. Alas – here we are:-) You’re doing all the right things for it – and most likely it is only a matter of time before it heals more completely and with the added strength and flexibility work that you’re doing, you’ll alter the basic structure of your ITB angle enough to relieve the pressure that is causing the irritation. Just how much time is hard to say. For now, keep doing all those things you mentioned. Add a short course of ibuprofen for 3 – 4 days (maybe 3 x 600 mg / day with food – still considered a moderate dosage) provided you have no allergies to to or GI problems taking it. Later this week, I’ll step you though a few exercise therapy sessions (essentially walk/jog on a slightly elevated treadmill – whereby you’ll alternate every minute walk/jog – and only for a total of 15 minutes). If that goes OK, we’ll up it to 20 the next day, then 25 and 30. From there we’ll go to 2 run / 1 walk, then 3/1, 4/1 and 5/1. At that point you’ll be able to start increasing your total time by another 5 – 10 min each workout. In the meantime, you’ll be cranking away on the elliptical and all your other strength/flexibility work. Could be about 3 weeks to get back on the roads as you were before this kicked up. But your fitness level will continue to advance so that by the time you’re back to 100%, it will be like you never missed any workouts at all – because essentially you won’t have missed any. Keep me posted through this week –and keep smiling. I’ve seen lots of this –and I’m certain you’ll get through it and be fine.

Friend

EXHIBIT C

Hi Friend!

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly! I have some rather great news! I've been following your program: Ibuprofen with food, ice, resting, strength, stretching, Walt Reynolds, etc.... I tried a fifteen min. run as you suggested below (alernating jogging/walking every other minute), and today was the first day that I had no pain whatsoever! GO IT BAND! I hopped back onto the elliptical and tried a second fifteen min. run later on in the evening as well! This is a serious breakthrough because I haven't had a single pain free run in two or three weeks! I think the program is working! :) ... My new sneakers are definitely making a huge difference (less flip flopping), and I felt minimal pain on my right side w/ the foam roller. Keep in mind that the foam roller practically brought tears to my eyes last week! When I was on tour, we used to travel with a foam roller, but I never really used it because I wasn't doing any serious jumping in my costumes. You should definitely bring a foam roller to one of our group workouts because it makes a huge difference! I didn't realize how knotted I was until I tried it a couple of weeks ago!

It was definitely tempting to try to run miles and miles without stopping today ... but I resisted! I'm sticking to the program! I was at the gym for over three hours this evening to ensure that I don't take a step backwards fitness-wise ... did the arc trainer and the elliptical followed by core and strength exercises, foam rolling, and some serious stretching! Again, many thanks for your help! Will definitely keep you posted! I'm off to blog!

Thanks,
Katy

P.S. Just saw the new DFMC singlet this afternoon ... talk about inspiration!