That'll teach me

Image Source: http://recsports.ufl.edu/images/uploads/ce-iliotibial-it-band-1.jpg

After a nine month hiatus from running or any other form of physical activity, other than briskly walking to my bus stop in the morning in order to avoid seeing it drive by (which has happened a few times). I signed up for a half marathon and decided to take my running shoes out for a fresh spin.

Sunday evening was my first run, it went fairly smoothly so I decided to try it again on Monday. With a little muscle soreness but a lot of motivation, I laced up yet again for another 2 mile steady run. Every good runner knows that stretching is as important as choosing the right footwear, so I did all the necessary running stretches and called it a night.

With my alarm set for 6AM, the plan was to begin a morning run to avoid the afternoon heat and the evenings endless To Do lists; however, it didn't quite go as smoothly as it did in my head. I woke with excruciating pain in my IT band, the 'rubber like' muscle that runs on the side of the quad from the hip to the knee. I have felt this pain before, the first time two years ago after my first half marathon. I didn't expect it to reoccur after two short runs.

Thankfully, I am educated in IT band stretching and treatment. I immediately booked an appointment with my chiropractor who happens to do Active Release Techniques for athletes. The results are yet to be felt, but I am hoping for a speedy recovery, and the doctor seemed confident that it wouldn't be long until I hit the pavement again.

The moral of the story, and my lesson learned, NEVER take a 9 month break from running.