Running = stupid. My running form has some serious problems. When I run, I get IT band pain, especially when I run fast.
Yesterday, my racewalking friends Erin and Dave were in town. They had a 15K kickdown workout (hard!) and I was to cross-train. They invited me to jog along on the track. I figured that would be fine; after all, I ran with Sarah last weekend. However, I did not run as FAST. I started out slowly enough with them, at about 6:15/km pace. That was fine. But when I went faster, my right IT band started hurting a lot, pretty quickly. I did stop running and did a little racewalking, but after a while I knew I had to stop that too.
The rest of the day we did tourist stuff, touring the Utah Olympic Park and the Bingham Canyon copper mine. My right knee was quite painful even just walking around, and I wondered if I'd be able to do the 15K we had planned to do together on Saturday (today). I did ice it and stretched my hip and leg a LOT, using the foam roller, etc. I also took anti-inflammatories. All of that probably helped, but resting helped the most I think.
I woke up this morning and had a little tenderness but was able to walk without pain, so I decided to try the 15K. We set out at about a 6:35 pace, and that was totally fine for the first 2k or so. We picked up the pace a little, and averaged 6:29/k through 10.4k, at which point I had to stop because it started to hurt, despite stretching periodically. That was better than I expected! I was on the far side of Liberty Park, though, and so Erin and Dave continued around the park again while I walked slowly back to the corner where I'd meet them to exit the park.
I racewalked home without much pain, albeit at a slower pace. The total workout was just over 12K. I'm glad I got that much in. I am going to consult with my coach about what I should try tomorrow; the knee is still tender but does seem improved a bit. Hopefully this won't set me back more than a couple days at most.
It was great to RW with Erin and Dave - they gave me lots of good technique pointers, and kept me from RW when I was hurting. Plus they were wonderful company. I wish I could train with people more often!
Garmin data here.
2 comments:
I can't run hard and walk legally during the same time period; that just KILLS my knees.
I can do slow trail running in moderation if I am, say, planning a fast hike for a trail race.
I know that some good athletes can mix both, but I don't fit that description.
If your knee pain is related to IT Band Friction Syndrome, you should definitely go check out the website: http://www.bulletproofknee.com . Good luck!
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