It's been almost 5 months since I last posted, Wow how time flies and boy has life and work been busy!! Following my spring Trail Mix 25k race, I discovered that the pain outside of my knee was Iliotibial band syndrome. I also discovered that the more I ran, the worse it got thus I bailed on the Superior Hiking Trail 25k race and the Afton 25k race. In fact, I stopped running all together to let it rest and then started to incorporate more stretching and cross-training into my schedule to hopefully take care of the root of the problem. As a minimalist shoe runner, I attributed the ITBS to a combination of overuse and a muscle imbalance. Strange as it was, while the pain was too much to run with, I was fortunately still able to bike, hike and backpack with no pain.
I'm finally getting back into the routine of running and am experiencing no pain. I think the key for me is to stay balanced in my cross-training and stretching. I am eying a couple 5k races this fall and just waiting to see how our family schedule pans out before I commit...
Other blog posts in development:
June 2010 Superior Hiking Trail Solo Trip Report
July 2010 Rocky Mountain National Park Family Trip Report
Backpacking Gear Update
