Stretching, stretching, stretching...

And here come the issues.

My first 10k long slow distance run went really well, and I felt great during the run itself. But apparently my muscles and joints didn't love the increase in mileage as much as the rest of me did.

After the run, I started to have some weird twinges in one knee, and then the following week I started to have issues with my IT band in the other knee. Plus, for good measure, all the major muscles used for running have been stiff for the past couple of weeks.

On Monday night's run, I started out ok, but then my IT band started to get sore, and I started to limp only 1.5k into the run. Needless to say, I had to stop running at that point and walk back to the store. Also needless to say, it was a cold walk back to the store, since I was dressed for running in the chilly weather, not for walking.

When you're in the middle of training and have spent months working towards building up a base, it's disconcerting to have your muscles and joints rebel and start to act up. After Monday night's run, I was worried that if I wasn't careful, I'd be heading towards more serious injury.

I am so grateful to Ellen for suggesting some exercises that will help with building muscle strength where I need it (thanks Ellen - you're the best!). And I'd also like to thank Victoria for being a great instructor and for making us all stretch after the clinic night runs (and for making me head back to the store on Monday night, when I might have stubbornly kept running and limping and likely injuring myself).

So. I'm working on some exercises to help strengthen my hips and legs, etc.

After Monday night's fiasco, I took it easy on Tuesday, taking the rest day to heart; I did lots of stretching, and took an Epsom Salt bath. And on Wednesday, I'm pleased to report, I was able to comfortably do a 4k steady run. I did a lot of dynamic stretching before the run, and I started off much more slowly than I normally do. I also took a lot longer than normal to get up to the max speed for the run. The rest of the group did 4 hills and I ran a separate, flat route, but I'm really glad that I did.

It was a huge relief that I had no IT band issues at all on the run, and I was able to finish strong.

If there's anything I've learned from all this, it's that I need to work even more on stretching (both dynamic stretching beforehand and static stretching afterwards). And I can't underestimate the importance of paying attention to muscle tightness. Everything's connected, and when one set of muscles is tight, it pulls on other muscles, and can lead to things being out of alignment and can lead to pain that isn't necessarily the source of the injury. I'm no expert, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if my recent knee issues have been a result of really tight hamstrings.

I also plan on getting one of those foam rollers - I didn't think I needed something like that, but after trying one out and seeing what a huge difference it made with my hamstrings, I'm sold.

I only tried it for a few minutes yesterday just to see what it was like, and today is the first day in about two weeks that my muscles (hamstrings, glutes, calves, etc) didn't feel stiff and sore.

The race I'm training for is coming up on April 2nd, and I'm still hoping to run well, to finish strong, and to cross the finish line upright and smiling. This is always my goal for training runs too - pain is bad. So is injury.

I'm going to keep working on those exercises, and on stretching, and also on taking it easy on the rest days.

The next long slow distance run is coming up on Sunday. I don't know what distance I'll be running, and I'll be running a flat route. Regardless of whatever distance I run, I'm going to be very mindful of any twinges, soreness, or tiredness. And I will run very slowly until I'm sure that I'm properly warmed up, and even then I will likely run slower than I normally do.

I love running, and I want to avoid injury so I can keep on running.

Wishing everyone a great long slow distance run this weekend, and also wishing a great run for everyone who's running the upcoming Chilly Half Marathon in Burlington (good luck you guys!)

And here's hoping for a fun and pain-free run for myself!

Happy Running,

Sarah :)