Training Derailed!

After doing some internet reading and consulting the Hot Legs, I've determined that my "knee" problem is actually an IT band problem - the same overuse injury that has been plaguing my ultrarunning cousin Travis. In laymen's terms, the iliotibial band is a muscle group that goes from the hip to the knee. When it rubs a lot at either connection point, the area swells and pain ensues. I first started noticing the pain when running downhill (there's a pretty steep half-mile downhill on my local running route) and now it's gotten to the point where my knee starts to ache after about 15 minutes of running. If I take frequent walk breaks, it's bearable - but I'm just worried about making things worse at this point since I'm going to do the Chicago Marathon come hell or high water.

So sadly, I've decided to cancel my planned half-marathon in St. Louis. I'm bummed because I was totally on track with my training and actually following my plan, but I think it's too much of a risk until I get this thing under control. I'm seeing a massage therapist this week who's highly recommended by the Hot Legs, going to the running shop for new shoes, decreasing my mileage, and incorporating some cross training. I didn't have any problems last summer when I did my first half mary, but at the time I was doing lots of strength training, biking and swimming so I think my body was just in better shape.

Maybe this is a good time to switch my focus to triathlon?? I can start concentrating on preparing for some sprints while ramping up my mileage slowly to prepare for my marathon training which will start in June.

In other "injury" news, a quick note on the dating minefield. Never fear - Jenn will not stay down! I decided that the best way to get over my first experience in being passively dumped is to just move on. Though I will likely not be repeating the mistake of reporting *too* much on my blog, I'll just say that two dates are in the works for this week. Practice makes perfect ... right?? :)