IT Band Update

Previous episode recaps:
Our hero was running here and there, enjoying his ‘vacation’. But what he did not know was, this sparse running coupled with long runs on Saturdays, started wreaking havoc on his IT band (Tendon (or ligament?) that runs from the hip, down the side and attaches under your knee. There is no fat on your knee bones, so the ligament at times will rub on the bone(cartilage?) and swell up causing pain. Especially if you pick up your mileage too fast, and don’t stretch and stuff) around his left knee.
Our hero decided to run the marathon anyway, as he wasn’t racing it, and the IT Band issues hadn’t been too bad. But the mileage would add to the inflammation, and after the marathon on Feb 17, he ran a few more times, but the band was mad, and he decided it was a good time to let it heal.
So the hero took 9 full days off from running. He gained weight, ate crap food, and simply just let himself indulge in the sedentary man’s lifestyle. He then flew to NY, and took advantage of the Central Park trail system, and tested out the knee. Alas, the pain resurfaced at mile 4 of 6. He then decided to take yet another week of recovery, but this time reached out to coaches and Massage Therapist extraordinaire Lisa; they both suggested the almost magical foam roller. Read a great explanation of IT Band issues here... Including quotes like this one: “The knot remains a knot, laughing in the face of the stretch.”
So our hero borrowed a couple different ones from friends and rolled twice a day.

Present:
Our hero went and ran this morning with dog in tow along with Jo Dee and Kerry at 5:45am. Before the run, he rolled his IT Band and quads, then headed out to the meeting place. They put on their headlamps and ventured into the dark trails of the greenbelt. His IT band was not too happy for the first mile or so, and he was quite demoralized. He wondered how much longer he’d have to wait for the stupid thing to heal. But, something magical did happen, and after that warm up mile, the pain subsided. Maybe the IT Band just needed to warm up? He continued on his run, and could feel a slight pain, when faced with the steep but brief hills, but overall, there was no significant pains. He came home, took a shower, then rolled his quads and IT band again. He sure hopes he can run pain free tomorrow morning again.