Last Wednesday I finished a tough but invigorating set of intervals, only to feel an all-too familiar ache behind my right hip. I had aggravated an old track injury to my iliotibial band.
Runners World reports that "studies show that anywhere from 30 to 60 percent of runners get injured every year," so I am not alone.
As a younger runner, I would have iced it and attempted to keep on running, but 34 year old Kathleen knows better. I made an appointment with Brendan Sullivan, a physical therapist at Empire Health and Wellness Center in Latham, NY. Brendan evaluated me and told me that I had hit the tipping point - all my running this spring had incrementally led up to this level of injury, not just one workout or misstep. It was time for me to get orthotics.
I was treated to an intense massage and a session with the muscle stim machine and sent home with strict instructions to NOT RUN. I can use an exercise bike.
Am I pissed off? Yes. Am I realizing how much I love running? Yes, especially when Saturday dawned sunny and warm enough to run in shorts.
No 10K race for me at the end of the month, but it is early enough in the season to regain my level of endurance in time for plenty of fun races this summer.
I'm keeping my head up high and looking forward to my next physical therapy appointment. Rest, for me, is just as important as a long run right now if I want to keep running for years to come.
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