Update: ITBS

Apparently, I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I’m sure you already figured that out. The iliotibial band does NOT run from the hip to the inside of the knee, as I inaccurately asserted in a previous post, but it runs down the outside of the leg to the outside of the knee. (Although I still think I saw “inside” in some article I was reading…)

Therefore, I have no idea why my upper leg randomly feels tight at times. I’m still doing as much stretching as possible, but I still don’t do enough.

The 14-mile long run went well. I need to start deciding when I’ll be stopping at aid stations and then mimic the same conditions on long runs (only 4 ubber-long ones left!). Yesterday I bought two single-serving pouches of Hammer HEED, the energy drink mix that will be used at the race. I normally use regular Gatorade powder (cheeper), but I decided that I needed to at least try this new stuff. And you never know–I might like it better.

ITB Syndrome

Apparently, ITBS is what has been plaguing my left thigh for a couple of weeks. I had never had any problems with the ITB whatsoever, so I’ve never stretched it and didn’t consider it when my leg started hurting in a “non-sore muscle” way. Until, that is, the weird feeling started alternating between the thigh and the inside of the knee. Bingo.

Now I’m doing the stretches, but I’m really opposed to backing off of my training plan. I am, however, starting to second-guess my marathon goal, and somehow the half-marathon looks so much more appealing. Is this just a mid-training psychological battle or are the recent injuries a sign of what is to come?