On the Road Again

Yesterday I finally got back on the road after 2 weeks of nursing various leg injuries. Let me tell you, it is no fun to sit around wondering when you'll feel "normal" again. I had hip pain, knee pain and finally heel pain. Ouch.

I started out by icing and resting for a few days. I knew I didn't feel right and made the decision to sideline myself.

After about a week, I was feeling ok, but still had some lingering pain. At this point, I started to get really frustrated and began wondering if I could participate in the NJ half marathon. Luckily, I stumbled upon a Twitter chat that was being run by the Pittsburgh Marathon (@PGHMarathon) featuring Dr. Vonda Wright (@DrVondaWright). (Side note: I did the Pittsburgh Half Marathon in 2009 and really enjoyed my hometown race - highly recommend it and hoping to participate again next spring)

Dr Wright was providing training tips, and of particular note for me, some injury prevention tips. Dr Wright also has a YouTube series (http://www.youtube.com/user/vondawright?feature=watch) that I have found to be particularly good at addressing many of the injury issues that come up when training. For me, her video on preventing IT Band injuries (that pain on the outside of your knee)  was extremely helpful as I had never used a foam roller before. I felt like a big goofball the first time I tried it at the gym, but after a few tries I think I have the technique down.Watch the video below and imagine me doing that move, rolling around on a foam noodle. Trust me though, it works.

I'm back on the road again, feeling good and ready to carefully increase that mileage as the NJ Half Marathon approaches. Take care of those injuries before they become serious, and remember to seek professional help if they do become a serious problem.

Drive Slow