So I expected running the canyon was going to set back my knee (IT band) recovery, and it did. Was worth it, 100 percent. I ran/hiked a mile and half up the canyon on a two or three foot deep snow pack covered with grainy corn snow and a layer of slush, having to actually use my hands to climb over one old avalanche slide. My knee was sore by the time I hit a half mile, and by a mile and a half I was almost wishing for a sled to go back down on. I stood for a minute before turning around and savored the view, the great jagged cliffs rising on both sides of me, the painfully sharp blue sky, the unmistakable sense of the eternal, a short moment of prayer. Then I ran back down. Unfortunately, going down is harder on this type of injury than going up is. Suffice to say I paid for this little excursion for the next four days, especially the next morning, hobbling through the terminals at the Salt Lake City and then Baltimore airports. Thank heaven for escalators and people-moving walkways. But no worries – four days of cross training on the bike and ellipitical machine kept the blood pumping, and today I was able to run a quick 5k at lunch with no pain at all. I miss my staple six and seven milers. But I can be patient while I work through this. Especially since it looks like there are some big running adventures on deck for this fall (more on these later!). In the meantime, as I’ve researched the best treatments for the IT band issue, I’ve come across repeated recommendations of deep tissue massage. I wondered what and how this was done, and the Internet provides an answer. Check it out:
How to Give a Deep Tissue Illiotibial Band Massage — powered by ExpertVillage.com
Tags: injuries, it band, Running
