Down But DEFINITELY Not Out

About 3 1/2 weeks ago I suffered a running injury. It started with a pretty intense pain in my knee that just wouldn't go away. I have had many an ache and pain over the course of my running journeys but this one just didn't seem to let up. I finally went to the doctor last week and was diagnosed with an injured IT Band. What is an IT Band, you ask???? Well here is a great pic (mostly I just posted in because I wish my behind looked like this one.......one can dream,lol)

Your IT band isn't a muscle so it can't be stretched and it runs from your hip to your ankle. If you have a muscle that is too tight in your hip or leg it can strain this band. Boo. I have always been good at stretching after every run but you can bet I will be working with a resistant band to strengthen my hips after this.
The first 2 weeks my knee and upper band hurt 24/7, eventually this pain only flared up if I walked a couple blocks. On Friday night I went for massage therapy which must have worked wonders because I have been able to walk the neighborhood relatively pain free! I am going to physio this weekend but I couldn't resist trying the shortest run tonight. It was pretty pain free while running (hooray) so we will see what the next day brings. I have had to exercise HUGE control to not over do it and just run out my door, pain and all and run far away, releasing stress, the way I love to.
This "time out" has really shown me just how much I have loved the mental benefits that come from running (Give it a try if you haven't). What a world of difference it has made for my patience while parenting and my overall confidence in myself. LOVE IT!
I am really hoping that I can make a quick recovery and build back up to where I was before the snow flies and getting back up to the longer distances becomes almost impossible. Wish me luck.