Tuesday, March 17, 2009

While I'm In Between

It was iliotibial band syndrome. Just an overuse injury caused by a tight, irritated muscle on the outside of my thigh. (I, along with half of all runners, am an expert on this injury so feel free to e-mail questions about it!**) The only cure was complete cessation of all running.

Running is spiritual. It is the shadow of my relationship with God, a physical symbol for an invisible inner life. Through it I learned to be strong, to be humble, to persevere. Now it was time to surrender.

So, for three months I didn’t so much as jog across the parking lot.

Winter passed slowly. Things began to change. Greg and I moved into a new house in the country. I secured a teaching job at a school close by for the following year. I started a small group for teenage girls in our upstairs room.

One morning I looked out the window at the fresh blue skies of Spring. I grabbed my running shoes from the dark corner of my closet and started again. This time, it was no girl, pouting and selfish who flew across the countryside under the warm sun.

It was a woman.


*“While I’m In Between” taken from Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman by Britney Spears.

**Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS): The IT band connects the iliac (hip) to the tibia (at the knee). A healthy IT band can move back and forth across the femoral epicondyle with each step, pain free. When the band is overused, it tightens, becomes inflamed, and causes a painful burning on the outside of the knee or down the outside of the thigh.

If you think you have an IT band injury, stop running immediately and focus on getting it loose again. Special stretches
here can show you how to properly care for the injury and prevent it from happening in the future. Also, a foam roller is miraculous for IT bands.

If you live in the metroplex,
GO HERE for an evaluation and adjustment. This guy has saved the running careers of half our church.

9 comments:

  1. Youch, I always have knee pain, and of course the dreaded shin pain, errr maybe this is why I don't love running. You inspire me! I always thought you were always a runner, I never knew you LEARNED how to be a runner!

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  2. "Ben" whatever. Quit plugging your lamo site on my blog. It was like five years ago dude.

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  3. Thanks for helping so much through my injury! I'm SO thankful for you and Jerri's encouragement! Not sure I would've been able to get over the emotional side of the injury so fast without you two. And to everyone else...YES...go visit Wright Chiropractic for whatever ails you, he is amazing!! I was able to make it through the Cowtown half with his help!

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  4. Lots of plugs on this post. I like the one about Brit. It makes me want to turn on that song and belt it out!! But all the talk about a burning fiery pain in the leg, does not make me want to run...it makes me want to cry.

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  5. Now I have to check out bulletproofknee.com

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  6. I've had this problem before. Get better.

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  7. i really like what you said about running being the shadow of your spiritual life. i agree.

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  8. loved the "spiritual" paragraph. i've done ITBS & I do surrender.

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