Do you have access to a local running store? The ones in the Baltimore area often have events where for a nominal fee (like $20 or less) you meet with the licensed medical professionals they bring in. Sometimes it is physical therapists, orthos, chiropractors, etc. Pretty sure it is a way for the medical folks to get their name out in the running community. It's not a full eval, but it could be a starting point.

Do you have access to a local running store? The ones in the Baltimore area often have events where for a nominal fee (like $20 or less) you meet with the licensed medical professionals they bring in. Sometimes it is physical therapists, orthos, chiropractors, etc. Pretty sure it is a way for the medical folks to get their name out in the running community. It's not a full eval, but it could be a starting point.

We have a couple of running stores, that is where I went in 2013 and found out that the GT 2000 series are perfect for me.

I haven't done squats since a weight training class in college, but I've often included lunges in my routine, even lunges with hand weights. I've never had any pain from them even when running higher mileage, e.g 50+ mpw.  It may very well be your form or another muscular weakness that needs to be addressed

 

I don't necessarily think that weight training & running aren't compatible. It's a matter of what is your focus at that point in time. Winter months, I put more emphasis on strength training. If I am training for something, running is the focus.

I am not talking about just your average weight training, I am talking about the athletes who put in hours a day at the gym, focusing on all parts of their body. People just as Jamie Eason (she has always been my favorite and an inspiration), Nicole Wilkins... and I can't think of other names but the website I've always used for workout ideas is www.fitnessrxwomen.com or www.oxygenmag.com, these women are serious about body building and total transformation which was something of a goal I had set back in 2010 but I fell in love with running.

I've never seen or read about a fitness/body building athlete running long distances such as 13.1 and up, or with weekly mileage of 40-50+, usually they only run for cardio or on the track for speed and their mileage doesn't normally pass 25-30 mpw.

30-60 minutes of strength training about 3-5 days a week is actually good for runners, but I used to go to the gym for an hour 6 days a week, and for all of March back in 2010 I was going twice a day, 6 times a week, an hour each so 2 hours a day - one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. Serious Weight/strength training was how I lost 20-25 lbs in 4 months and toned/trimmed my body, not cardio/aerobics. I figure once I get up to a weekly mileage I am happy with, say 50 mpw as base mileage and my body has had time to adapt to it, then I can maybe get back to the kind of strength training I used to do.

 If it's hurting me, and I don't have to do it, I would stop.

I have this debate in my head about running all the time lol

Very Important Mention!

I should probably mention too that the irritation and aches would also occur whenever I would use my hyperextension machine for my lower back,

I haven't used it since November though, I've been focusing on doing Supermans instead, so far no issue there.