Hey Vixi~ You want to do strengthening exercises on your off running days.... If you have any access to the gym, there are lots of good machines to help with that, such as the Arc trainer that Teresa and I super mega heart.... If not, just go online and do some searches, and you are sure to find some that will not aggrivate the knee too much. This is key! don't do anything that will make the knee hurt worse while doing it.... that is the tough part for sure! Also, get a knee strap, this will help get your knee cap back into proper tracking while running, and it won't injure it further. Teresa: Prednisone is an all purpose drug used for a multitude of things like auto immune disorders, arthritis and general inflamation. It is really a scary drug, but if given only once in a while perfectly harmless, just like good ole Vitamin " I"..... It was a lifesaver for me, it got me running again without pain. I think many Doc's won't give it for the above reason, but I suspect because they would rather keep getting your money via PT..... it's all a racket. Post back after you talk to Blaine...... I am curious to see what he has to say.

It's possible that you overstretched, more so maybe because it was different than your normal routine. Also were you warming up before you did the stretching? As I've pointed out and Mr P has seconded, you shouldn't stretch cold muscles. I warm up with a half mile walk and then stretch. I repeat for my cool down. I'm trying to remember where I included a link to stretching information in the threads. If you didn't see it, then let me know and I'll include it tomorrow (it's saved on my work computer) I actually applied Ben Gay myself tonight before my warm-up walk. I used to live by the stuff, but now only occasionally use it. But it is relieving and then I iced after my run. Remember a basic rule, you apply Ice the first 24-48 hrs after an injury and then apply heat (in this case Ben gay), however continually applying Ice right after a work out is really good as it helps the swelling stay down and I find helps to cool off muscles.

Walking Wounded . . . really! Hey, I'm happy for the recommendation of the BenGay before running. I might try that. I wonder if I overstretched maybe before running? After our conversation about stretching I was trying to be more conscious of my own habits and I wonder if that did it or if it had nothing to do w/ it and it's just an overtraining thing b/c I've increased my mileage of late.

That's great news, Larry! Hopefully I'm right behind you. It's pouring right now, so I'm going to run on the Y treadmill in a little while - a mile at a time, stopping when I have to.

Nice to see everyone has columns marching across the graph again! Ran a progression run last night, at first it wasn't intentional, but I kept picking up pace, so about 3 kms in I made a decision to go hard the rest of the way. Enjoyed the faster running, which I have not done in about 10 days or so. Simon.

LOL I was wondering about Teresa's son too. I have a lot of respect for Blaine. Larry, glad to hear you had a good run, especially with some friendly motivation. Nice to see a 6.5 mile bar again, huh? Hope that leg continues to heal well. Cheffy and MrPh, I'll remember what you said about strengthening the legs. I definitely don't want to aggravate the knee! I ran some with a knee brace to help the knee track better. I don't seem to need that anymore but I know I should keep strengthening the legs. Thanks for all the advice. Actually, I'd been stopping about 1 or 1.5 mi into the run to stretch, trying really hard to remember "no bouncing!" Still, it was different from my normal routine. Last nite DH and I went out for 2.5 with the kids in the double stroller. It's a different workout with that beast, I'll tell ya. Fortunately it helps keep your pace in check and it's a bit of an upper body workout. I worried that I maybe shouldn't have done it, even though I want to encourage DH in his running, so I iced when I got home and prayed fervently. Today I did what I used to do before I became such a lunatic with the tendency to go out hard all the time and just walked before I went running. Leg felt great. Not only did it not hurt, I didn't even feel it. Which is how it's supposed to feel, right? I did the BenGay before I set out, and I iced it when I got home, even though it didn't hurt. I also kept the pace we kept when my DH and I ran together with that beast of a stroller, at least for most of the run, which is more of what my easy pace is supposed to be. One of these days I'll learn that lesson. Rest day tomorrow. Saturday is a scheduled long run, but I think I'll run another easy 6 or so. Friend's inviting me to run a 5k with her that I think I'll just cheer her on. I want to set a new 5k PR but not at the cost of my HM PR.

Simon, a kilometer is .6 of a mile, isn't it? So after a 4:36 kilometer it's no wonder you were exhausted! What a great run! Thanks for posting those splits. D'you see that article in RunningTimes about how that's how exactly how the Ethiopian elites run their intervals? It was really interesting. Yes, no more lunatic running for me . . . More walking first, and no more going all-out all the time.

Thanks for asking about DS and Blaine! It was raining, so DS was happy. It meant that I stayed in the car, though, until the 5K race actually started. Then I stood at the finish line to watch people finish. My son is so funny - ahead of time, he KNEW he wouldn't be "racing," because that wasn't in his summer plan. He and Blaine ended up running fast intervals together for a little while, then took it easy before running fast the last 0.1 mile. So his time was 18:35, not surprisingly, but he was bummed out! I guess it dawned on him that the time would show up in the newspaper today, and the other kids might think he wasn't on his game. Blaine told me that Logan is doing well, and following his HS coach's instructions, so he doesn't think there's any need for extra coacing. He is willing to run with Logan every Tuesday and/or Wednesday night, though, so that should be helpful. We didn't talk about my ankle because of the rain and the late hour. My 5 miles on the Y treadmill today felt OK today - the ankle is a little bit irritated, but not painful. One day at a time!

Ok, I'M BACK! I've not posted here much lately but I have been reading. I started my training program for my 15th half marathon today. Nov. 23rd the Cleveland West Road Runners Club Half. Cheffy, Vixi & Teresa are all like running veterans now. MrPH, Simon & Larry it's always a pleasure to read your posts.