Diagnosis: IT band syndrome

After a visit with the ortho yesterday and multiple x-rays later... I learned that I have beautiful knees with pleanty of cushion to destroy via concrete running for many years to come.

I also learned that, indeed, I have IT band syndrome.  Just as I suspected weeks ago.  Of course, self diagnosis these days is pretty easy.  Google.  Knee Pain.  Lateral.  Running.  Bingo!

The doc told me that my IT band isn't all that tight, but confirmed that I have point tenderness where the band inserts at the top of my tibia.  He suggested that I continue what I've been doing.  Foam rolling, icing, NSAIDs and brief runs every other day or every third day.

I had two pain free runs this week.  Both were a mere two miles and one was on the treadmill while the other was outside.  It's hard to hold back on the distance, especially when Scott is doing a lot of long runs to prep for Gasparilla, but I am being a VERY good girl.  My entire spring/early summer season depends on it. 

I've gotten myself back in the gym.  Strength training is taking place and that's somewhat of a miracle.  I'm actually enjoying all of the soreness!

Perhaps the biggest change that has occurred over the past 2-3 weeks or so is that I have completely cleaned up my diet.  I'm eating like a different person now and it feels amazing.

Down time due to injury gives a person a lot of time to reflect and I started thinking about why in the world I have not leaned out over the past two years (after my intial weight loss).  It all comes down to diet.  Scott and I have adopted the "abs are made in the kitchen" philosophy and we're sticking to it!  With the increase in training last year, I pretty much gave myself permission to eat... and not good things.  I'm talking about pizza, cookies, brownies.  Y'all know, right?  The 'ole "food is my reward" philosophy.  Well, even though I didn't gain any weight, I also didn't lose anything and in my opinion may have actually gained some fat in place of muscle.

What I never fully took into consideration last year was that during those 2 to 5 hour workouts, I was taking in fuel!  About 300 cals per hour for me.  Since just about every workout was aerobic (and not high intensity, high calorie burn short-course stuff), the net calorie burn at the end of the day wasn't as much as I was thinking that it was.  One slice of pizza might have been ok, but having 3 or 4 slices was going overboard!

So, my abs are going to be made in the kitchen this year.  If everything works out like it should, I may even post before (waaaay before, as in right before I started working out) and after pics!