CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!

Yes, I am totally paranoid at this point... but I think this is more than being paranoid.

So I ran Friday night, 5.5 miles. After the run it felt like my knee was swollen. Very odd. Nothing I had felt before. Due to it hurting I didn't ride my 70 mile ride as scheduled on Saturday.

I get up Saturday and take some Aleve. BAM! My pain is gone. So, I proceed to lay around all day (10-5) and then I decide that my knee is fine so there is no reason why I should miss what I have on my schedule.

I push my long run to Saturday and I go run 10 miles on the treadmill (too hot for outside running).

I get up Sunday and my knee seems to be fine. No pain to speak of. I ride 30 miles at about a 13 mph average- it's a slow ride.

Monday I go swim 4,000 yards.

Today... Tuesday... I go to run at lunch. I was only going to do 2.5 miles just due to lack of time. It was a beautiful day and only around 78 degrees. Cold for Texas!

I start to run. WOAH! Not good! The outside of the left leg by/around the knee hurts. Only hurts when I run on it. Great. My lower legs are tightening up. I walk. I stretch. I try to run again. PAIN! EXTREME PAIN! Everything below the knees hurts.

I then decided to call it a day and limped back to the office. Typically I would finish the miles but I knew that something was really wrong with the left leg.

Then I rode 25 miles tonight at a 15 mph average. The leg felt fine during the ride for the most part.

Now that I'm at home it's still OK, but there is pain. I believe it's the IT band. It's on the outside of my knee and right above it. Like a muscular pain. Very localized. I looked at pictures of where the IT band will hurt and that's where it hurts.

But I don't have pain in the upper part of the leg near the hip or the butt. I only hurt there. I have to say though, I can't run on it.

Dang it. If I'm injured right before my HIM this is totally going to suck. It's every athletes worse nightmare... right? Yes, I can walk the run but I didn't run 70-80 miles each month, for the past 3 months to walk 13 miles.

I hope to get to a Dr. to get it checked out by the end of the week. Maybe ice, rest, stretching, and a cortizone shot (ok, I know I probably won't get one... but a gal can dream )... MAYBE I can run by the HIM.