<p>I haven’t slipped in the bathroom before. I’ve almost tripped over him since he sleeps right in the doorway in the hot months, though. It hurts pretty much and I’m not sure I’ll be able to do yoga with it hurting like this. I wanted to get in a Monday class before we leave for Colorado early Wednesday. Might not happen. Going out now to run in the swamp-like weather. On my feet a lot yesterday. I have a houseguest and we went down to Lynchburg, TN to tour the Jack Daniels distillery. It’s always fun to do that, but we packed a lot into the day- including a lot of food and some of the new Jack cinnamon whiskey called Fire. Just small amounts… (of the whiskey).</p>
<p>Hope you feel better, MOWC. </p>
<p>Well, I ran 6.1 miles. When I started out I wasn’t sure if I could do it because of the ribs, but it eased up enough that I could run. It was 74 degrees and 95% humidity. I’m glad I was able to bump up the distance. 22 mile week! Thanks, pizzagirl. This was not something I needed right now, but I’m sure it will be OK (the ribs). </p>
<p>Oh Bromfield, I am sorry to hear about the passing of your dear pet. I am a dog person myself and I know how much a part of the family they become. Hugs to you.</p>
<p>Hi! I read regularly, but posting for the first time. I primarily run and currently am in the process of (re)building up mileage after an injury. I’ve ran 5ks since high school and at my peak last summer, was running 5k in 21:30, a mile in 6:20ish, and long runs of 5-6 miles for a total of 20 per week. In December, I developed pain on the outside of my left knee that has really limited my speed and mileage (I’ve just now reached 15 again). To recover, I’ve been doing a lot of hip strengthening exercises and core work but still experience that side pain every time I hit 15 miles per week. Any additional things I can do to speed up my recovery and ensure I don’t get injured again? I’ve been aiming for 10k and up for years now and keep getting sidelined by this same sort of injury. Getting frustrating. Thanks! </p>
<p>Love when we have new people on this thread - hello kmac! </p>
<p>It might help a bit to tell us your age - not exact age but are you a college student or one of us older geezers. :)</p>
<p>Hi abasket, thanks for the welcome! I’m a college student- rising junior. </p>
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<p>Not to sound flip, but exercise is pretty simple. If it hurts to run 15 miles a week, then don’t run 15 miles a week! :)</p>
<p>[Does</a> It Hurt?](<a href=“http://www.strengthcoach.com/public/1602.cfm]Does”>http://www.strengthcoach.com/public/1602.cfm)</p>
<p>I would say that a very high percentage (probably a majority) of people cannot run high weekly mileage without injury and knee pain has got to be the most significant problem. The running magazines are filled cover to cover with secret formulas to run while injured, to do this or that strengthening exercise so that you can cure your injury while still running. That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t change the underlying cause of the problem: overuse injury.Exercise is supposed to be good for you, not hurt you. Overuse injuries defeat the whole purpose and are completely preventable (except as the rare exception).</p>
<p>At a certain point, you have to decide whether you are willing to live with knee pain (and the chronic damage that may come with that down the line) in order to run 15+ miles a week. Personally, I made the cold calculation that I really don’t need to be doing much of the form of exercise that is most damaging to the knees. I love not having knee pain at age 60 and hope to keep it that way! 
In your case, if it hurts to run 15 miles a week and it doesn’t hurt to run 10 miles a week, then there is at least one simple way to cure the knee pain.</p>
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<p>On hip strengthening: I think that’s the right track to prevent or help knee pain. I may be the exception because I was in such bad shape, but I have been shocked at what a long term project it is to strengthen and increase the range of motion of the hips. Doing specific hip exercises three days a week, it took me three years to really be able to do those exercises and I’m still seeing steady improvement in the fourth year, even on something that looks simple, like a hip lift/hip bridge. We spend our entire lives with the hips bent forward (sitting, driving, running, etc.) It’s hard to counter that.</p>
<p>Running and fitness have been a huge part of my life since I lost 30 pounds my senior year of high school and I feel off if I skip a day. So although that’s about the last thing I wanted to hear, I’m sure it’s what I need so thank you! </p>
<p>Interesting TED talk about why doers don’t work - speaker is a neuroscientist . It’s a little long but especially found the 2nd half interesting - and the thought that we need to not be so wrapped up in eating to lose weight, but eating to be healthier. Let me know what you think::
<a href=“Sandra Aamodt: Why dieting doesn't usually work | TED Talk”>Sandra Aamodt: Why dieting doesn't usually work | TED Talk;
<p>Kmac- do you have a good sports physical therapist? Sounds like you might have some IT band issues. Also, how are your shoes? Are they worn down at all? Could cause the knee pain. 15 miles a week is pretty low mileage, so if you are hurting at that level, you really need to get it resolved. Keep us posted. And- welcome. (I’m a runner)</p>
<p>Kmac, welcome to the forum. There could be many causes of the pain on the outside of your left knee that you are experiencing. It’s virtually impossible for anyone to tell you what is causing it or how to fix it without seeing you in person. There’s a lot that goes on in the kinetic chain from your hips down to your feet that could impact on this. In addition to simply strengthening your hip muscles, there could be flexibility issues. I have had IT band flexibility issues that mimicked the feeling of a torn meniscus on the lateral side of my knee. There could be things going on with your lower leg and ankle that impact on your knee. It could be related, believe it or not, to the shoes you run in and the support and positioning of your foot. My suggestion would be to have yourself looked at and evaluated by sports oriented physical therapist. In the mean time, since you have the onset of pain at 15 miles per week, then, as IDad suggests, don’t run 15 miles per week. Cut back your mileage to a comfortable level - both daily and weekly - until you know what’s really going on and what needs to be done to remediate it.</p>
<p>Also, there is a huge world of fitness and athletics that doesn’t require running 15 miles a week. For example, you could run four 5K a week and stay under that, which means only three recovery days a week when you are doing something other than running (for example, strength training or tennis or swimming or biking or hiking or skiing or kayaking or golf or basketball or soccer or whatever). I would be willing to bet that there few if any players in the NBA or the NFL (most of whom are pretty athletic) who run more than four 5Ks a week.</p>
<p>Running is terrific exercise, but it’s just one small slice of the bigger world of fitness and athleticism. An ideal fitness program would probably not include running distances more than a couple times a week. The exception would be training for distance running. With knee pain, that’s probably not going to be your best choice, although I think it is entirely possilble you could resolve your knee pain at some point. </p>
<p>You guys are amazing, much thanks! I saw a sports therapist for a free injury screening a few months ago and once I tried a one-legged squat, my hip weakness was pretty apparent. They recommended that I continue with regular PT, but I felt bad asking my dad for extra money just so I could work out more so I’ve been doing IT rehab exercises and foam rolling religiously on my own. I leave for a semester in Europe in two weeks, so hopefully I can squeeze myself in for another appointment and buy new shoes before I go. Thankfully, I log all my workouts and, upon actually looking at it today, found that my injury only really flares up when I insist on running 5-6 days a week. Otherwise, I can do 5-7 three days and cross train four other days pretty effortlessly. Hoping that once I stick to that safe routine for a while, I can build and reach MOWC mileage someday! </p>
<p>It sounds like you are on the right track. As you do your exercises, don’t forget to work both legs so you maintain balance. You can also take exercise bands with you to Europe to work your hip flexors. You’ll want to work your glutes, abductors, adductors, hamstrings and quads (all of which in the process should hit your piriformus). A lot of these exercises are convenient to do with bands when traveling, either standing or laying on the floor on your side. And stretching your IT band, hamstrings, abductors etc. Between all of that and tapering the length of your runs, you will probably be successful. Once you feel ready to staring building your mileage again, take it slowly, not more than a 10% increase in duration per week and per run.</p>
<p>Kmac, how old are your shoes? When I was young and poor I wore them into the ground. Knee pain was the sign I needed new ones. </p>
<p>iMac, since you are so young I am sure you can heal once you find the right balance. If you had some time off or don’t have the base you used to have, you may be trying to run like those 6:20 miles but your heart rate can’t support it yet, and therefore, injury. Try to get PT help if you can and certainly a good pair of shoes that a professional store fits for you. </p>
<p>Last but not least, make sure you are eating enough high quality, whole foods with enough protein and other nutrients. The running is good for your health and for maintaining a good body weight, but if you are eating healthy your hormones will help your weight naturally self regulate. Sounds like some excellent travel ahead for you!</p>
<p>I’m betting few of the NFL defensive and offensive linemen that I saw in the game last night are running too many 5ks. My guess is most MLB pitchers aren’t running any marathons either!</p>
<p>World Cup soccer players reportedly run an average of 7 miles during a match. Saw that one player ran close to 12 miles! </p>
<p>Set up tarp over picnic table first. Then tent. Good choice as the only rain shower in New Hampshire rolled in. I was dry making coffee. Hot shower while waiting out the rain. Now it’s corn and rib eye.</p>