Edited to add …

Jen mentioned using a foam roller, and I also got that advice from another running friend. Foam rollers clearly are the massage weapon of choice. I poked around my house looking for something suitable until I could find one to buy (I want to try out how hard/soft it is), when I found this:

A rather innovative rolling pin, don't you think?
The long side (the one I use) is 4.25 inches wide.

And you know what? I don't think I'm going to even look for one. I can apply this to specific areas where it really hurts and it seems to be helping. I think the rest will do me good, too.

It pays to have a well-stocked kitchen gadget drawer. Just sayin'.

A necessary break

I'm headed out of town today, to deliver some of those Easter crafty goodies to my younger granddaughter. Not sure if I'll be walking over the weekend and also not in charge of food. This could stall my progress even more.

IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?

I have developed what I think is IT Band Syndrome, and resting might end up being a good thing. I've been stretching and massaging, but I've still been walking and by the end of almost any distance I'm nearly at the limping stage. (The site of my pain is not at the knee, which is typical, but at the upper end of the iliotibial band. So I could be wrong about my diagnosis, but I don't think so.)

We woke up to snow and absolutely f-f-frigid temperatures yesterday. The meeting I had prepared for was canceled. Kind of ironic to postpone a meeting due to weather on the first day of spring, but there you go. I didn't leave the house at all and, in fact, took a long, long nap. I wasn't exactly sick, but I also didn't feel well. This has been a short activity week, with total mileage standing at 14. Not my lowest mileage for a week since the first of the year, but almost.

I feel like one of those people who starts the year off with a bang and three months later is phoning it in. The timing for this trip combined with an overuse injury makes me feel oh-so-typical. With the potential for four consecutive days of not walking, I'll be ready for a fresh start next Monday.

(There is a chance that my daughter-in-law and I will walk Saturday and Sunday mornings, but I haven't talked with her about it yet. If so, this post will be null and void. Heh.)

I've been thinking arthritis was settling in my right hip (and it may be). But when the pain progressed down the outside of my leg to my knee, and when stairs and getting in and out of the car became more problematic, I decided to consult with Dr. Google.

So nice to know it's probably not an AGE thing, but an ATHLETE thing!