Elliptical at YMCA / IT Band

I “ran” 4.68 miles on the elliptical at the YMCA in 1 hour.  Most of the time was at a level 7.  Twinges of knee pain but I think it was caused by taping done by the physical therapist.  No pain in the IT band area.  I am supposed to documenting my knee pain, hence the description.

Monday I had an appointment with a doctor and a physical therapist about my knee pain.  I’ve been diagnosed with Iliotibial band pain. The definition in Wikipedia is as follows; Iliotibial band syndrome is one of the leading causes of lateral knee pain in runners. The iliotibial band is a thick band of fascia on the lateral aspect of the knee, extending from the outside of the pelvis, over the hip and knee, and inserting just below the knee. The band is crucial to stabilizing the knee during running, as it moves from behind the femur to the front of the femur during activity. The continual rubbing of the band over the lateral femoral epicondyle, combined with the repeated flexion and extension of the knee during running may cause the area to become inflamed. 

Long story short, I’ve been told by the physical therapist to only do only 1 short run a week, my long marathon training run, and one day cross-training like elliptical or bicycle.  Today Tracy Harper and I went to the YMCA together and got an elliptical and a treadmill side by side.  It worked out great.  We chatted the entire hour.  She went at her speed and I went at mine.  There is definitely a silver lining to this.  We are working out together again.  After we did cardio we lifted a few free weights and did some planks.