Stretch It Out

Previously, I talked about staying hydrated and used big words like "Electrolytes" and "Quadriceps". 

I know. I know. Not that bad. Or maybe it was. 

Either way, the first part of this cramping issue to address is that, in the words of my father-in-law: 

"Hydration Is Key."

He is right. Staying properly hydrated is crucial to the entire enterprise, but it is not the only piece of the puzzle. Muscles need to be properly limber in order to function at their highest capacity. Or, in my case, to allow me to finish a race without becoming "stove up", as it were.

So, what to do about it? 

  - Well, I mean, it is pretty simple really: Stretch.

Okay, yeah, but when? 

  - What're you doing right now? If you have 5 minutes you can get a decent stretch on your legs. Even if you don't have 5 minutes you can still get a decent stretch if you add certain moves into your day. Granted, small stretches here and there throughout the day won't leave you feeling as relaxed and stretched as right before or after a run, but it will help to alleviate some issues over time.

I have found that through just some simple stretches my knee soreness and issues have greatly lessened. The reason for this is pretty simple. You remember that old song about the knee bone being connected to the thigh bone? Turns out that that is totally true. (weird, I know right?)

If you take a look at ol' Bonesy up there, you can see the muscles on the left (your left as you are looking at the screen) and the bones on the right. The femur, patella, and fibula/tibia happen to be the leg bone, knee bone, leg bone sandwich that we are particularly concerned about. At least, in the beginning of our understanding of the leg.

A quick 3 minute stretch for the legs can be found here. 

But, wait. There's more. 

See, it turns out that just because that song is right about the knee bone and it's connections, it doesn't really give us the whole story. Sort of like a real general introduction to anatomy for 5 year olds, you don't want your orthopedist to know that song, but nothing else about the inner machinations of the human body. So, without getting TOO into it, let's introduce some new knowledge for you. I give you the ITB.

The ITB, or IllioTibial Band, is a ligament that runs along the outside of the femur from the hip to the shin. The reason I mention this is the simple fact that ITB Syndrome (ITBS) is only THE MOST common injury for runners (and a whole bunch of other people who bend their knees in action). Characterized by soreness on the outside of the knee, it is commonly referred to as "runner's knee." The simplest reason for it is over use, but that's just a cop out, really. I mean, who "over uses" their knee? Craziness. So the soreness comes from inflammation. The inflammation occurs from irritation of the ligament because it is being stressed in a weird angle. 

How? Well, I don't know. Lots of reasons, really. Maybe you're running in worn out shoes. Maybe you run on a slope in the same direction. Maybe you never change the direction on the track in which you run. Maybe you run the same route day in and day out for weeks at a time. Maybe you aren't properly stretching your core and hip flexors and it is causing you to hunch over or have a limited range of motion when you do your chosen activity and this is causing the irritation to the ITB. Whatever the reason your knee soreness, it is always advisable and usually best to get a Doctor's opinion on the issue (I am not one. SURPRISE!) 

So where does this put me? Squarely in the ITBS category. I had all of the symptoms:
  1) Soreness to the outside of my knee.
  2) Pain or "fiery" burning when I bent my knee (thankfully not when I urinated).
  3) Some swelling of my knee.

I also had many of the issues in my life that could lead to my "injury":
  1) Worn out shoes
  2) Running the same route
  3) high mileage
  4) Running downhill on banked surfaces
  5) Poor stretching habits

All of these factors lead up to my knee soreness. Since having identified my issue, causes, and factors, I have been able to alleviate some of the soreness through a proper warm-up routine or phase before my actual runs; some stretching after my runs and on rest days; and some new shoes (of which I will discuss later). I do stagger my routes and try to avoid running the same loop everyday. This has provided a few benefits, not the least of which is meeting new neighbors, but, again, I'll talk about that elsewhere. ;)

PRE-PUBLISH UPDATE: So I write all of this and then on the Runner's World website I come across this timely article. So maybe Dynamic Warmups are the next big thing. We'll get into it all next time, Dear Runner. Thanks for sticking with me and coming back to read some more of my thoughts of running and stretching and me just addressing my issues.