It's been super crazy busy in my world the past few weeks! I took part in a regional eye clinic mission in LA last week and the days were very long yet extremely rewarding!! As a runner I get a runner's high in races; as an eye doctor the high comes from making a difference in a child's life by giving him/her the gift of sight. The OneSight mission refueled me as a doctor, but physically I'm exhausted!! No excuses, the training goes on - right?

Well, not quite! I went for a short 4 mile run earlier this week and my knee was still bothering me :( Turns out my sports therapist diagnosed Iliotibal Band Syndrome (ITBS). ITBS is one of the leading causes of lateral knee pain in runners. The iliotibial band is a superficial thickening of tissue on the outside of the thigh, extending from the outside of the pelvis, over the hip and knee, and inserting just below the knee ... Basically, no bueno! Treatment includes fewer miles, icing, and stretching exercises. I'm trying to be optimistic and hopeful that this will resolve if I remain diligent w/ my stretching and icing. I plan to take it easy for another week, but w/ the San Diego RnR Marathon coming up I'm feeling a little bit anxious about getting in proper training mileage.

So with fewer running miles, I decided to kick up the cardio and take on Bikrum Yoga (aka hot yoga). Yesterday was my first class after a long time hiatus and I got my butt kicked!! There were moments where I'd rather run 10 miles than trying to hold my posture while dipping w/ sweat. However, the challenge was good and my body needed to be shocked up a bit. Benefits of hot yoga include injury prevention and getting good blood flow into areas of muscle adhesion. Let's hope this works, and I can soon run pain free!