Hey Letsrun, I need your help on this injury I'm having now.
I've been doing 50 MPW since the first week of January. My schedule consists of typical base training stuff, 2 Harder days (long aerobic steady runs around 6-6:20 pace for 45 min) a long run (12 miles or so, 7-7:30 pace 90 min) and the rest is 60 minute easy runs and one day off. I was planning on building up to 60-70 MPW over the next 3 months. Every 4th week, I would do an easy week, same mileage, no hard runs, just easy runs and the long run.
I have noticed quick significant improvements with this and I have been getting along very well with this, up until Friday (Feb 3) 2 weeks ago, during the end of a down week. I started to feel a sharpish pain on the outside of my right knee about 45 min into an easy run. I pulled through and finished the run. It hurt to walk afterwards. The pain would occur as my right leg moves forward every time. I also noticed an occasional "snapping" sensation, like something is snapping on the outside of the knee whenever I bend my knees back.
Anyhow, I tried to run on it the next day on Saturday, but it hurt a lot more and had to stop after 2 minutes. I iced it that night, then came out and ran Sunday for a 1 hour run. My knee still hurt but the pain was manageable and I ran just fine, and managed to get through my easy runs, and even the two hard slow tempos. My knee pain would come in waves throughout my run at times, but it would actually improve towards the end and subside, even though it hurt to walk after.
Unfortunately, Sunday last week (Feb 12) I did my 90 minute long run, and things were fine, my knee hurt but it was okay, until around the 44 minute mark. Over the course of, no joke, 30 seconds or so, the pain on that outer right spot went straight to hell. It felt deeper and a little and far worse than before. I was reduced to limping. I was forced to stop at 45 minutes. A perfectly good long run...ruined. I could barely even walk.
Iced it like heck that night, then this week Monday, I tried running on it. Lasted only 20-ish minutes before the same pain came. I took Tuesday off. Ran 30 Minutes yesterday just fine. Still felt a little pain but a lot better than before. Tried running again today. Right at half an hour, the pain just got severe again. It hurts to bend my knee forward or backwards. Now I'm sitting here, and if I bend my knee, I feel a lot of pain and that "snapping" sensation which is painful too.
There's a tender spot between my knee cap and hamstring tendon (or whatever it's called.). It hurts to put pressure on it. The source of pain is right at the bottom of where my IT band runs. I'm suspecting ITBS, but I'm not sure. Granted, I had knee pain before on the right knee, but nothing like this. I don't even get it. I was absolutely fine that Friday, and I remember the moment I first felt the pain. It came on suddenly.
Now I'll be fine for a given period of time on my runs, where I feel pain on that spot but it's manageable, then it will suddenly just randomly start hurting like hell, until the pain becomes intolerable and I'm forced to stop. It's ridiculous. I was able to run through this just fine last week, but now I can't even make it 20-30 minutes without it flaring up.
Notes: Earlier today (before my run) I felt no pain at all walking, going up or down stairs, and only slight pain if I bent my knee slowly. After my failed run today, it hurts to walk and bend my knee, but it'll feel better the next day unless I run on it again. That's the way it's been this week. I'm taking the rest of this week off and trying again Monday next week. What could this be? Anything else I should do? Gave as much info on this as possible, Please help!
Thanks!