hey grant. no...i dont take anything against you for when you walloped me...i was stupid to run that race when i was that out of shape and think i would be able to beat people who are in shape...i have enough trouble with 5k's when i AM in shape!!! actually, that was the night that i bought my engagement ring for my fiancee right after the race so i wasnt upset for too long. :)
anyway, sorry to hear of your IT troubles. mine only resulted in surgery because it was a last resort, it had not healed for over 4 months and we couldnt figure out what was wrong, so they cut me open and found tons of scar tissue in there that was pulling the band onto the bone beneath and to the right of your kneecap, which is your lateral condyle. when it starts snapping over that, you are in trouble because the inflammation actually occurs INSIDE the IT band sheath (think of it as a piston in a car). so you can try high doeses of anti-inflammotories (like 800mg of ibuprofen) coupled with rest, but it that doenst work you really should look for someone who does deep tissue massage. they can loosen the gluteal muscles which are typically the cause of IT band problems anyway, along with your tensor facial latte, which is also in your hip. my fiancee sarah hamilton, who is a 2:04 half miler, had IT band problems for 3 months and couldnt shake it, and then came to california and had deep tissue twice a week for like two to three weeks and was good as new. also, have your legs checked for leg length discrepency. apparently, that was one of the original causes of my IT problems, and ever since i have been wearing a 1/4 inch lift in my right shoe. if i try running without it, my IT gets twingy right away. so check out all of these things, punch dan in the arm for me, and get better soon! good luck with your season!
jeff delong