Sojourn return

On many levels I hate to bridge the fourth wall of address when, well, addressing y'all.

Nonetheless, 10 pieces of IT band advice! It pays to get noticed by the Boston Globe....perhaps I should get gimpy more often!

Many thanks to all who read and commented. It is welcome news to realize that a) every runner gets hurts sometime when marathon training, not just me; b) every runner has an IT band story; c) every runner who has an IT band story eventually got better, or has learned to cope.

So the good news: the stretching and the knee icing and the rest did a great trick. I completed a 12-mile long run around the Charles River Saturday morning. My cardiovascular system did not exactly cooperate....a slight atrophy I attribute to having taken the previous 5 days off. But the IT band, and the knee, did cooperate. They did not ache, either, on the 5 hours of flying later that night, to my aunt and uncle's place in southwest Florida.

The better news: I logged 7 solid miles yesterday. And 8 solid miles -- 7 of those uptempo, thanks to Bach organ fugues on my iPod -- in the noontime sun today, through my aunt and uncle's retirement community. I have a) somewhat of a chest and shoulder tan; b) no knee pain; and c) no pain anywhere else.

So the mood for marathon has switched to cautiously optimistic. Very cautious. But also hopeful.

Headed to the airport back to (27-degree F) Boston as we speak. There has been much talk, much sun, much sangria, and much sleep to fortify against the spring chill.

Cheers!