Still in that grey area

of indecision. I think I'm beginning to come to peace with the idea that I won't have the Ironman I was hoping for (and capable of) this year. Maybe no IM at all.

The ITBS in my right knee is still bothering me. I haven't had a run over 10.5 miles in the last 4 weeks and I have a Half Ironman in a week and a half. In the last two days I've been to an orthopedist and my ART doctor. The ortho was no help at all. He said that 1) I have ITBS 2) The only thing that cures it is to stop running and 3) I should do the races but not do any more run training for them. Really ... an ironman ... with no run training for six weeks leading up to the race? This was coming from a doctor y'all!! Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.

My ART doctor seems to have the most logic answer (and hopefully solution) to the cause of the ITBS. Here's an excert from my daily training log where I wright about my experience with him yesterday. The "massive amount of bike volume" I mention is 14 1/2 hours on the bike last week (Sunday to Sunday) including a 100 mile ride, a 56 mile ride, two 40 something mile rides, and a few shorter rides:

"I had another appointment with the ART doctor yesterday afternoon. He is CONVINCED that the rubbing of my IT band is caused by a tight adductor / groin muscle. He spent almost 30 minutes getting is loose on the affected side. We discussed the possibility that the massive amount of bike volume I've been doing has been causing the adductor to get tight which wouldn't directly cause IT band pain while riding because my knee doesn't straighten enough on a pedal stroke to cause the IT band to move across the epindocyle. However, the tight groin/adductor will cause my femur to be pulled to the inside which would tighten the IT band as it is drawn across the epondicyle in my run stride, thereby causing the friction that infames the band resulting in the pain.

Long story short, he said that I have to keep the adductor loose and that I should lay off the cycling this week, keep the area loose and supple by stretching, try a 30-40 minute run on Thursday (tomorrow). If all goes well, then I should do a long run after making sure that the area in loose and see what happens. "

I'm not sure what to do about the Half. I may swim/bike it (DNF) or give it a go and see what happens. My running later this week will give me my answer. How the Half goes will, in turn, determine how and if I approach the Full. Y'all pray for me!