also, good luck to ate annie! *muah*

Just kidding Jaymie, listen to your coach and doctor… Now you know why I always get injured.

i was intrigued by your chronic knee problem and would like to share my own experiences with knee pain.

i suffered knee problems similar to yours a year ago, after completing my first long-distance triathlon. after about a week of complete rest, i started on some very light short recovery runs and noticed the sharp pain on the right side of my right knee about 15 minutes into every run. it would go away if i stopped, but would recur as soon as i resumed running. to cut a long story short, i was diagnosed with ITBS (iliotibial band syndrome), and underwent the usual gamut of appropriate rest, physical therapy, stretching and strengthening exercises for a couple of months, with only marginal improvement. my knee was completely pain-free at rest, but the pain would predictably recur every time i tried running.

having some medical and sports physiology background, i decided to do some personal research and self-experimentation to better understand my problem and find a more definitive solution. i figured if the pain was coming on predictably 15 minutes into every run, and would go away every time i stopped, there could have been something wrong with my running mechanics and form. i eventually discovered that the pain did not recur when i ran with a slightly wider stance (feet a little wider apart) than i was normally accustomed to. i usually ran with my feet very close together – about foot’s width apart or less. i was eventually able to train myself to run with my feet about 1.5 to 2 foot’s width apart. in theory, this wider stance relaxes the ITB and decreases the friction of the ITB tendon as it crosses over the knee and connects to the top of your tibia (leg bone), exactly where i would always feel the pain before.

soon after getting used to my new wider running stance, i found myself running longer, farther and more importantly, pain-free. every time i would feel a hint of pain over the same area, i would consciously run with my feet a little bit wider apart, and the pain would go away.

a word of warning though – i did notice that if i ran with my feet a bit too wide apart, i would feel some discomfort on the inside of my knees, in which case i would narrow my stance width. i eventually found the right stance width but would adjust it on the fly during every run, depending on where i would feel the discomfort. i guess if you want to try this method, you would also have to find your own running stance width “sweet spot.”

also don’t forget that there are a lot of other possible causes of knee pain and running injuries that you have to keep in mind as well – heel, mid- vs. forefoot striking, improper foot wear, running too much too soon, etc. etc.

anyway, sorry for hijacking your blog, but i do hope this helps.

good luck on your road to recovery.