Less than a week until the Texas Half-Marathon. I am officially nervous.
Got the cho-pat brace on Friday and ran 2 miles. Seems to work, but my IT issues never emerge until after 3 miles. So, on Sunday I was slated for a 6 mile run. I decided to run as far as I felt comfortable, but not the whole 6. I ran 4.25 slow miles. No IT issues arose and I felt no pain. But it was on my mind the whole time. The cho-pat band either worked or/and I have successfully rehabbed the IT band through aggressive stretching. I was happy to get that distance without pain. I expect a freer attitude on Sunday knowing that after the race I’ll take time to heal, and have the luxury of time on my side.
A series of 2 mile runs this week leading up to Sunday morning’s race. I have run 12, I know I am trained for the race, but for some reason I feel unprepared. I have no expectations about what to expect. Totally new experience for me. My only goals are to not eat too much the night before or morning of, to stretch and warm-up well, and to run the first mile really slow as an extended warm-up, to pay attention to my pace, and to enjoy the run. The weather forecast for Dallas has a low of 55 F on Sunday morning with a high of 76. Should be perfect weather for running.
Here is a link to a new stretch I am doing, called Walt’s IT band saver. This really works the band up at the hip area and stretches it well. Kind of intricate, so read closely: http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/0168-knee-injuries.htm
This Running Life 
Take it easy on that IT band and keep up the stretching…the stretching was the key to my recovery last fall.
You’re doing to do very well! I agree that you should take the first mile easily. “After the race I’ll take time to heal, and have the luxury of time on my side.” That is runner talk if I’ve ever heard it! 🙂