8.00 miles, 1:00:08
That time and mileage has a nice symmetry to it. But, that was about all that was nice about it. I think I have definitively confirmed that the ITBS is real and running two days in a row of any distance over 5 miles is unwise. After about 5 miles today my left leg cramped up. I managed to create a cut in the back of my left leg right around the area where the Pro-tec strap I wear wraps behind the leg just above the knee. Today at the end of running I took off the strap to see if it was just aggravating the cut and not really helping the iliotibial band. The second I took off the strap and put pressure on the leg there was a distinct shooting pain. From this I gather the strap is helping. The strap stays. Good strap. The cut will heal. Eventually.
From this I also gather that running two days in a row for me doesn’t make a lot of sense. Especially if the run the day before was a trail run with plenty of climbing and fast descents. So I think I’m going to go with the FIRST training plan and see how I feel after a few weeks of that. I’m down with the idea that the body needs rest and time to allow muscles that have broken down during a run to rebuild. If I feel good after a few weeks then I’ll add in some trail runs since I enjoy those the most. If the leg becomes more painful then I’ll cut back on the speed work. That’s the plan. Good plan. The leg will heal. Eventually.