Correction to last post:  Meant to say that I will "leave it all on the course"!  But I am sure you knew what I meant.

melodylea:  thanks for the vote of confidence!  Related to the ITB syndrome, the tight piriformis, etc, I had all those same issues earlier this year.  Tried stretching, rolling, and every other form of self therapy to no avail.  A friend of mine had done "dry needling" at local PT, and had great success so I took the plunge.

I kid you not, after two sessions, I was not only healed and pain free, I also gained range of motion that I had never before had.  It is a trigger point therapy involving very small needles, not accupuncture, and it does not hurt.  It will cause your muscles to contract very hard during the treatment and ultimately gets them to release.  You should not run the same day after a treatment, as your muscles will be tired.

Within two days, there will no lingering fatigue and you should feel a million times better.  I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone with similar symptoms.  Make sure to find a PT that has been doing this for a while, preferably one that is familiar with running symptoms.  We have lots of them out here in Boulder and the one I go to works on some elite runners who train out of Boulder.

The issues you are experiencing are really bothersome so wish you luck working through them.

Good luck!

Linus - Good luck this weekend.  I agree with you in that this board somewhat holds me accountable too.  Crazy to think like that too, I've never met any of you.  lol

Bigslade - I've introduced slow carbs into my diet.  The only time I really eat 'white' carbs are before a timed running event.  Typically it's a healthy pasta salad made with whole grain pasta.

NHLA - Cool pics.  Looks beautiful there.

NRDgirl - Your mileage is impressive.  I'm envious.

Melody - Enjoy the 5k with your son.  I'm running the 10k this weekend, my son is running the 5k.  Great family bonding.

I didn't get my planned run for Monday done.  My right 'hammy' was very tight so I opted for a P90X Core workout instead.  A comfortable 5.25 miles at a 9:15 pace yesterday evening.  I wanted a nice relaxing run before Saturday's 10k trail run.  Breaking now until Saturday.  Temps are cooling in Central Wisconsin and the leaves are starting to turn, frost on the ground the other morning.  Fall is without question my favorite time of year.  Saturday's run starts at 9:00am, temps are expected to be in the 30's.  I always struggle with what to wear and usually end up dressing to warm.

Good Luck to everyone this weekend.  GIVE 'EM HELL!!!

Cheers All!!!

I did not realize just how many of us on here had race events this weekend.  It's a pretty impressive percentage.  And may we all "leave it all on the course!"  And of course HAVE FUN!!

Snerb, I know what you mean about how to dress/overdressing.  I pulled out my layers from last winter's running last night to put together my kit for Sunday.  I believe I'm going to be ok by wearing a pair of base-layer tights with just a cover skirt over them vs another full layer on my legs, plus long-sleeve base under short-sleeve tech tee.  I also plan to bring a fleece over-shirt to wear until GO time then discard since this race does a good job of collecting such items and, if they're not claimed at end of race, donating them to charity.  My nerves are starting to get a bit crazy, and I can't go run to relieve them!

Melody, take care of that ITB issue.  Mine was resolved when I got proper shoes for my overpronation.

I'm also looking forward to hearing all the great stories from everyone.  Best of Luck to all!

A beautiful day once the sun got higher than the trees. Temp hit about 64, perfect for my long run attempt. One problem -- had a digestion digression. Dang it. Ran three miles around the track to see how I'd do, then ran two separate loops around town, stopping back at the track facilities after the first loop. Got back after the second and realized one of my new Amphipod water belt bottles had fallen off. Drove my loop looking for it and spotted it in the road. Stopped to pick it up and wouldn't you know it? It had been hit just enough to break the cover. Dang it twice. Managed just under 12 miles in 1:41. Was happy with that, and the fact that there's no soreness.

Not happy about the other parts of the day, however.

Oshcat and Snerb...... Yeah, when I went out to get the paper this morning it was 40 and I thought about my HM next weekend and what I should plan on wearing. Then I remembered. It's Maine. It'll probably be 87 degrees next weekend. May as well wait until that morning to figure out what to wear.

NHLA, Linus and Melody..... I'll have to look into these things for the wife's lingering hip problem. 10 months, two MRIs, (one with a dye injection), Xrays, five different Dr.s/specialists, an osteopath for realignment, three different hospitals, and now they say it is a labrum tear. Can't hurt to try one more thing. Maybe two.

So great to read about all the races coming up this weekend.  It'll be even better to read the reports.

In Nashville for conference so schedule is way off.  decided to run after 5PM lecture and eat late dinner.  However, I usually run with nothing on my stomach and the residuals of lunch and snack at 3 were felt quickly.  Had to walk several times only because of some abdominal discomfort which quickly abated with walking.  That and the 78 degrees contributed to a pretty slow run, but it felt good to get out and do it.  Back to cooler Wisconsin temps Sunday. 

Good luck to all racing this weekend!  Run strong and safe.

One set of weights/core exercises today after work, followed by a 3-mile TM run that I thought would be a recovery run, but turned into a little progressive run after the first mile. Felt great after yesterday's 3 segments, so cranked it up on the 2nd and 3rd mile. Finished in 23:40.

Tomorrow promises to be a busy day, but should be nice in the afternoon- sounds like a hill workout, then start a taper week before the HM next weekend.

Coyote.... You telling us coyotes can't see in the dark?

DebM.... Nice feeling when you describe your run as "super strong," isn't it? And it's also nice when you describe yourself as, "Hot."

Dan.... Hopefully the change in temp when you return to Wisconsin isn't too much of a shock.

Run well, people.