Laryngitis

It was a normal run. It was the Thursday before March Break of 2010, and I was training for the upcoming track season of my grade eleven year. It was no run out of the ordinary, and I thought nothing of it. Of course, I had that night’s semi-formal dance on my mind; I had just finished setting it up with fellow committee members in our high school’s cafeteria. And I don’t know if it was the high heels I wore that night, or a step I had missed in a run, or if it was an overnight thing. All I know is the following evening I set out for a relaxing Friday run, and barely made it around the block.

            I had injured my IT band. And it resulted in a few months of seeing a physiotherapist one or two times a week.

"ITBS is one of the leading causes of lateral knee pain in runners. The iliotibial band is a superficial thickening of tissue on the outside of the thigh, extending from the outside of the pelvis, over the hip and knee, and inserting just below the knee. The band is crucial to stabilizing the knee during   running, moving from behind the femur to the front while walking. The continual rubbing of the band over the lateral femoral epicondyle, combined with the repeated flexion and extension of the knee during running may cause the area to become inflamed." (Wikipedia- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliotibial_band_syndrome)



I never stopped running, however. I continued to go for easy runs, and complete physiotherapy exercises a couple times each day. It was a lot of work, but thanks to some generous friends who lent me a foam roller, a wise coaching and the nagging of my parents I got through it. I took the advice of a team mate, and continued to go through the exercises even after my injury had healed.

            There were times during my injured months when I had to tape my leg. It was utterly embarrassing to have ugly tape wrapped around your thigh and knee, but I had to grin and bare it if I wished for a smooth recovery.

            I can recall a time in the previous cross country season of that year that now reminds me to take vitamins daily. It’s crucial to stay healthy during both a running season as well as during a theatrical performance. It was September, and that month I was performing in a local musical as well as competing in my high school track season. My schedule was so crazy during that time that I’m not surprised my immune system gave out.

            I’ll describe what that particular Thursday was like. I woke up in the morning to perform in a matinee of the show I was currently in, and I had already felt my voice grow weaker with each approaching day. I took my bow during the curtain call, and exchanged my costume with racing shorts and my team singlet as quickly as I could. I remember my mom pulling into the parking lot of the meet as I was in the passengers seat; I was trying to wipe off as much pink glittery stage make-up with a moist toilette as I possible could. My team mates still made fun of me however, as I arrived with my cheeks sparkling pink. I could feel my face turning a deep scarlet colour as I walked the course; everyone seemed to be staring.

            If that wasn’t bad enough, I didn’t have a voice by that time. I had laryngitis, and some people questioned if I would even run. But I did, and it didn’t go too badly. I was a top ten runner that day, and almost immediately after my race, I bolted back to the theatre in order to prepare for that evening’s show.

            If I’ve learned anything from these experiences, it’s to take care of your body- especially during the crazy times. Whether it’s taking throat lozenges, Immune FX, completing physiotherapy exercises, or just sticking with daily vitamin C, it’s important to do what you need to do to make sure you’re 100% healthy.

            Keep your fingers crossed that the pain I felt in my right hip today heals before my race tomorrow!