Running Issues

I have been running since I was 14. Starting in February I began to have pain in my knees when I ran. So I went to my doctor. She gave me some stretches to do. I also invested in good running shoes (Asics). I love them!! Then in April I was running on the treadmill and it felt like something on the side of my knee tore. I went to the doctor and she suggested physical therapy. For approximately 2 months (and $511 later - I used my tax refund money) I went to physical therapy 3 times a week. Physical therapy consisted of doing the elliptical for 10 minutes and then doing various strength training exercises. The key message was to not run every single day. My physical therapist suggested taking 1-2 days off between runs. After I completed physical therapy I started running for 10 minutes, then 12, then 15 and so on. I was doing great! Then I fell and had my whole arm in a cast so running was out for a little bit.

I've recently started running again. Here is my plan: run until I feel pain in my IT band and then walk. My physical therapist said I will have some pain because my muscles need to get used to running again. I can run with mild pain but if it gets worse I need to stop. I am continuing to do the exercises I learned in physical therapy and lunges. On Sunday while Billy kicked around the soccer ball I ran around. It's nice because I can run as slow as I'd like (which is basically walking speed according to Billy ... lol!). I am basically running in a square so once I have knee pain I am only a short distance away. If anyone has successfully recuperated from a running issue please let me know what worked for you!