[thrunner]

Sorry to hear about your training problems. Doing some water aerobics may help:

1. No impact running. Your body weighs about 10% of its land weight when up to your neck in water. If you weigh 200 lbs. when standing on land, you weigh only 20 lbs. in water. With the addition of a buoyancy belt like the AquaJogger, you can run with your head comfortably out of water, breathe normally, and accomplish most of the same workouts you perform on land.

In the water your musculo-skeletal system is no longer bearing weight, so it can be recovering from all the pounding of your land based programs while you focus your conditioning on the cardio-pulmonary system. No pounding...no impact.

[james_gsx]

There aren't very many pools near me, but I would be up for it.

My injury is getting better. My left foot hurts like hell since it has to compensate for my limp. The bone around my knee cap hurts as well since I walk and my knee pushes inward. But I am taking 800mg of ibuprofen with every meal and resting a lot. I have a brace too and it seems to be helping. I'm hoping I will be ready to try a run by early next week. Tomorrow I will probably go for a nice walk on a trail I found.

[Trvlwanderer]

Biking is a great strength enhancer for running and sprints will have a dramatic impact on your cardio capacity. However, improper form will exagerate knees problems. I switched from roadie to MB and then to MB racing (cross-country). MB has less knee related injuries because of the shifting angles and changing of pace from my experience.

I use an elyptical to push through injuries. Between the low impact and reversing ability (quad buster), it will allow you to maintain strength and cardio while allowing the knees to heal. Again, proper technique is critical.

Do you have the right running shoes? I thought I did for years until I went to a running store and allowed them to recommend based on my mileage, style, and foot. Surpirisingly, the recommended shoe was a Mizuno and ended up cheaper than my stand-bys I have worn for years (Nike Air line). No ankle, back or knees flare ups and they have lasted longer (200 plus miles). This is not a plug for Mizuno, but the fact that I would have never entertained them without the full foot profile.

Some things to consider.