I'm a longtime runner who has never, I mean NEVER, had any running-related injury before.
About 2 1/2 months ago, I started bicycling to my new job, about 5 very up-and-down, stop-and-go urban miles each way, a significant increase over my previous job where it was 1 mile each way, flat, and no traffic lights. I took a couple of weeks off of running to let my body adjust to the increased bicycling and then started up again.
Now, I've started having such bad knee pain that I can't run more than a mile. It only hurts when I run, and starts about 5-10 minutes into the run - it is a painful stiffness on the outside of my right knee. When I stop running or do other exercise, the pain goes away. I talked to my brother (who at one point studied to become a PT) and he said it sounds like runner's knee. So I got a foam roller and started rolling out my IT band 2-3 times a day, and it doesn't seem to be making much of a difference.
So here's my question: it seems like this is related to my new bicycling routine, since that's the only lifestyle change I've made. I am eager to hear if anyone else has dealt with a situation like this and how they were able to start running again. I do wonder if it could be related to my bicycle technique, or just in general the fact that my ride is so hilly and traffic-y. Or anything else that I haven't thought of.
People who don't bicycle just don't get this one - so I'd really love to know if anyone has some thoughts on this. I'm supposed to be running a marathon in March!