It band recovery

Hi there, I was training for a marathon but developed a problem with my IT band once i got up to about 18 miles which meant i couldnt compete so ive deferred my entry til next year but am keen to keep running to maintain my fitmess and not lose the benfits of the training that i had done however my IT band is still sore when i run. It's not acute pain just a dull background pain which stops as soon as i stop running, although it does linger the day after. Should i rest up completely for a while or will it recover whilst i run short distances (5-10k) albeit fairly regularly (3-4) times a week?

For an IT injury I would definitely recommend resting it as much as possible. Whenever you do go for a run though, put a good cold compress on it right after. The continuous overuse has more than likely got the band quite inflamed so cold will be what gets that down. It will also help relieve the pain.