The IT Band Debate

It's amazing how much stress - even when we're not aware that we're dealing with it - can affect our workouts. Every run this week was a dogged internal battle of pure will. Just getting out of the house was a struggle.

To make it worse, a sharp pain in the outside of my knee interrupted the middle of Wednesday's run. My IT band was not happy, and neither was I.

I was torn about how to take care of this. I've been diligent about my leg raises and was sure that I'd been doing enough to prevent a recurrence of this old (old old old) injury. I haven't had IT band pain in years!

Usually, runners rely on foam rolling to cure their IT band pain. It's a joke among athletes that rolling the IT band hurts so good and it's usual to scream during the massage.

However, a couple recent articles suggest that rolling the IT band can actually exacerbate the issue. The IT band doesn't get tight (these articles claim); it simply gets pulled out of sync with your leg movements and needs to be rested and balanced by strengthening your hips and fixing your stride, among other things.

I had this in mind when I rolled on Wednesday night and practiced a little Pigeon Pose. I had it in mind when I rolled Thursday (twice). I didn't want to be doing more damage, but in the past foam rolling has always been so helpful!

Super happy after my run!

Today's run helped make up my mind. I had no pain at all; in fact, I felt so good I tacked on some extra mileage! My pace was steady and everything felt right. I haven't had a run that smooth in weeks!

I guess I had better make sure to foam roll more consistently, because it definitely seemed to make a difference.

Oh, and one final thing. Shortly after finishing my run I received this text:

 

I guess 64 is pretty cold by Florida standards!

Where do you stand on the IT band treatment debate?

 What do you do to prevent injury?

Has your IT band ever given you trouble?

ABK

A Long Run

So the official word on my foot is that the tendon is bruised. (This is great news!) I've been given exceptionally strong NSAIDs, and being the terrible patient that I am, I figured that if I wasn't feeling pain and could lace my shoe accordingly, I was good to run.

Today I woke up just knowing I would get my 15-miler in. It was just one of those wonderful doubt-free mornings. (I think getting the news that my foot wasn't fractured or badly injured really made me extra-excited to run today.)

I kept a nice even pace, and the first half of the run flew by. By mile 10 I was a little achy and in need of some distraction, but I never once though of cutting the run short.

Thank goodness for compression socks!

I had some tingling and aches in my toes, and my hips felt it a little bit. But I completed the 15 miles in 2:26:xx, with an average pace faster than my half marathon PR, so I was beyond pleased. I walked for fuel at 3.5, 7, and 10.5 miles, and took a little walk at 13.5 to wiggle my toes a bit.

I felt energized the entire way, and had no problems with breathing; my legs felt a little heavy toward the end of course, but I forced myself to pick up the pace in the last mile because I was so ready to be done!

Hurts so good?

Besides this milestone of the LSD being my longest run ever, I also took my first-ever ice bath! (Kind of.) I know studies show ice baths are mostly mental, but I think my feet definitely appreciated it. I foam-rolled, then used a tennis ball on the soles of my feet. Besides some twinges in my right hip, I'm feeling great!

This feels muuuch better! (Just ignore that pile of running shoes in the corner...Also, remind me to never give a thumbs-up ever again.)

I'm definitely looking forward to a rest day, though.

Do you have any runs or races this weekend?
What was your farthest long run in training? In a race?
How do you recover after a run leaves you achy?

ABK

Splint Decisions

The third week of the Runner's World Run Streak has begun, and I'm going strong. Well, strong-ish. I've always had a hard time toeing that line between giving up and acknowledging that there is a more important battle to be fought.

When it comes to picking battles in real life, I'm a pro. I know what's important to me, and for the most part I know when to let things roll off my back and when to pick up a sword and start slaying dragons.

I posted this to FB in one of my running groups after Day 15 of the streak. (Can you catch the typo?)

The problem with "choosing my battles" when it comes to running, though, is that I'm not a naturally competitive person. Often, I'm more likely to back down from a daunting run than to face it head-on. Over time, I've grown to a point where I know when I'm shortchanging myself and backing down. But the run streak has really messed with my head a bit.

Here's the face of someone who doesn't know when to quit: the day after that post, I hopped on a treadmill anyway.

Weighing my looming marathon training, set to begin July 7, and this run streak, the training should come first. That means that anything that could risk injury should automatically be put on hold, right? Shin splints are clearly my body's way of saying, back off! I'm tired! You're doing too much too soon! But logically, I don't think one to two miles a day is really asking that much of my body, especially as I'm keeping the pace nice and slow (in the low 10s, sometimes high 9s).

Foam rolling and sleeping in my compression socks seemed to help a bit.

Usually, I would balk at the first sign of pain and take a nice rest for a couple days. But you see, the run streak has re-ingrained in me the habit of running. I had taken so much time off, remember? I had been burned out. I have the streak to credit for my even running at all lately! And if I want to have any base level of fitness before July 7, then I need to be running consistently.

Day 17: Today I tried my luck in another pair of shoes, but nothing much changed there.

So here I am, at a crossroads. Quit the streak, take a rest day or two, then go back to running normally and hope I don't lose the motivation I've finally found again; or run through the shin splints, hope they don't turn into a real injury, and stay motivated through July?

The threat of injury should easily outweigh anything else, but it's hard to take shin splints seriously. Plus, I tried to take yesterday and today off and was so grumpy and fidgety that I had to get to the gym. And once there, I had to run! The rowing machine, the elliptical...yeah, I spent time on those, but in the end I needed to pound out a couple miles before I felt satisfied. Nothing makes me happier than a run.

I know what the seasoned runners will say. I know, as a relatively experienced (if not average) runner, what I should do. But I felt transcendent running through my pain today, telling it to shut up, take a back seat, and let me do my thing. In a way, I think this is something I need because it will teach me not to back down at the first sign of discomfort, and I know when I'm doing 16 or 18 miles during training, I'm going to need to know how to push through some pain.

All the treadmill shots lately can be explained by this.

I need to play the rest of the streak by ear. Maybe call it quits, maybe just see what happens. It was fun while it lasted and I'm grateful for the lessons it taught me. Now it's time to stop hanging my success on a certain number of days, and do what's right for me.

On a more cheery note, I'm currently designing my first running tattoo. I've decided to reward myself post-streak (however long it ends up being). I told my parents about it last week, and then received this email from my mom after she had shared the news with my grandparents.

Either Grandma is a master guilt-tripper, or the sweetest lady ever.

How cute is that?

What are your thoughts on running through discomfort?
How do you decide when enough is enough?
Do you have any running-related body art?

ABK

Gear Report: Strength & Stretch Edition

I promised you awkward pictures, and if there's anything I'll deliver on, it's awkwardness.

A little history before we get to the meat of this post, and the real reason you're all here. My knees began hurting after the 2011 NDN Half. This isn't surprising, considering my lack of preparation. I had never walked 13.1 miles, let alone run. (I don't think I'd ever walked more than six, unless you count rotations around the classroom or speedwalking Busch Gardens.)

After much research regarding where my knee pain was located, what times of day it was better/worse, etc, I self-diagnosed my problem as ITBS. I began going to the gym with M and focused on hip abductors and adductors, which really helped. Strengthening my hips, core, and glutes has really made a difference. I'm not very good at sticking with these exercises, and if I go a few days without doing them - especially if I've increased my mileage - I can feel the difference almost immediately.

Taking those two weeks off and then running six miles (including a race) on my first day back left my knees achy. Barely a mile into my short run last night with M, my knees were killing me and slowing me down. So, I've decided to do my stretches and strengthening exercises, and recruited M to take photos. The lengths we go to for education, yes?

1. Begin with a flat loop resistance band. I got mine at Sports Authority for $9. It's a medium strength band because I'm a weakling but I like to challenge myself.

I should have kids just so I can embarrass them by making posts like this.

2. Lie on your side with the band looped around both legs at the center point of your calves. Keep your resting leg slightly bent/relaxed, and keep the active leg straight. Raise and lower your active leg in a slow and controlled motion. I usually do two sets of 12 reps per side.

It's not a real workout tutorial without a cheesy grin.

Repeat for the other side as well. (These are just glorified leg-lifts, but do the same as the hip ab/adductor machines at the gym.)

3. Lower your active leg, stomping on the band (which you've now moved closer to your ankle). Lift and lower the leg that was resting in a slow, controlled motion. (This exercise sucks but helps your inner thighs. I hate it and rarely do this one.)

Hard to explain...Hopefully this photo is enough, because I quit after one rep.

4. Phew, I'm tired from all that resistance work! Time to stretch!

Always stretch with a spotter. Preferably a spotter that matches your shirt and foam roller.

Foam rollers are awesome. I got mine at Target for about $25. It came with a DVD I never use because Runner's World has so many great videos. Next time I buy one of these, I'll go for the black one, which has a higher density. But this green Gaiam is good for a beginner like me.

Rollers are great for all-over body massage. They allow you to use your own body weight to work out knots and tight muscles. I seriously don't know why it took me so long to buy one!

This is a thumbs-up, not a boob-grab.

As someone whose major issue is the IT-band, I spend most of my rolling time like this. You simply balance as much pressure as you can stand on the roller, and roll hip-to-knee for about 30 seconds at a time. Three full minutes of rolling is optimal.

I take calf-massages very seriously.

Rolling your calves is nice because it doubles as a core exercise. So does rolling your quads, which we can't forget, of course:

"Drop and give me twenty!" he chirped adorably.

I also like to do planks for core work, and I got a giant stability ball I'll take some photos of next time. But I think for now, this is enough embarrassment.

Remember to do all exercises purposefully. If you're rushing through them you risk injury, and you're not getting the full benefit of the routine. Remember, too, that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. New runners rarely know how important cross-training and strengthening exercises are...until they get injured. If I had been smart about my habits when I first began running, I wouldn't be dealing with knee pain two years after my original injury.

So be consistent, spend a few minutes a day where it counts, and enjoy your run! Good luck!

ABK

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