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I’m nervous. Really nervous. I’ve made a few comments here and there that my training hasn’t been what I wanted it to be. My training has been a short two months because of the triathlon I did at the end of August. Every single weekend between now and then I have either been out of town (or the country!) or had someone visiting me. Every. single. weekend. It made my weeks very packed as I was either packing/unpacking or cleaning for someone to stay/cleaning up after a visit. It’s been a crazy two months. Somewhere in there I’ve managed to actually work and to train for this half marathon. It hasn’t gone as I would’ve liked.
A few weeks ago on runs the outside of my knee started hurting. I could run through it no problem, so I iced after runs and experienced no real pain afterwards. It kept getting worse and worse. On my long run last weekend (my last long run before the half), I was in pain by mile 2, and toughed it out until mile 6 (i had to get home!). I chalked it up to building mental endurance, but I definitely took many walking and stretching breaks throughout. I was supposed to do 10. So, my longest run this training cycle was 8.5 miles, and my knee and hip are in lots of pain from IT band flair up.
Wonderful. I’m feeling a little discouraged and worried about my race. I now have just under 2 weeks until my race. My plan between now and then is to not only get sleep, eat well, and hydrate, but to take care of my IT band as well. Here’s what I’m doing:
- Stretching
- Foam Rolling 2x per day
- Icing 1-2x per day
- Resting my IT band by not running
I feel caught between needing to rest so I can run the best I can on race day, but also keeping my cardio up. Here’s where I could use your help!
What type of cross training is best to not put too much pressure on my IT band but will allow me to keep my cardio up? (slow walking, biking, elliptical??) What types of stretches would be helpful for my IT band? Any other thoughts on helping it to feel the best it can by race day?
I could use any help or advice I can get! What have you done to deal with IT band pain?
I totally feel you… I haven’t trained nearly as well as I wanted to for my race next weekend. But I’m just trying to remember 6.2 mi… whether I run super slow or even walk a chunk of it, is still 6.2 mi! Could I have trained better? Definitely! But I am still blessed to be able to cover that many miles. I hope your IT band feels better, I’m sure the rest will do it wonders.
Keep doing what you’re doing and hopefully the IT band will work itself out. Do you sit all day? Do you cross your legs when you sit? If so, make sure you’re getting up and walking often and stretching at your desk and keep your feet flat on the floor at all times. Also, when you foam roll, make sure that you’re going REALLY slowly on the IT band and when you come across any tender spots, stay on that knot for at least 30 seconds to let the muscle relax with the pressure. Have you looked at your shoes? Maybe after the half marathon they need to be replaced. I wouldn’t change shoes now with 2 weeks out, but definitely after. Good luck!!
Thanks for your encouragement. I DO sit all day, but try to get up and walk for a few minutes every hour. I cross my legs a lot, so I’ll definitely try to cut down on that. My shoes definitely need to be changed. I actually have a new pair, but don’t have enough time to break them in before:( I told my mom this morning that I thought that was part of the issue… unfortunate, but I guess you live and learn, right?
Do you go to a chiropractor? Sometimes when my knees hurt my chiro adjusts them and rolls out my IT a little and it helps a lot. I know you’re already rolling but an adjustment may help too. Sounds like you’re doing what you can. Maybe get a sports massage too?!
I haven’t ever gone to a chiropractor, but I do wonder sometimes if it might help. I have a friend who is a massage therapist, and I thought it might be helpful to have her work on the area a bit over the weekend. Great advice- thanks!
I’m a big believer in a chiropractor and massage! There’s only so much we can do ourselves. Good luck!
You may want to sneak in a few short runs in the new shoes and see how you feel. There is no law about mileage on news shoes. You still have time to build 10-20 miles on them and be race ready. I’m also a fan of the chiro as well as massage therapy!! Whatever happens, listen to your body and do what is best for you 🙂