Final runs before half marathon - and after injury?

Triathlon Forum
1

Hi,

Facts:

Half marathon is now 2.5 weeks away.

I completed my first half marathon of the season 4.5 weeks ago. I ran a fast 10-miler too soon afterwards and as a result, got a bad IT band injury. For 3 weeks it hurt just to walk up a flight of stairs.

Since then, 2 weeks no running, followed by 2 weeks Aquajogging. Aquajogging mostly around 30 min. at a time.

Last night, ran to the pool (15 min), Aquajogged for a long time, then ran back (another 15 min), for a total “run” equivalent of 10 miles. I THINK the IT band felt okay though it may have been wishful thinking.

Now, what I’m trying to figure out is what to do next to train for the half marathon?

1/Start running short distances on blacktop now to see if my IT band can handle it?

1a/Do an 11- or 12-miler on blacktop about 10 days out from the race (1 week from now)?

2/Stick to aquajogging only, do the 11- or 12-miler in the pool?

3/Skip the half marathon to reduce risk of further injury? (See, I fear that since I’m doing it with friends, I’ll keep running after mile 6 even if the IT band starts hurting…won’t be able to control myself…)

What would you runners do?

Oleander

2

(See, I fear that since I’m doing it with friends, I’ll keep running after mile 6 even if the IT band starts hurting…won’t be able to control myself…)

What would you runners do?

Get new friends for starters - anyone who would encourage, challenge, or even allow you to keep running with them in the race in the above described situation is not your friend. If I’m misinterpreting that and you mean it would only be your own lack of self control and out of some sense of duty to them, well, there’s only one person that can help you with that. And I don’t mean the hypnotist from Office Space.

Seriously, if it was that bad, and 3 weeks unable to go down the stairs ending just 1.5 weeks ago is bad enough in my book, get healed, really healed before you race again. A chronic IT problem sucks almost as bad as PF, maybe worse because at least with the PF it tends to hurt less if you can actually get warmed up and get running, whereas the IT can leave you sitting on the curb somewhere sobbing into your cell phone. Be smart - get well.

Also, if you don’t have one, get a foam roller and make sweet lateral recumbent love to it nightly (both legs, not just the bad one) until you are better, then keep doing it forever.

3

It’s my own self control (not my friends) that is the problem in race situations. How many times do we tell ourselves “I’m training through this race, I’m NOT racing…” and then we, well…race?

Got the foam roller, check.

IT band hurt not going downstairs, but upstairs. That problem has since gone away and I do want to point out that I managed to run a half hour on blacktop yesterday (plus the aquajog) without a problem. Afterwards I rolled the IT band and it wasn’t at all tight. If I had had a problem last night, I would have given up on the half marathon idea right then and there. The fact that it was fine, reopened the question for me.

Thanks.

4

Right - up the stairs is when it would hurt.

Got the foam roller, check.

Good, and good that you can roll it without pain. Stretch it too.

I managed to run a half hour on blacktop yesterday (plus the aquajog) without a problem.

In that case I think I’d go with your plan #1, just short runs until you see how it goes (and some aquajogging, or even just swim a bunch). If you risk a longer run, and it hurts, even if you stop and walk home you know you’ll need to take more time off, where a shorter run might have allowed continued recovery. If you just aquajog, you will never really know - if it won’t hold up to short runs, the aquajogging only isn’t likely to change that by race day and you wouldn’t be healthy enough to race anyway. Maybe work up to an 8 miler 4-5 days out from the race?

And for the race, maybe make a pact with your pals that they will ask you how it feels, you will answer honestly, and they will make you pull the plug if it hurts, and you will comply. Then later you can say hey you guys made me quit, I could have made it! But you won’t be crippled.

I’ve re-shredded an IT in exactly the same situation, 1/2 marathon too soon, and you can’t just slow down and finish…well, you can, I did, but it didn’t hurt any much less to go slower - more actually, and I was back to the drawing board. Hopefully yours is closer to healed now and you can just move forward.

Oh, and you shoes aren’t worn out are they? That’s been a trigger for me in the past.

And finally, assuming you are cross training with some biking and swimming, even if biking doesn’t seem to hurt, stay away from seated climbing especially overgeared, for now (it’s like walking up stairs, lots of strain on the TFL right while it’s rubbing over the spot that is irritating it)

Good luck!

5

Don’t do the race… not worth the chance of reinjuring it.

6

I am indeed thinking about not doing the race. I have the first triathlon of the season (sprint - 4 mile run) exactly two weeks after the half marathon, and I wouldn’t want to jeopardize the sprint tri. But, God, it would be so hard to give up the run…I LOVE to run!

7

I sympathize… I love to run too.

8

Me too as I sit here rubbing my sore AT an wondering whether I should risk a run on this beautiful sunny 70 degree afterfnoon.

9

not being able to run is the most painful thing in the world.

10

are you rehabbing the itb injury?

there are some exersises you can do to strenghen your ass muscles.

I hurt my itb, went to physio and had some exersises recommended to me and they worked absolutely great. My problems were totally gone in about 3 weeks or so.

Here is the best one:
get an old tube (bike tire), tie a couple loops on either end. Attach one end to a fixed object and the other around the ankle of the leg your itb injury is on.

Stand making a straight line from one foot to the other to where the tube is tied to. With your injured leg on the outside, extend your leg out to the side using the tube for resistance. Make the tension so you can do 20 to 30 of these with the last few tough. You should really feel it on the side of your ass - in both legs too because the leg you are standing on is stressed too in the same manner. Do 3 sets of each leg every couple of days. I was AMAZED with the results. My injury wouldnt get better with rest and after 6 weeks i went to physio and started these and had great results.

you can find other exersises online too if you google itb injury recovery or something.

I strongly recommend you do this. it is far enough out from your half that you may be fully recovered in time.

you can continue to run in the meantime but keep them short. as soon as the pain starts stop running.

hopefully you are able to run at least 20 minutes pain free right now - thats what happened with me. the pain would come after 20 mins or so no matter how much time off i took.

good luck

11

Yes, there are tons of exercises and stretches out there that help heal IT band injuries. I know about them all. This is not the first time I’ve had this injury.

The tube one you describe works by strengthening the hip abductors. Strong hip abductors = body stresses the IT band less. I have been doing core and leg strengthening exercises at home since Jan 1, but probably not consistently enough for good injury prevention.

I just went for a 45-min run on grass with NO problem. Now considering entering the half marathon but asking my friends to help me to stop if I feel any pain.

Oleander