Off to NZ for the IM next week. Have had to back it right off because of fooken ITBS. It’s been on and off for about 6 weeks now (I guess). It was pretty minor up until a fortnight ago (today) when I ran a 32km hilly run at decent pace (4:30/km overall avg). It didn’t actually flare up badly during that run and I wasn’t really impeded by it. The following day and weekend though it did become a bit painful and I was hobbling around home and the office. I’ve swam and bike relatively regularly since then but the only other run I did was this last Monday (11 days after the long run) where I started to run and immediately there was sharp pain that made me hobble. I stopped briefly to do the cross legged stretch, whacked the TFL a few times and set off again and the pain had sort of dissipated to the extent that I ran 7km at 4:00 pace with little to no ITB pain. If I do no more running from here on in it will be about 10 days (on race day) since the 7km run. How much will my run fitness have suffered? I was aiming for a 3:20 type of time.
What else are you doing to treat it? Foam roller, massage? Rest is good but some other stuff will help. Search “treating / preventing IT band syndrome” - I had a really good thread on this in the fall.
Is water running an option for you? Studies have shown that this maintains vo2 max in athletes who substitute water running for ‘regular’ run training.
Detraining - can’t recall off the top of my head, wait til I can find my ex phys book later 
Also talk to runlikeamother about doing an IM with ITBS… she suffered from this for awhile
Won’t rule water running out, but do you have to go and buy some special vest to do it? Too close to the race now to justify the expense I think.
I think runlikeamother and yourself both gave me some good tips to a previous ITB post of mine a few weeks back, so thanks.
Have been doing foam roller, weekly (1hr) deep tissue massage, have had 1 bout of accupuncture, ice, naproxen anti-inflams, two shots of cortisone (for the race) and a yoga session or two, so haven’t been putting my feet up 
no special vest needed. Most pools have the belts but even those, you do not have to use.
So you just run like treading water, nothing else?
Gotta get some sleep now so thanks in advance for any further reply!
Imitate your natural stride as much as possible. If you do a forum search you’ll find some threads on water running and its correct form.
your hip flexors will likely get very sore.
I have to get to classes, I would like to go back to sleep 
Detraining effects
Coyle, EF, et al. Time course of loss of adaptation after stopping prolonged intense endurance training. J Appl Physiol 1984;57:1857
They studied trained cyclists and runners (10-12 mths @ 5+ days per week of training of 60 min a day @ 70-80% of vo2 max), what happens if they limit physical activity to minimal levels required in their jobs. After 12 days: 7% decrease in vo2 max. Stroke volume and cardiac output will also decrease by 6 and 11 percent repsectively during that time.
that study is in a nicely colored box in my ex phys book. So, get water running or you will lose a bit of fitness.
tc
Doesn’t sound like too much hip/glute strengthening in your regimine besides the yoga?