Less than 5 weeks to go and I’m facing some big trouble…hope you guys can give me some advice.
I’m doing my first IM at CdA. I was hoping for a sub 13…
About 8 days ago, I completed my biggest workout, mock race rehearsal: 2.4/112/6. About 9:30. THis was at the end of a big week of training, about 300 miles of cycling & 35 miles of running.
2 days later, I ate some bad food and got pretty sick. Can’t eat or drink. Couldn’t workout for 6 days.
Just got well enough this last 2 days. I still feel alittle weak.
Yesterday I went for a longish run and at the end of the run, my ITB was hurting.
Today, my ITB REALLY HURTS…(I had ITBS before, but it cleared up and I didnt have any trouble for the last 6 mths)
What should I do now? I have less than 5 weeks to go. I had wanted to do some big volume for 2 weeks and then taper the last 3…but in my present weakened state, I doubt I can pull it off.
Should I reduce my taper to 2 weeks? How should I structure these last 4.5 weeks?? Any ITB quick fix? Any advice will be really welcomed. THanks everyone.
Tri-sg … first off it sounds like you have already done plenty of training. Relax a little and look at all the sessions you have COMPLETED and do not look forward to the sessions you MAY miss. FWIW i posted the below on a different site regarding the next few weeks to IMCDA. I had some athletes do Auburn this weekend so they have accumulated some fatigue and general soreness. I think in a similar way it applies to you as well!
SO, our goals going forward to IMCDA:
-Rest/Recover (light training, massage, etc) enough to be ready for a long swim this Friday
-We’ll do this upcoming fri/sat/sun as longer endurance work
-Mon-Thurs keep their normal consistency and adjust volume/intensity as needed to prepare the weekend
-Next Fri/Sat/Sun similar as above but Saturday will be “Race Simulation” ride (practice pacing, nutrition, similar terrain)
-Mon-Thurs same as above
-Fri long swim / Sat as longer Bike/Run Combo / Sun - middle distance run & swim (this is at two weeks out)
-From that point on it’s about staying sharp and doing a couple focused 2:30-3hr combination sessions, keeping the frequency of other workouts and dropping alot of the volume.
Hope that gives you some ideas … recover 1st, THEN get some key sessions in.
does you ITB hurt when cycling, running, or both? if it only hurts when running, replace your runs with water running. you’ve probably put in enough miles that water running will carry you for a couple of weeks while your ITB loosens up. make sure you do all the stretching and foam roller exercises to help loosen it up. hopefully in a couple of weeks you’ll be able to run again (just stick to softer surfaces if possible)
i don’t know any good substitues for cycling if it also hurts when you’re on the bike. maybe someone else does. it sounds like you’ve been riding a lot so you should be able to cut back your remaining workouts.
trifaster has given great training advice, to which I will only add that you would do well to find an A.R.T. (Active Release Technique) provider to work on your ITB. I think there is a list of practitioners on the A.R.T. website - you should be able to scare this up through google. Beyond this, go to www.roadrunnersports.com and look for one of those ITB compression straps. These wrap tightly about an inch above the kneee and serve to prevent the illiotibial band from twanging back and forth across the outer knee bone. I haven’t had to wear one of these, but bought one after my only episode of ITB problems in late '98. There are also some stretches for ITB problems that can be found in most injury and stretching books. And hang in there – 4+ weeks is plenty of time to get this cleared up. Tell us all about it in your IMCDA post-race report!
trifaster: Thats a good schedule! Thanks for sharing! It really helps.
DC: I havnt tried cycling yet. I wanted to give the knee a break so I just swam today. Thanks for the advice.
bigskies: I’ve heard of A.R.T, but never tried it. Is it that good? How much does it usually cost for a session? I’m in graduate school, so I don’t have much spare dough…but if its REALLY good…
The hardest part at this point is not trying to cram for the big race during the last three weeks. I did IM CDA last year and it was my first. I had a goal of under 11(10:48), however the hardest part of IM is staying focused that long! Don’t get me wrong you’ve to do the training, however at this point having nutrition figured out and being mentally prepared is really important. I approached it like one long journey trying to stay relaxed as long as I could, instead of racing it.
Your goal should be to enjoy the journey and finish with a smile.
Good luck! See ya @ IM CDA!
Try aqua jogging and ice massage for the ITB injury
I developed a nasty case of ITBS 3wks ago. I second the ART recommendation! I could only afford two sessions (first $120 and second $70) but worth every cent.
After 3 weeks I am capable of running for up to 30-45 minutes on soft surfaces and I ice and roll on a tennis ball after each run (kinda like trigger release massage for the poor man). I feel like I haven’t lost an ounce of fitness! Why?
I swam like a madman! Didn’t hurt the ITB…so why not? I took Doug Stern’s advice and started pool running after the acute phase of the ITBS. The pool running is awkward at first and feels different but is making a believer out of me (see Doug’s water running posts on this forum). I also started biking after about 10 days. I spun for long flat rides at high cadences (avoided hills) and everything is coming back together nicely.
Sounds like you’re doing the smart move by PAUSING. Go to the ART folks - take 7-10 days of NSAIDS - get in the pool for the swim and run and spin on the bike if tolerable. Most of all be confident you’ve done enough to finish the race with a smile!