Keep Moving Forward

Everything is looking up. Last week I got in 38 miles, so not a mega mileage week, but a lot better then the 6 mile week I had to close February. My long run was 13 miles on the trail. I'm excited to see how well I have responded to the treatment that my chiropractor provided. I also got some great advice from my blog friends that I have used. Below is my current strategy to work through my ITB issues.

1. Take 1 NSAID (aspirin) about 20 minutes before I run and usually take 1 with each meal to help reduce the inflammation that is already there. Once I am over the injury I will cut the out or only use as needed.
2. Warm up - I will walk/jog or ride my bike slow for about 10 minutes.
3. Start my run out slow and get in a mile or 2 before I pick up the pace
4. Ice immediately afterwards for 20-30 minutes and potentially later that night while watching TV. I've done 1 ice bath... thanks Ben!
5. Stretch out. General stretching (quads, hamstrings, calves, hips..). I do not concentrate too much on the ITB area. For me, spending too much on the ITB area tends to feel worse
6. Roll it out on a foam roller. I cut rolling into 4 segments; Upper (Hip to middle thigh) Middle (middle thigh), Lower (middle thigh to just above the bony part of my knee, no direct contact on the side of the knee), Combined (slow roll from upper thigh to just above the knee)
7. Resistance training. One legged exercises, squats, leg curls, extensions, lunges.

I'm not a doctor and don't really know more then what I have been told or that I have found from on-line resources so take the above with a grain of salt. It's whats working for me and is a work in progress. Thanks to everybody for the great feedback and resources.

Now on to even better the news. I'm heading to San Diego for the week for a conference. I plan to get some miles in and enjoy the scenery. Anyone know of any good spots to run?

Enjoy the weekend, I'm out!!!

I was athletically depressed. I looked at the calendar and McNaughton was 6 weeks away and my aching ITband was only letting me get in minimal miles before I came to a hault. What to do? Rest? Call off the event? Push though and risk injury? I hated being in this position. I searched the web for as many ITB resources as I could find and came up with a plan to stretch, ice, and slow down and cut mileage.

The latest copy of Ultrarunning Magazine showed up in my mailbox and within the first few pages there was some information on training while injured. Take an NSAID (aspirin) and ice before the run. Go out and put in some miles going slower and cutting down on the amount of time on my feet. Then ice again afterward. I tried this and was able to get in a good 5 slow miles without too much discomfort, but this issue was still there and had I gone much further or faster I would have had to stop.

I also took a trip to the Chiropractor, something I had never done before. First off when I told her that I run ultras, she was really interested and excited to help. I told her my symptoms and she immediately went to work on me. Pulling on my legs, twisting me around and so on. She said that my right hip was higher then the other and that because of that my left leg was traveling farther and potentially causing the issue. So she worked on me for a while longer, doing some "needle less acupuncture" and some other things that seemed like smoke and mirrors to me. She thought that I was "curable" and gave me hope that I would be in shape to run mid-April. I got looked over again and was told that my hips were equal and to get some miles in over the next few days to see how things felt. She also has a massage therapist and a physical therapist on staff that might get involved to correct the issues that are causing the ITB strain if needed. I was told to take the night off and drink lots of water because I would be sore. I must have given her a funny look, because she said "Trust me, I did a lot." Sure enough, I am sore. I feel like I would a few days after I did a hard run with lots of hills. Not sore to the touch, but just recovering muscles kind of tired.

This morning, I got up early, ate a bit, did some work stuff, iced and took off for a short 4 miler at just under an 8 minutes pace. I felt great. There were no signs of the normal issues I would have with my ITB early in the run. There was a slight feeling in that area around the end of the run, but less then what I usually experience. I'm sure there is still some swelling in that area from before, so I know it will not just magically go away, but this gave me some hope that was not there on Sunday!!!! I am traveling today, so I will hit the treadmill for 6 or so tonight to see how things are holding up and to be able to report back to the dr. on Friday with how things went to see what the next steps are.

Keep hope alive!!!!

I wish I could say that I had a blow out training month in February, not the case. After Psycho Wyco, I had a pretty easy week of about 27 miles. No speed work or anything like that, just easy miles. My ITband is a little sore and I have not wanted to push too much. I think running in the 5 inch deep snow may have aggravated my ITB since the terrain was so varied. Add that to the 20+ MPH winds we have had here and my Feb was a bust. I guess I'll call it a resting month. The weather looks good today so I am headed out to get in some miles on the trail.

McNaughton is about 6 weeks out. I'm nervous because I have not been able to get in the mileage that I wanted, so I'm going to try to have a strong March and go into the event healthy. Over trained and injured or under trained and healthy?? A question for the times.