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Saturday, September 22, 2007

Beachfront Avenue

Because today is Yom Kippur, and much of our running group is observing the holiday, the coach decided to move us gentiles to the beach to run this morning for a change of pace. So, we started in downtown Ft Lauderdale, and then ran east to the beach and up A1A, along the ocean. It was a beautiful run, it's always nice to see the sun rise over the ocean, and there was a nice breeze that kept us all cool.

But all of that greatness couldn't help the fact that my IT was again paining me. I made it through 9 miles (although, I don't care to post the splits), but I started hurting as early as mile 5. So, of course, this greatly concerns me -- however, I am doing everything in my power to not freak out; my good attitude is all I have right now, so I have an iron grip on it -- and I am seriously thinking of taking the next two weeks, before the marathon, off.

Sure, I'll keep up with cardio (I can do the bike or the elliptical or walk or swim), but I'm thinking about giving myself the full two weeks off of running. I'm considering this because I think it might enable the inflammation to "de-flame" and, hopefully, the rest will leave my legs fresh so I can get through the marathon.

What do you guys think? Good idea? Bad idea? What should I do?

21 comments:

ws said...

I'm observing the holiday by not going outdoors. I'm certainly not fasting today with the intention of running 20+ miles tomorrow. I see the sunrise over the ocean every morning I run and it never gets tiresome, curious thing that new day rising about the horizon phenomenon.

I'm not sure what advice to offer - I don't think I have enough experience to know what is best. But, pushing yourself to run through discomfort at this point will almost certainly do more harm than good. Have a restful two weeks - maybe go for a 3-5 miler if you are feeling particularly good. Otherwise keep your spirits high and start thinking about the finish line.

Erin said...

I am leaning towards you resting it also. If you do other low impact activities to keep your conditioning up, you should be fine.

Marcy said...

I'm with Wendy. I have no idea what I'm doing so I'd be the last person to ask. But I do think she's got the right idea. Rest and maybe a couple of low mileage runs?!?

Happy thoughts chica! Keep em up! ;D ;D

J~Mom said...

I vote for the rest. You aren't going to gain anything by pushing through it at this point but you will gain if you allow it to rest and let the swelling go down. The beach run sounds nice.

Anonymous said...

I don't know about a full rest, but I'm not experience enough to comment. But maybe you should go to a sports massage therapist and have him/her work on your ITB over the next few weeks to stretch it out so it is lose for the marathon. Also maybe you could focus on doing some core work - a lot of times if your low abs are strong they hold your pelvis in a neutral position and decrease stress on your hips and ITB.

Good luck. Rest up.

MNFirefly said...

Cross train, rest, stretch, ice, and getting in another good massage will really help. You can do it!

Mary Gee said...

Never underestimate the therapeutic value of rest. Last winter I was sure I had a stress fracture of my femur - until I took a week off and found out I just needed rest.

Nancy said...

I'm not experienced enough either on the running part, but I do know the drug side. If you think it is inflammed, make sure you are doing Ibuprofen around the clock. It isn't for pain, it's for inflammation, and the longer you keep the inflammation down, the better chance the tissues have to heal. Same thing as icing but from another angle. I think at least semi resting is probably good, keep the cardio up if you can. A good friend who is much more of an expert runner told me you only lose 1-2% of your cardio a week, not nearly as much as you would expect. Hope this helps.

Alison said...

At this point, I would take the full two weeks off from running, and do other light cardio (elliptical, walking, etc.) regardless of whether you feel better! When it comes to a marathon, less is more if if prevents you from getting injured.

Junie B said...

Eh, I dont know on this one. I would be too scared to not run AT ALL..thats just me. Just shorter runs maybe. Take a couple of days off for sure though.

On another note, as soon as I read A1A in your post, I started singing Ice Ice Baby. dammit man!

Anonymous said...

I would *love* to have the chance to run by the beach!

David said...

Ah, Beachfront Avenue. Girls are hot, wearing less than bikinis, rockman lovers driving lamborghinis; jealous 'cause I'm out gettin' mine. Shay with a gauge and Vanilla with a nine.

Funny how little phrases like that can rip my back into the jukebox.

I think I would discontinue the long runs, but not all runs. I would stretch (slowly and progressively), cross train for aerobic health, and do shorter, moderate intensity runs. Nothing over 5-6 miles. I think at this point you just want to keep things going and your blood chemistry right.

Really, though, I would get the advice of the run group leader/coach at this point, since she is probably most qualified to evaluate your state of training vs. injury condition. And, you are paying for that service. I do hope you experience a miraculous improvement, though.

brunettechicagogal said...

That's a tough call. I might limit myself to one run per week -- like my longest run, and that's it. I'm just afraid by sitting it out completely, you won't be ready for the marathon. I always hear that by the time the taper rolls around, your body is ready, but I just feel like I need to be running right up until the week before.

You might go see a physical therapist. They'll give you the best advice and give you some treatment, too.

Wes said...

Yea, I agree with David. I would definitely keep the runs short enough so you don't feel ANY discomfort, but I wouldn't stop running all together. So jealous of your run on the beach! Sorry your IT band was making it less than awesome :-)

Jess said...

Have you seen a massage therapist? They might be able to help with some of the IT band issues. I find it usually helps me anyway.

But play it by ear. If it's bothering you, then the rest is probably your best bet.

Tiffany said...

Hey- I say take it easy... do a couple shorter runs.

- Dr. Tiffany

I got your message about running together in Chicago- I would love to! I am probably slower than yall though... I am rocking an 11:30 pace, sometimes slower :)

Scott McMurtrey said...

does it hurt to walk? could you walk for a couple hours just to get time on your feet instead of running? i would say rest if you think you have to. no sense hobbling to the start line.

will it ever stop? yo, i don't know.

Iron Jayhawk said...

Definitely get some rest in, but maybe try for a few short runs just to keep your legs loose and fresh...i'm thinking 8k and less.

L*I*S*A said...

I'm right there with ya...my left IT or hip flexors were letting me know they were there yesterday on my 10-miler. I opt for rest and lots of it.

We have some ass-kickin' to do on 10/7/07, so let's be fresh and healthy to do so. ;)

Randy - Maniac #788 said...

Jess...take care of that IT....I wish I could have a beach to run on .... oh so luck you are...

Tri+Umph said...

With anything involving inflammation I will recommend the magic blue pill called Aleve!

I recently kept taking Tylenol for my hip, when I switched to Aleve it was like magic. It will not only make it feel better, but will de-inflame it. Two birds with one stone!