Man I really sucked it up at my first half marathon last Saturday. But I did finish and I made a new friend who walked about 9 miles of the race with me (thanks Karin!)
For those of you who haven't heard me whining and crying for the last two weeks, I injured my iliotibial (I.T.) band on a long run two weeks ago. The pain started at mile 6 of an 11 miler. I walked and stretched until the pain subsided then ran until it came back. My walk breaks got longer and my run streaks got shorter. By mile 10 I could barely walk. I somehow made it home and collapsed in a heap of pain and tears. Boo hoo. Isn't this what people call a first world problem? I'm upset because I can't run for fun yet there are people out there who cannot run at all or who don't have food to eat or a place to live or have to walk five miles to get fresh water. I know there are bigger problems out there than mine but in my own little world, this problem is kinda big. Running has been my out. It has been my sanity saver. It has been my mind clearer and my thinking time. Plus I'm hoping it will help me not have a heart attack at age 37. I iced and stretched and took ibuprofen for a week. I had no pain after 3 days. After 6 days I tried out a short run. After 2 miles the pain was back. As were the tears of frustration. So my training plan for my first half marathon went out the window and my new goal was just to finish. Thursday before the race I saw my doctor who referred me to a physical therapist who is also a runner and he got me a same day appointment. I spent 1 1/2 hours learning about my injury, finding out ways to prevent future injuries and I was sent home with a stack handouts full of exercises to help my IT band, high hamstring strain, and weak hip stabilizers.
The next day my girls, my mom and I headed to Boise for the race. I knew I couldn't run much of it but I really wanted to do it anyway. We stayed at my brother's house and my girls had a blast with their cousins. My amazing mom came up to support me, help with my kids, and to be available in case I couldn't finish the race. She rocks. Seriously. Thankfully I didn't need rescuing. I paid close attention to my knee and I was only able to run about 3 out of the 13 miles. The good thing about this injury is that my first half marathon was super laid back and I felt no pressure to finish in a certain amount of time. I was able to enjoy the scenery and the weather was absolutely perfect. At the finish line they had all kinds of yummy food, water, chocolate and even champagne for those who were so inclined. Crossing the finish line was weirdly emotional for me. It was a mixture of a feeling of accomplishment and sincere disappointment. I had finished my first half marathon but at a super slow pace. I had been looking forward to feeling like I had left everything on the course and had given it my all and I was sad to know that I wasn't able to do that. But things can only get better from here. I'm diligently doing my physical therapy at home and I won't be running for at least two weeks. My next half will be September 1st. I will run that one. I'm trying so hard to be positive but to be honest, I'm a terrible injured person. I'm hoping this gets fixed soon!
For those of you who haven't heard me whining and crying for the last two weeks, I injured my iliotibial (I.T.) band on a long run two weeks ago. The pain started at mile 6 of an 11 miler. I walked and stretched until the pain subsided then ran until it came back. My walk breaks got longer and my run streaks got shorter. By mile 10 I could barely walk. I somehow made it home and collapsed in a heap of pain and tears. Boo hoo. Isn't this what people call a first world problem? I'm upset because I can't run for fun yet there are people out there who cannot run at all or who don't have food to eat or a place to live or have to walk five miles to get fresh water. I know there are bigger problems out there than mine but in my own little world, this problem is kinda big. Running has been my out. It has been my sanity saver. It has been my mind clearer and my thinking time. Plus I'm hoping it will help me not have a heart attack at age 37. I iced and stretched and took ibuprofen for a week. I had no pain after 3 days. After 6 days I tried out a short run. After 2 miles the pain was back. As were the tears of frustration. So my training plan for my first half marathon went out the window and my new goal was just to finish. Thursday before the race I saw my doctor who referred me to a physical therapist who is also a runner and he got me a same day appointment. I spent 1 1/2 hours learning about my injury, finding out ways to prevent future injuries and I was sent home with a stack handouts full of exercises to help my IT band, high hamstring strain, and weak hip stabilizers.
The next day my girls, my mom and I headed to Boise for the race. I knew I couldn't run much of it but I really wanted to do it anyway. We stayed at my brother's house and my girls had a blast with their cousins. My amazing mom came up to support me, help with my kids, and to be available in case I couldn't finish the race. She rocks. Seriously. Thankfully I didn't need rescuing. I paid close attention to my knee and I was only able to run about 3 out of the 13 miles. The good thing about this injury is that my first half marathon was super laid back and I felt no pressure to finish in a certain amount of time. I was able to enjoy the scenery and the weather was absolutely perfect. At the finish line they had all kinds of yummy food, water, chocolate and even champagne for those who were so inclined. Crossing the finish line was weirdly emotional for me. It was a mixture of a feeling of accomplishment and sincere disappointment. I had finished my first half marathon but at a super slow pace. I had been looking forward to feeling like I had left everything on the course and had given it my all and I was sad to know that I wasn't able to do that. But things can only get better from here. I'm diligently doing my physical therapy at home and I won't be running for at least two weeks. My next half will be September 1st. I will run that one. I'm trying so hard to be positive but to be honest, I'm a terrible injured person. I'm hoping this gets fixed soon!
Clearly I need some running sunglasses!
With my first race medal! Yay!
Lessons learned from this experience:
Don't do 2 long runs in one week just to get in the mileage. Your body will hate you for it. (my rookie mistake)
Find other ways to stay active and keep your sanity.
Ice is your friend.
PT exercises make you look silly but are totally worth it.
Pay attention to your body and do not try to run through the pain just to finish a run. Swallow your pride and STOP running!
Cross train and lift weights to get stronger and become more injury-resistant.
Get a massage. It promotes healing and is super awesome.
Don't take your frustration out on your loved ones. It's not their fault you're injured.
Stay positive and find a new goal race much later in the season.
