I hate my IT band

Today was one of those days.  Got up.. ate a good breakfast.

(cottage cheese with cinnamon)

  Got my kids to school. 

 Went and stocked up on things and Sams Club.

  Then headed out for a run.  Was suppose to go 10 miles.  My legs were tired from the 21 miles I did on Saturday.  I kept telling myself go slow... it will be ok.  At about mile 3 I could tell my IT band was tight.  My knee was feeling some pressure.  Stopped at mile 5 to have a Gu and stretch.  Then right at mile 8 I had to stop at a light.  As soon as I got the OK to cross my knee was so tight I had to hop across the street on one foot.  It was so EMBARRASSING!!  It was at a very busy intersection. Luckily I was very close to a gas station were I limped to and to wait for a ride.  The rest of the day I spent on the foam roller.

I need some help!  I will not let this get me.  I need to figure out how to fix it so that I can start running pain free and have a good marathon.  Any suggestions??  Please let me know what has worked for you!

-Heather

Enduring to the end...

A lot of people always ask me why on earth would I want to run 26.2 miles especially when they see my aching body afterward hobbling around??  Simply because this is why, the happiness you feel after it is over is totally worth all the pain and training and miles and gu's and bathroom breaks and ice packs and foam rollers and advils.  You are overwhelmed with a sense of accomplishment and joy that makes you just want to jump out of your skin.  In fact, right after you cross over the finish line and get some water, you think....where is the sign up sheet for the next one.

This is me and Jen after the Fort Collins Marathon last Spring, can't you just see the joy in our faces!!  It was great!!

What the Heck? (that is my current Injury I decided)

So lately I have been battling an injury. It is a small manageable one and I am able to train through it but at the same time it is really frustrating. I am not 100% sure how to diagnose it, (I have asked the all knowing Boulder Running Company shoe experts what it could be) and they think it is plantar fasciitis. But maybe not, I prefer to call it, What the Heck?

Here are my symptoms:

-my heel hurts typically after a run

-occasionally my whole foot will feel tight (but I can massage it and then it feels fine)

-and now all of a sudden, my heel doesn't hurt so much as my calf was in a HUGE knot one morning when I woke up. (but it is seeming to get better)

Now, here is my dilemma. One of the classic symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis is pain when you wake up in the morning and start walking. I do NOT have this symptom. Nor, do I have any issues with shooting pains up my arch which I have heard is a major symptom. So I ask you, what is my problem!?!

Although I do feel like I am on the mend, it wasn't until I started this lovely regime:

Foaming rolling constantly (AGAIN, I had an IT problem over a year ago which also lead to hours of foam rolling).

Icing after every run, and sometimes at night just to be sure. (also, for those of you who noticed, my sister and I sport the same winter running coat! That's right, if it is good its good and I am proud to say all three of us tend to walk around with similar items on occasion ;))

Wearing supports in my cross training shoes constantly (No more cute shoes for me until this is taken care of.)

AND
Popping Advil on occasion to keep down inflammation

Can you believe this list of things I do daily now in order to keep up this crazy addiction I have called running! 

Here's to you all and hopes that you are all INJURY FREE! Also, if someone out there does have any other diagnoses they would like to share, please do.

Foam Roller

When I first started running I knew nothing about it. I ran in my Nike Shocks for an entire year before I realized that I needed different running shoes. So I stepped up, bought new shoes and was on my way. I didn't even run with a watch, I guess you could have called me a purest in some sense. I started training for my first marathon and began having shin splints. I had my coach give me some stretches but didn't look any further into it. It wasn't until Jen started running that she informed me of the Foam Roller. Of course I had heard of it but never bought one. Jen likes to research about everything. So when she first started running and ran into major IT Band problems she looked into it and found the foam roller, and then proceeded to tell me to get one pronto. Now I can't go without it!

Long story short is that the Foam Roller is vital for stretching your muscles and preventing injury. I have a small travel size one because I live in a small apartment but the longer ones are great too. There are tons of videos on YouTube about how to use the Foam Roller. If you are a beginner runner or even advanced and don't have one, I recommend buying one! It is well worth it.


I made a little video using a Vintage Video Maker app (thx Reagan for showing me this!) on my phone. Really I just wanted to experiment and I didn't have anyone to help me so please forgive me for the poor footage(my head cut off in the beginning) and it being a silent video, I am talking but all you can hear is the music. But to see more informative and longer videos go HERE.