Wow! Friday could not come soon enough this week. This whole week I have felt like each day is just dragging by, and I wasn’t actually convinced the weekend would ever come. I wasn’t sleeping well, I was oversleeping every morning, and my diet has been uncontrollable. I was trying to figure out what was so off about this week, and then I figured it out.
I haven’t been running. I took a break after the 10k and despite my plans to ramp up my half marathon training, my runs the past couple weeks have been pretty weak. I have gone at least twice a week, but they have been slow, uncomfortable, and always less far than I intended. It’s crazy to think that my body is not only used to this exercise I once hated so much, but actually dependent on it to feel normal. I have been taking it kind of easy lately because of the heat and humidity, but more importantly, my hip has been killing me. Not only when I’m running, but if I sit down for too long, or even if I’m just laying on that side when I go to sleep. Needless to say, impending injury is kind of scary, so I’ve pulled back a little until I know what it is.
The good news: since running less frequently, I have been stretching a lot, doing some stretches I found on the trusted internet, specifically designed to focus on my IT band. I think that is the source of my pain, considering the location (outside of the hip flexor) and that the intensity of pain lessens when stretching. I have been doing them every morning and night, and I actually was able to get out for a run last night that felt pretty good. The pain isn’t gone completely, but I was able to stretch it out and keep on going.
Feeling your body respond negatively to something you not only want to keep doing, but you know is good for you, is tough. I am going to keep going on runs, although I won’t push myself if it really hurts, and keep on stretching. The most important thing to do is listen to your body when it’s trying to tell you you’re pushing it too hard, but I’ll probably know when that is... right?
My IT band flared up at mile 7 of the Boilermaker last year. I find that my IT issues usually happen after I’ve already been hitting the pavement for a while. So because i don’t have the pain before I run, I often forget to stretch it out and then end up suffering for the last half of my workout. I’ve taken to doing a few stretches recommended by my chiropractor and then I’ll use the Range Roller (we don’t have a foam roller) to painfully work out the tightness both before and after my runs. It’s been working so far. That and I’m not riding a bike that’s too short (believe it or not) for me. That’s what really got my IT hurting last summer since I couldn’t get a full leg extension when pedaling. So make sure you’re taking care of your hips, knees, and legs in all your exercises: running, biking, walking, swimming, etc.!
Hey there. I’ve been having a lot of trouble in regards to runs lately, too. I have taken some time off and I miss running in a way that I thought I never would. From one fat nerd to another, I hope the stretching helps in an expediently a manner as possible. The feeling of your body figuratively pulling back as you want to want to push forward sucks. :/
Fortunately/Unfortunately the IT issue is one of the most common sources of discomfort for runners. More fortunately, you can beat it too. Keep up the stretches, and if you aren’t getting good relief, try going to a chiropractor in all seriousness. Ellie and I have ours work out our scar tissue in that area, its super painful but feels so much better after.