My IT band is winning (and I'm determined not to let it)

From a thruster?

From a thruster?
 
Yeah but not from a fin, from

Yeah but not from a fin, from the nose. I had just come off two months away from surfing, part of which was due to a bout of Dengue Fever. I lost a bunch of weight (muscle, not fat) but was determined to get back on the horse so I paddled out to Teahupo'o in pretty unruly conditions. First wave I just barely made the takeoff, hit a chop and went flying. Somehow my board got out in front of me and I landed straight on the nose. The doc who sewed me up said that after sticking his finger two digits into the wound, he could feel my femoral artery throbbing away.
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Joshh wrote:  I had just come

Joshh said:
I had just come off two months away from surfing, part of which was due to a bout of Dengue Fever



That's what got Andy Irons just a few days ago. What a way to go for a big wave surfer.
 
that is some crazy stuff but

that is some crazy stuff but i can almost guarantee that injury is the culprit. get the msucles balanced out with some strength training and you'll watch your pains go away.

it band issues do tend to happen in shod runners more than barefooters but the truth is that it's related to muscluar imbalances that causes awkward and uneven strain on the joints which then effect other areas, usually in the muscular and connective tissues as they compensate. most running injuries come from this format and can easily be corrected with the proper focus and finding the cause instead of trying to treat the affected area.
 
Longboard said:
That's what
Longboard said:
Longboard said:
That's what got Andy Irons just a few days ago. What a way to go for a big wave surfer.
Longboard said:
Yeah, that was/is really tragic. I met him a couple times in Tahiti and despite the picture that media like the movie Blue Horizon paint of him, he was actually a respectful, sincere guy. I heard about it while out at the coast watching my friend Kohl on his way to winning the big wave contest we just had here www.nelscottreef.com.

Thanks Jimmy for your opinion. What exercises would best target the inner thigh then? Or should I be more looking at strengthening the entire hip?
 
Oh goodness, I had a horrid

Oh goodness, I had a horrid 10-miler today. Won't go into all the details but I ended up walking the last 2 miles thanks to my IT band. So frustrating. The main difference between this and my 9-miler 2 weeks ago was that I taped before my 9-miler and didn't tape before I started today. My chiro feels like the tape is good when necessary, and I think I'll use it for my remaining long runs before my race. (Actually the race is sort of up in the air after today but I'm still hoping I'll be healthy for it. It's 4 wks from tomorrow.)

Plan of action: I've learned some great strengthening exercises from the rehab place where I'm going but it's been focused on ankle/foot/lower leg stuff because of an arch issue I was having. (The arch did great today, BTW, giving me faith in this clinic!) But they haven't yet given me strengthening stuff for my IT band. I've had a lot to work on, they can't address it all at once. I'm going to talk to them about the upper-leg/hip strength stuff on Monday, but until then I'm going to implement Jimmy's exercises. Thanks, Jimmy!

I'll keep doing the trigger point stuff; that actually seems to be helping in terms of getting things loosened up in there.

And overall I'm just going to keep getting treated and doing what I've been doing, hoping that it works. The chiro told me he expected this to be fixed in 2-3 weeks, and it's only been a week. I think my expectations were too high for today, considering this is an issue that I've had on and off for 9 months! So I'm going to give it time. My body needs to learn NOT to tighten up in this way.

Lastly, attitude--I'm being thankful for the miles I CAN run instead of focusing so much on the ones I CAN'T run.



ETA: I emailed my chiro (and he responded, on a Saturday, FTW!!) and he still feels my prognosis is excellent for getting this taken care of before the race. I hope he's right but am still going to try to keep a good attitude either way!
 
Lastly, attitude--I'm being

Lastly, attitude--I'm being thankful for the miles I CAN run instead of focusing so much on the ones I CAN'T run.

That's what I was going to point out, especially since for me, I can't even run 1/16th of a mile. I'd be thankful to just run a mile at this point. Good luck with the therapy. I hope you are able to complete your race pain free.
 
TJ--Thank you. In fact, I was

TJ--Thank you. In fact, I was thinking of you when I posted that. Really, the ability to run at all is a blessing. I want to be aware of that especially considering runners like you who are stuck in a no-running phase! Really, really hoping that gets resolved for you. :(

Honestly, I'm thankful for how this is helping me put things in perspective. Being weak helps me to start focusing on the things that are really important...and in the big scheme of things, WHEN I do my first half marathon (or even IF) is not really that important!
 
C. Beth,Yes, it is a

C. Beth,

Yes, it is a blessing! And yes, running and sometimes being weak or down does help our perspective on the larger scheme of the Universe.

I work at a hospital and see people all the time who are very sick, dying, or incapacitated for the rest of their lives. I have met some extordinary people over the years who are not as physically able as I am but have the gift of bringing joy to those around them with their smile, even when they can't speak.

When I run I am blessed. When I sing and bring a smile I am blessed. When I read your letters and hear how each of you love life so dearly you all make me smile, too.

Keep running, keep smiling.

In the book "Born to Run" the one overriding thing I took from the Tarahumara was their JOY of life!



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The Peanut
 
Peanut--What a great

Peanut--What a great perspective! Thank you! That was the coolest thing I got out of Born to Run too. Hmm, maybe time to read it again. :)
 
Oh my gosh, I totally forgot,

Oh my gosh, I totally forgot, they DID give me a great exercise for my ITBS! It's called a Clamshell, and I'm doing it with my legs in 4 slightly different positions to target different muscles. It's for pelvic stability.
 
Cool, I remember we did some

Cool, I remember we did some lateral lunges in a boot camp I did. I could feel them working!!



ETA: I just did some of the lateral lunges. Love them. I can feel them working various different muscle groups plus it's a fantastic dynamic stretch for my inner thigh. Cool. Thanks for the suggestion/link, Jimmy.
 
Hi Beth, sorry to hear about

Hi Beth, sorry to hear about your recovery speedbump. I'm sure you will get better soon though with your desire to work it out and the support of your clinic and that of this awesome BRS community.

Jimmy, thanks again for the help. I went to the link and tried my first side lunges. RESPECT to Jacqueline in the video. I don't know how she gets that low, that smoothly. This is a big wake up call to me that has revealed my areas of weakness. I look forward to seeing the improvement from where I am now. Thank you again, this is exciting stuff.
 
in the very near future i

in the very near future i will be launching a fitness site dedicated to exercise programs and routines that will benefit a barefoot athlete as well as show how anyone can benefit from barefoot/minimal exercise. i've been filming lately and am pretty excited about what we (myself and ZEM who is sponsoring/hired me for the site) have come up with. I am going to incorporate various routines to address things like itbs and tofp.
 
 Hi Beth,Am so sorry to hear

Hi Beth,

Am so sorry to hear about your ITBS. I had the same thing going on about 6 months ago and fixed it with the foam roller and bf running. How long do you spend on the roller? Do you really get in there and mash your quads with it? Do you support your weight with your free leg or do you put all your weight on the roller?

I found if I really got in to the quad with all my weight, sure it hurt a lot, but the stretching is what will fix your ITBS for sure. The quad plays a big part in this problem.

I hope you get it sorted out soon :)
 
the running shoe will be very

the running shoe will be very road friendly. the plan has been to create a shoe that runners need and the average runner is a pavement runner meaning they are on sidewalks and streets more than anywhere else. i know there are a lot of trail runners out there and this shoe will be good for the trail too but it's more built for the road IMO.

as for water proof it will not be like the current model in terms of the water retention. it will not be water proof though.