Illiotibial Band Syndrome

So even though I thought I was at peace with my decision not to run the marathon, I started to second guess myself and decided to go see a sports medicine doctor to see what he thought.  He diagnosed me with IT Band Syndrome which is one of the most common conditions runners encounter.  He was glad that I came in when I did as some people run a long time with the condition before being treated and by that time other areas can also start to get inflamed and/or injured, and the condition, if not treated properly can become chronic.

The doctor also taught me what splinting means which explains the other pain I was feeling in my leg.  Basically because of the pain that the IT Band issue was causing on the outside of my leg, my body was trying to compensate and make itself more comfortable causing my stride to be unnatural which was hurting the inner part of my thigh.

He definitely did not think it would be a good idea for me to run so far so soon, so it helped me to feel better about my decision.  Also because this issue is common there are tons of resources out there for how to treat it with different stretches and exercises that I can do on my own.  He recommended physical therapy, but said I can try it on my own first, it just might take a little bit longer to recover, which is fine because I plan on taking a little break before choosing a new race and starting a new training schedule.

Looking back there have been things I would tweak in my next training.  I want to incorporate bike riding for my cross training to help strengthen the muscles in my legs and to help keep my endurance up.  I also want to utilize my foam roller more regularly, not just waiting until I am already sore.  I want to be better at waking up and going on my runs first thing in the morning, and continue to improve my nutrition.

Here are some links that talk more about IT Band Syndrome that I have found to be helpful and encouraging.

http://www.athletico.com/2012/06/05/it-band-syndrome-the-top-5-causes-and-solutions/
http://www.runnersworld.com/tag/itbs-iliotibial-band-syndrome
http://www.active.com/running/articles/how-to-aggressively-treat-it-band-syndrome
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/iliotibial_band_syndrome/article_em.htm

Now that the race has officially passed, I am ready to move on and am excited to focus on the next chapter!