Marathon Aftermath

Ouch!!!!! Pain!!!!!! Swelling!!!!!!!! Give me more IB Profen!!!!!

So it is now Sunday and I am still limping around with ice strapped to my knee and ankle. I know I pushed it too hard but I had a goal and I wanted to accomplish that goal.

At the beginning of my training for the marathon I had one goal, To Finish! I had a schedule, Hal Higdon's, and I was pretty strict to obey the mileage but that's all I was doing, running the miles. Chris kept prompting me to push it a little more. But I was content with my pace and didn't want anything but to finish. But then my friend Ali invited me to run a 10 miler with a group she was organizing with another friend. I guess it was the group setting that made it feel more like a "race" but I ran it significantly faster than what I previously had been. I was running at 10 minute mile pace and ran those 10 miles under a 8:30 min pace. After that run I decided I could push myself a little more.

I kept pushing and ran my 20 mile run at a 8:15 min pace. I realized I was on pace to qualify for the Boston Marathon!!! I just needed to run it in 3:40 How Exciting! After every run Chris would ask me my time and it started to be fun to try and speed up my pace. I have the greatest husband who supported me 100%. He was my little cheerleader and motivator. He watched the boys when I went out in the mornings and didn't complain even though his time is precious when studying to take the bar. In fact with the bar less than a week away he came and supported me during the race and stayed after to help me recoop. I love you!!!
When the marathon started I knew I didn't want to start too fast and burn out too quickly. Here was my pace for the first few miles: 8:00, 7:00, 7:30, 7:30. I felt wonderful. Then my pace slowed down as I ran uphill for over a mile and a half (killer!) But then I got my pace right back on to my 8:00 minute pace. Halfway I wanted to be at 1 hour 50 minutes. I was at 1:46:30. A little a head and felt good but I was starting to have a little pain in my left knee and right ankle.

All I could do was say a little prayer and keep going. I didn't want to slow down so I kept up my pace. But by mile 18 the pain had intensified and my pace dropped significantly. I wasn't too tired to keep up the pace and my breathing wasn't labored but everytime I tried to pick up my pace pain shot through me so I slowed down. I must say the last 8 miles seemed like the longest miles in my life. Chris, Angela and Camille, drove past me around mile 20 and shouted, "You're on Pace you can do it!!!" I just shook my head and knew there was no way. I wanted to go faster but I couldn't. When Chris saw me again at 23 miles he realized the significant decrease in time. I went from 8:00 minutes miles to about 12:00 or 13:00 minute miles. Soooooooo frustrating!!!!!

At that point my little angels ran with me for the last three miles even though their knees and hips hurt. I was never so glad to see a finish line. I never once stopped running through the race, even through the water stations. I wanted to be able to say I really "ran" a marathon. My finishing time was somewhere around 3:55.

After the marathon I came to Idaho for a reunion and probably been on my feet too much. Saturday morning I woke up in an extreme amount of pain. I could not move my knee at all. I tried to move it just a little and could not without pain shooting everywhere and then throbbing several minutes just for attempting to move. Luckliy Camille was by me and I woke her up and she ran to get me three IB Profen. I was going to see a doctor but after some research I think I have Iliotibial Band Syndrome and just need to do the RICE treatment (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) along with an anti-inflamatory drug like IB Profen.

These are my ankles, really swollen especially around the bone on the outside of the ankle on the right ankle.

The following I took from Runner's World:

"ITB syndrome can result from any activity that causes the leg to turn inward repeatedly. This can include wearing worn-out shoes, running downhill or on banked surfaces, running too many track workouts in the same direction, or simply running too many miles.

It's not the knee, it's the ligament that runs down the outside of the thigh from the hip to the shin. "When the band comes near the knee, it becomes narrow, and rubbing can occur between the band and the bone. This causes inflammation," says Freddie H. Fu, M.D.

Some experts believe that the incidence of ITB syndrome has increased among all runners in recent years, although the reasons aren't clear. "It could be because so many runners have ramped up their mileage for marathons before they're ready to handle the distance,"says Stephen Pribut, D.P.M., a Washington, D.C., sports podiatrist.

Dr. Pagliano describes most runners with ITB pain as "Type A's." "They run high mileage," he says. "They're not willing to back off, and they are willing to run through pain."

How can you tell if you have ITB syndrome? "The best way is to bend your knee at a 45-degree angle. If you have an ITB problem, you'll feel pain on the outside of the knee," says Dr. Fu. "Sometimes an MRI can confirm it. An X-ray is usually negative, but an MRI can show a partial thickening of the band -- which results from inflammation."

It goes on to say to stop running immediately and give it lots of rest. I had knee problems one time when running 14 miler. I stopped running streched and tried to keep running. I didn't go away so I ended up calling Chris. But this time I pushed through it. I wanted to finish. I just hope I didn't do too much. I want to still run and I hope I didn't do any damage. So right now I just have to give it time.