Today’s post was inspired by an e-mail I received from a reader recently. She is training for her first marathon but dealing with some serious IT band pain and wanted my opinion on whether or not she should complete the race.
Obviously I couldn’t tell her what to do, but I could tell her my experience and give my advice. For those of you who have been reading for a while, you know that I ran the Chicago Marathon this past October. During training I had some IT band issues and took a week off during training, which helped me out and I was able to run the race without issue.
Two weeks later, however, I started feeling a sharp pain in my left knee from my IT band, which then persisted for months. My issues still aren’t gone (my right one is bothering me now), and I know they never will be. Thinking back, I had an injury before leaving college that I didn’t understand and now realize was an IT band issue. That was when I’d run max 6-9 miles a week so I know this is just something I have to deal with throughout my life.
Looking back over my training, do I regret continuing to run the marathon when my IT bands were giving me issues? Not one bit. I was running that race hell or high water and was willing to accept the consequences. However, I do wish I had realized how vulnerable I was after the race and held off running for much longer, especially any kind of distance. I felt invincible after the marathon and I truly believe if I had just quit running for a month when I started to feel pain that I wouldn’t be where I am today, four months later.
But, hindsight is 20/20. At the time, taking off 2 weeks, let alone 4 or 6 seemed overwhelming to me. Personally, I think this was a lesson that I needed to learn. That running doesn’t define who I am right now, that it is only a small part of who I am and the things that I love.
When it comes to making your own decision about how to handle an injury, I do have a few pieces of advice.
First and foremost, consult a doctor as soon as you realize something is wrong. I was always weary of seeing a doctor because, to be honest, seeing doctors takes up time and money and I didn’t feel like it was necessary. Seeking a professional opinion is incredibly important when dealing with a sports injury.
Secondly, take time off. It may seem overwhelming to contemplate missing a week of training when you’re trying so hard to be your best, but sometimes your body just really needs that time off. It’s also the best way to determine the severity of your injury. If you ease back in after that week and feel good, then the week was what you needed. If you still feel pain, be sure to see your doctor (if you haven’t already!!).
And finally, think about what’s most important to you. Is this race really the end all be all? Can you take time off and then pick back up for a race that’s a month or so later? If you can, then do this, because as hard as it might be to put off all your hard work, do you really want to end up not running at all for months after the race, or not even being able to run the race at all?
Being injured is frustrating. Being injured while training can be devastating, especially if you feel emotionally invested in your goal, like I was with Chicago. I would probably have been a sobbing mess if I had to choose not to run that race. But as hard as making these decisions during training can be, dealing with the consequences of not making the smart choice can be worse. It’s just a race. JUST A RACE! You have your whole life to run!
Have you ever been injured while training? How did you deal with it?
i’ve never been injured but i’ve dealt with annoying aches and pains. definitely not the same thing. i think the lesson here is to listen to your body because usually those little warning signs are right!
That’s so true – it’s the early signs that can keep you from dealing with a bad injury later!
thanks for the post – i definitely had to realize some of the tough lessons you wrote about but i’m hopeful that i realized them soon enough. i’ve also decided that after my two half marathons this spring i’m going to take 4-6 weeks off of running completely. i think my body needs it.
I’m just glad you’re foot is doing better! I was SO impressed with your ability to take the time off that you needed, it’s not easy!
I’ve never been seriously injured, but I’ve dealt with bouts of knee pain on and off. Taking a few days off and a lot of stretching/foam rolling usually helps a lot – really, just need to listen to our bodies when they’re demanding rest!
I totally agree – taking time off in the early stages usually avoids a bad injury in the long run!
This was so helpful because as I’m training for my first half, injuries are always in the back of my mind. It’s encouraging to read that if you find yourself faced with an injury, it’s not always a deal breaker as long as you take care of it!
Definitely, I learned it’s so much better to take a few days off when you feel something bothering you rather than pushing through and getting sidelined for months!
I totally can relate to this. I too ran through an injury in a race and ended up with a stress fracture. It was frustrating, but I was happy I finished the race. Now I’m dealing with a compensation injury from that first stress fracture and running is taking a back seat for now. My half marathon in May is a big question mark, and I’m now on week 2 of no running. I’m already thinking that March may be my ‘no running’ month so that I can reset completely. It’s frustrating, but I always try to remind myself that a couple months are going to be barely a blip in my whole life of running to come.
Ah those compensation injuries, I feel like that’s my life right now! You’re really dealing with some rough stuff though, but you have the best attitude about it!
Thank you so much for this post Katie! After my first half marathon I sprained my calf muscle and I was limping for 3 days after my half marathon. I saw a doctor and it turns out that my calf was severely sprained. I have been in physical therapy for a month now and it sucks not being able to run for more than 30 minutes when I see people run 7 or 8 miles. My calf is getting better but I still feel some pain. Putting my injury in hingsight is a great mindset. I hope your IT band is healing 🙂
If it makes you feel better, I’m just now hitting 30 minutes after months! You’ll realize at the end of this that the time you’re taking off now will feel like nothing once it’s over!
Nothing like being injured to put life into perspective. The way I look at it is it gives me the motivation and desire to try new fitness activities that I normally wouldn’t before. IF I were still running hardcore like I used to, I can def tell you I wouldn’t have tried the Yoga Loft or boxing or be having so much fun not worrying about the long run I have coming up 🙂 FREEDOM!
but I miss running. a lot.
I’m sorry you miss running, but you are WAY more fit than me with all these fun classes you go to! I sooooo want to try boxing.
[…] I read a post on Katie’s blog about putting an injury into hindsight and making the most out of it. You should check it out […]
This is a great post! I injured my knee last year and kept running through it and ended up having to take a few months off. Listening to your body is so important
I totally agree – taking time off at the beginning is key!
I think you’re really speaking to the fact that running (or any type of fitness) can be a lifelong activity. If you enjoy it, why would you jeopardize your ability to participate in the future?
Also, I think that we need to recognize that our bodies need a break every so often… especially from running! Even the elites take 1-2 months off of hardcore running after a big event. It’s okay to stop, focus on strength training (or rest), and then start running again. Your fitness will return!
I agree – my body seriously needed a running break!
this is great advice and I think it is so evident that you are so much more in tune with your body now. it is hard to say an injury does that to you but sometimes we need to learn the hard way
I agree, sometimes we all need to learn things the hard way, I certainly did!
Marathon training is a slippery slope. Just look at the US Olympic marathon team. 3 out of the 6 entrants never made it to the finish line due to injury (likely from over-training). So, the key is to take it a little easier than we want. That is said from someone who is running an April marathon and had to rest the last 3 weeks due to an bad ankle!
I hope your ankle improves! I totally agree that taking it easier is important if you want to reach your final goal rather than crashing and burning before the event.
I was in the same boat. First it was my right knee, then when that one started to clear up, my left knee caved. It was a terrible 4-6 months. I felt helpless! But you’re right – if I had really taken the time to not run and do other exercises, I would’ve shortened the recovery period. Lesson learned!
I agree about the feeling helpless, like no matter what you do it doesn’t change things!
Being injured is definitely frustrating. I’ve dealt with my fair share of injuries, and it’s NEVER fun. I have learned patience and appreciation for other forms of exercise though, which has been good for me.
Patience is so important, before my injury I thought taking a week off was awful, now I’ve learned that it’s nothing!
Awesome post, girl! I just had ro take a week off training for my half due to some knee pain that wasn’t going away. It was hard but my knee feels better now so I’m hoping that does the trick 🙂
I hope it helps too!!!
Wise tips! It’s so hard for runners to take injuries seriously and really back off… we want to run through everything, and we’re terrible patients, even with sports doctors. 🙂 I dealt with runner’s knee several years ago, and some shin pain over the summer… I’ve finally learned (the hard way) to back off at the first sign!
Haha I agree – runners are awful patients! I think we just love what we do too much!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and tips! I truly hope you get healed from it, and if that doesn’t happen 100% anytime soon, then I hope it subsides (alot) and you continue to conquer with a good attitude. 🙂
I’ve never had serious injuries (knock on wooooood!) but the few times I’ve had pain in my calves, heels, feet, are all because I didn’t take proper care of them nor wore the right shoes because I have flat feet. After I rested them for a few weeks and got proper shoes, I was finally healed! Sometimes it takes little tweaks to our training in order to get it right, even if we feel “lazy” to see a physician or too “broke” to spend that money. I definitely learned that lesson.
I totally agree – we have to be diligent about taking care of ourselves during training to avoid these kinds of longer-term injuries!
This is such a great post! And a good read–I love how honest you are 🙂
I’ve never been seriously injured actually….but I try and do less when I feel something funky–and I TRY to foam roll & stretch a lot, so I think that’s why? I also know my body can’t handle high mileage quickly, so I make sure & progress slowly. Everyone is diff, so it’s uber importatnt to listen up to that bod! <3
Realizing that everyone is different was definitely a tough lesson for me, I wanted to be running the uber high mileage of other bloggers, but that is just too much for my wonky hips!
ITB injuries seem particularly hard to get rid of once and for all. I would add the importance of strength training to my list of lessons learned, and suggest seeing a sports medicine doctor in particular if you can.
Strength is so important! And I’ve seen a sports doctor, thank you though!
Injuries are the worst. I injured my hamstring back when I was a dancer and I ended up dealing with it for 6 years because I didn’t rest it and it became chronic. It is so important and SO difficult for athletes to rest when they’re injured. But seriously, what athlete WANTS to take time off? It’s brutal
I think the mental part of it is definitely the hardest!
Wow. I couldn’t have stumbled upon this post at a better time. I check in with this blog from time to time and seeing this is a sign! I am having IT band problems training for my first marathon and this post puts a lot of things in perspective. Being an incessant blog reader, it’s hard to pause physical activity because of pain because I see people push through things all the time. I appreciate what you’ve said in this post – it’s very helpful. Thank you!!
Definitely a sign! I love it when I come across a blog post that I really needed that day. And I completely agree – reading blogs about running makes it so hard, I want to do the same as they are! Good luck with your training!