photo credit: Justin Jay
Trying to fix a stubborn injury can be demoralizing.
And I’m not just talking about the crying in public, or getting passed by a nun with a limp while you stagger home from a failed run.
I’m talking about the bare-ass nakedness of your weaknesses getting exposed in the effort to return to health.
There are the physical weaknesses of course, (the reasons you got injured in the first place,) that are uncovered as soon as you go to a doctor or physical therapy. As strange as it sounds, you go to these people hoping they find something wrong with you, thereby identifying at least one good reason why it’s taking you so freaking long to get healthy.
In no other area of my life will I pay money to have a person tell me straight to my face that I’m terrible at something, but when I’m at the doctor unsuccessfully attempting a “single-legged turn-a-ma-jigger” I want him to say, “You suck at that. That’s the reason you’re injured,” and when he does I want to jump up and give him a big fat kiss on the mouth, but also grab a hanky.
If an injury drags on and on, you get progressively less excited when someone uncovers a new “weakness” that might be the source of your problem: Weak glutes; muscle imbalances; scar tissue; fascia tightness; lack of flexibility; neural misfiring; bad motor pathway habits; lack of core strength.
Before you know it, you have a laundry list of issues and a binder full of strength exercises. After enough time, even if the therapy is world class, you start to feel like nothing works properly and you can’t understand how you ever ran well in the first place.
Sweet.
This is a funny clip from Forgetting Sarah Marshall (thanks MBS) that illustrates my life right now:
And Then There’s the Mental Demoralization
After chasing my IT band problem around for three months, thanks to good treatment I finally put together three weeks of running in February and I start to let myself feel excited and dream again. And then three weeks ago, my knee decides to hurt like a mofo during the cool down of a workout, erasing my progress in one swoop.
I’m faced with a two mile walk home, and while I maintain my composure on the outside (barely), my mind spirals fast. How did I let this happen? Things were going so well. Why did I do that fartlek on the soggy trails with the team after a night of hard rain? What was I thinking? Why didn’t I run on the pavement alone? Why do I live in this God forsaken rain-soaked shit hole?! Why am I doing this stupid sport?! Why am I letting this make me feel so awful?! I can’t believe I’m letting myself get this upset and irrational!
The Olympic Trials are in less than four months and I can’t even jog a 5k much less race one. This is clearly not how I pictured my season shaping up. As I walk home there are no tears. I hate everything. I want to hurt something. The fire inside me makes me impervious to the winter air. I can feel it, the rage, like a screaming kettle building inside me. It burns the backside of my eyes. I want to run over to those fisherman on the side of Pre’s Trail and snap their fly rods over my busted knee and hurl their open tackle boxes toward the river, watching the contents erupt through the sky like fireworks.
Even now, just remembering how that felt makes me panicky inside.
A Change of Scenery
After clearly reaching the end of my sanity in Eugene, I hopped on a plane to Phoenix two days ago to reconnect with JB (Dr. John Ball). I bought a one-way ticket and I’m not leaving until I’m unbreakable. I needed to get out of the grey and the rain and the home of the Olympic Trials, which has a way of sucking out your soul when you are unable to run. I needed to remove myself from it all and summon the healing victories of the past.
My awesome and understanding PT from home, Robyn Pester, (who helped provide the therapy to bring me back from Navicular surgery in 2008/2009 to win the USA title in 2010) sent along all her findings to JB in Phoenix so the transition will be smooth. I felt bad leaving after everything she has done for me, but she and I both knew that it wasn’t personal. No matter how good the cut of meat, it will rot if you leave it in the fridge long enough. It’s time to barbecue this bitch. Phoenix is the place where I am going to get back on my feet.
We did it last year. We can do it again.
____________________________________________
Sometimes it takes a long time to get to the bottom of an injury. Without knowing how to fix it, it’s hard to make a plan. Without a plan, some feel really lost. Does anyone have any tips for how to cope with that overwhelmed feeling when you can’t get to the bottom of an injury?
Lauren, I really enjoy your blog and appreciate the thoughts that you share.
“tips for how to cope with that overwhelmed feeling when you can’t get to the bottom of an injury”:
I tried to look at my forced time away from running as an opportunity to do the other things I knew I should be doing but “couldn’t find time for” when I was running. In the time that I would normally have spent running, I worked on lifting and stretching, two things that I should have been doing all the time. I just did my best to put running out of my mind and make lifting/stretching my new running. It gave me something to do during the time that I was used to spending running and it gave me a new set of non-running related goals to distract me. When I was finally able to get back out there, I was pleasantly surprised by how much my increased strength and flexibility helped my running.
Great post! Yay! I’m not the only one who gets so angry at being injured. It IS demoralizing when it continues even though you thought everything was fine and were taking the proper precautions.
Lauren, I’m sorry to hear about your struggles – I hope the change of location will give you what you need. You are my hero and inspiration. I found your blog after the article about you racing the NYC marathon and watched videos of you racing. to me you will always be the girl “with balls” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF1_v8EvcOo. I have the race bookmarked and watch it periodically when I need a reminder of what it’s like to be tough and confident. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udqNUmci4WU I wish you the best.
smack it in the face
Lauren,
I have been battling an Achilles issue for the better part of ten months. First the doc thought it was strained so I did the boot and therapy thing. When I could string together a week or two pain free I thought I was good to go. I did a fun run in September with my 7 year old son and it felt like my leg was going to explode. The following week, suffering from a baffling lack of brainpower I ran in a local four miler (what can I say, I am a sucker for t-shirts and free fruit at the end). My leg felt good, but worsened considerably over the next few weeks. I had surgery right before Christmas, followed by crutches, boot, and more therapy. The doc is still not happy with how my leg is healing. He feels it is “thicker” around the scar than he would like to see. On the bright side he is not ready to go back in to clean it out, yet. In the mean time, I have slashed the back of all my left shoes (except my favorite pair of runners) to take pressure off the tendon, and told my PT to do his worst if it means keeping me away from the scalpel.
I can’t begin to understand how it feels to run as good as you do. But I know how I feel when I run, how I feel when I cross the finish line, and the difference running has made in my life. I am itching to get back on the road, as you are. Smile, and keep the positive attitude. It sounds like you are in good hands. And never forget the restorative powers of a good piece of cheese and a glass of wine.
See you on the road.
Hey girl: I am so sorry to hear about your injury! I have one suggestion…(it can’t hurt)…
start doing a daily visualization around your IT band and what ever else they say is giving you pain (your knee too I guess). See the whole area getting strong, healing, etc.
If you want a guided visualization script either use the one for healing injury in the book (The Mental Athlete) or download the script from my website and listen to it daily. The mental aspect can do wonders and gives one a better state of mind.
I’m glad you are in Phoenix and I assume you may go to Flagstaff soon too.
My healing thoughts are with you. Give me a call if you need/want anything.
Kay
Sorry to hear you’re going through the prolonged injury! I’m just now ending 10 weeks on crutches for my femoral neck stress fracture and I know the way back to running will be very slow, with lots of setbacks. The hardest parts have been losing my running community, having a million extra hours in the day and not having a competitive (with myself) goal to work towards. The ways I’ve been coping are making friends with other injured runners – misery loves company – and reading comeback stories.
We had a 70 degree sunny day here in NYC and all I wanted to do was run, but I had to be inside swimming in a 20 meter pool. It ended up a great day when I met another injured runner and got to commiserate and swim. Knowing you’re not alone is sometimes a great coping mechanism! Also, I googled my injury like crazy and came across a lot of runners who’ve had it, had setbacks, but went on to run marathons and ultras. Also, my doctor said, when you’re young, healthy and strong you’ll heal.
Thank you so much for this post. I don’t usually comment on things on the internet, but knowing that someone else feels just as angry and hopeless when they face inevitable injury (doesn’t everyone have to deal with this at some point?) somehow makes it feel better. I suffered from patellar tendonitis last year while training for my first marathon, and it was such a devastating experience. Extra cross training, Bikram Yoga, and foam rollers seemed to help me the most. Of course, every person and injury need something different. Hopefully you have patient people in your life to get you through the emotional parts of it.
Thanks for the comment Alicia. I’ve had good luck with Bikram in the past as well.
I wish I had an answer for you, sister. I can tell you what not to do, and that’s try to force it. I did that before the Olympic Marathon Trials and crashed and burned. Put on some of your superhero clothing and start believing that John Ball will get to the bottom of this. You could also write a rap song about the whole ordeal. It’s quite cathartic.
You will get there. Believe!
Rap song…hadn’t thought of that one yet. But I do know of someone else who has done that successfully.
I got a strange, hard-to-explain pain in my calf a year ago. I missed Boston, Chicago, and worst of all, the marathon trials. I am finally running healthy again. The key for me has been committing to try any kind of treatment no matter how unproven. I know that moment when you are angry at yourself for being so upset. The worst. Crossing my fingers for you, Lauren.
Thanks for commenting Kelly. The “getting mad at yourself for being upset” part is definitely where the downward spiral comes in. It causes the most damage of all because you go from being mad at an external situation to being mad at yourself, and when you are tearing yourself down you can’t function at all in a positive way. Least productive thing on earth, right? Argh.
Dude, I love you Lauren.
Stay strong, I believe in you. Positive thoughts, positive words. You always turn the worst situations into amazing ones. You can do it again!
Peace,
Claire
Thanks Claire.
I went to a podiatrist named Richard Rupp in Glendale after reading about him in a post by Pete Magill. He took care of my IT band syndrome in just two visits. He does this really painful stretch which requires the help of an assistant. It only takes a few minutes to do, but while he’s stretching it he knows when the IT band starts to relax. Maybe the knee problem is related. I drove about an hour to see him and was so glad I did. Maybe you can find a cheap ticket from PHX to BUR on Southwest.
Thanks John F for the referral. I’m glad you mentioned by name the person that helped you because it will come in handy for multiple people, I’m sure. I’ll keep his name on file for future reference.
I feel your pain literally and figuratively. I’ve struggled with my own issues that I feel like each time I make progress I think I’ve finally solved THE issue that’s causing everything, but twice now I have come full circle and feel like I am stuck in a loop. I feel I am making progress now trying something I never tried before (weekly massages) and it seems to be working, slowly but surely. Good luck on your health!
Weekly massages prevent 90% of injuries, I swear. Good move.
an oft-injured runner myself, i used to find myself confronted with a phrase you put down near verbatim: “when something works you wonder how it ever breaks. when something breaks you wonder how it ever worked.”
to cope, i find it comes down to that same thing. if it worked before, it will work again. when it’s the same injury, chances are the cause wasn’t pinned down the first time, or maybe you slacked on some strengthening exercise or other rehab. in the meantime, i take it as an opportunity to do whatever i like that training sometimes limits. eat whatever and drink whatever without regard to how it will affect my run, read a book, and maybe most important, don’t count the days. you’ll count them anyway, but when you don’t know what’s wrong, you can’t know about how long it will take to comeback. but, and i’m sure you know, better one more day off than needed, than the one day early that puts you back at square one.
best wishes. i know you’ll be back.
Thanks Jeb. Very well said.
Diet can often be an overlooked factor with respect to injuries. Nightshade vegetables have been identified as containing a substance that can inhibit muscle flexibility. I changed my diet and changed my life. All the best in your journey.
-Solanine is by definition, a poisonous alkaloid that naturally occurs in all of the vegetables categorized as nightshades, and is a powerful inhibitor of cholinesterase, an enzyme that originates in the brain and is responsible for flexibility of muscle movement (thus the arthritis, joint pain, inflammatory connection!). Several other foods that are not specifically categorized as nightshades also contain high amounts of naturally occurring solanine, such as okra, artichokes, and bananas-.
http://www.whollymacrobiotics.com/nightshades-part-2.html
I love the way you write and this post resonated so deeply with me. I too am dealing with an IT band injury and felt the same way, although without the pressure of Olympic Trials coming up. I ran my 2nd marathon a month ago and ran a surprising 2:53 and shaved off 2 minutes in the last 10K so I was suddenly filled with dreams of someday making the trials. Nothing hurt, training went well, everything was great. Three days later I went for my first run and had some pretty bad tightness in my legs and will never forgive myself for “running through it” instead of stopping right then and letting my body recover more. The next day did the same thing and two days later had some serious pain “in my knee”. Again, stupid me, ran through it, for 8 whole miles. They say its “acute IT band tendonitis” and that resting would allow the inflamation to go down. Well, I’m resting and I’m rolling and I’m stretching and ultrasounding and massaging and icing and heating and taking NSAIDs and even eating pinneapple like its going out of style because its supposed to help heal tendons. It doesn’t seem to be getting even a little better. My husband and I signed up to run Boston–less than a month away. I get so upset too and then feel guilty about getting upset because of all I’m blessed with and “at least I got through my marathon ok” but deep down inside is very much the rage where I just want to throw the damned roller out the window. Thank you so much for being so relatable. You will forever know have a fan in me! Keep it real and know that a lot of people are there supporting you!
Thanks Jen. I’m so sorry to hear that your IT band has been such a pain. Sounds like ours came on in similar fashion…all at once! It’s so tempting to look at the leg and feel like it’s taking away opportunities. I’ll catch myself hating my IT band, or practically yelling at it inside my head. 🙂 Clearly it’s better for healing when I avoid that attitude and stay relaxed so I do my best to turn things around quickly.
I think your point about wishing you hadn’t “run through it” is something I hope lots of people read. That is definitely a lesson you don’t have to learn twice, if you are smart about it. To quote Jeb, who commented just above you, “better one more day off than needed, than the one day early that puts you back at square one.”
I can definitely sympathize, Lauren. I missed out on running in England for the World XC Jr Champs back in ’95 b/c of an IT band injury (Vin was actually our coach, so he didn’t let me travel…had to give the spot up to someone healthy!). Next cross season, I couldn’t even warm down after NC’s b/c of the same injury. I went through the same rigamarole as you with diagnosing, doing extra work, and chugging along, but it paid dividends and it will for you, too. Keep your head up, this too shall pass. Best to you.
Thanks Nathan! Good to hear from you! I never knew you struggled with ITB. You certainly turned things around after all that. That’s encouraging.
wow. sorry. good luck.
Thanks Douglas.
Hi Lauren: my boyfriend is a runner & showed me your post. I am an Anat Baniel Method practitioner in Portland. Its a method that accesses your brains ability to make new connections using movement &awareness. You can learn to feel how you move with greater sensitivity and evolve your habits of movement towards ones that create less injury and strain. Its gentle and powerful and is all about results. I got into it bc i had a really bad back. You’re welcome to try it out with me in Portland, but I also know a great ABM practitioner in Phoenix. Hit me up if you’d like his number. Good luck with your recovery.
Thanks Joanna! I really appreciate the offer. If you feel comfortable, feel free to post your contact information for where you practice (and the referral in Phoenix) as a reply to this comment. I don’t mind you posting it for all eyes to see if you don’t. Might get some people looking you up 🙂
No one writes from the soul about running as you do. It’s why we read your blog and admire your tenacity and guts and your anger! Yes, it’s good to be angry and to be full of fire. Your fans hope you resolve this and want to see you on the start line and first at the finish line at the trials. Yes, even your Canadian fans.
Aw thanks George.
Lauren, I read your article in Running Times today and checked out this site. This article hit hard with me. I was long ago a 800m runner and quit because I hated it and feared no longer winning every race. I have come back for the love of just plain running and became a bit hard core. Last year I suffered tendonitis and then a terrible bout of plantar fasciitis. I went crazy, I gained weight I got nutso and my boyfriend went along (poor guy, I was a moody mess). Finally got better and somehow even while being cautious with my running ended up with extensor tendonitis. I came out of the shower one day with a massively swollen foot and just sobbed. I felt beside myself, how can I take such good care of myself, do everything my physical therapist says and still get injured. Today as I did a nice run I wondered if there will soon be a point where I will have to face that I cannot run for fitness. It drives me nuts. I was a nationally ranked figure skater and we athletes need an outlet. I feel for you, I know you will be great, and I thank you for putting down in words what I have felt all year long. I will be praying for your recovery to more awesomeness.
You are doing everything the right way and I am so grateful for having seen the article this morning.
Best of luck Lauren, I hope everything works out.
Hi Lauren,
I’s like to consider myself a competitive age group runner. I was very fortunate throughout high school and college with minimal injuries. However, as I’ve begun to approach my 40’s I’ve started to experience chronic injuries. I’ve been struggling with plantar fasciitis for about a year now. I so appreciate reading your post because it eloquently displayed many of the feelings I’ve been experiencing for several months now. I’m lucky that my husband is an orthopedic surgeon and I’ve have been able to be treated in my home for several months. However, despite my husband’s best intentions, my foot has continued to give me problems and running has become sporadic at best.
It’s difficult to explain to non-runners the benefit that running has. For me, it is more than “physical fitness.” It is an opportunity to feel competitive, to train hard for goals, to relieve stress, to push myself, and to enjoy nature. Without running, I feel a great loss. I have struggled to explain to my husband just what running and training does for me.
Thank you for putting what I have felt the past several months into words. It has given me solace to know that other runners (far more competitive than I could ever be) struggle with injuries as I do. As ironic as it may be, your post has given me “permission” to be more patient with my injury. I hope you heal soon, are able to find welcome distractions in your everyday life, and realize you are are talented in many ways besides running.
Hey Lauren,
I was out training for my 4th Marathon yesterday, it was a beautiful day in the south of England I was getting to about 14miles then band the old ITB pain on the side of my knee. I was so gutted as I had this about 4 years about when training for the Berlin Marathon, nothing has changed in my training my trainers are the same … nothing. the London Marathon is just over 4 weeks away and I am really worried. I can not walk very well today. I totally understand how you feel about wanting to break something! Chin up.
Going to see my sports therapist tomorrow, fingers crossed!
Will
Hi Lauren,
Your words and feelings about your injury resonated so much with what I’ve been going through since June of 2010. I don’t feel so alone in how my injury has made me feel. I ran the 2010 Boston Marathon and a weak and a half later I had shoulder surgery. A month following shoulder surgery I returned to running (probably too soon). I had some pain in my hamstring but continued to train for several races. After completing the OBX marathon I finally sought help. I think I waited because I didn’t want someone to tell me I couldn’t run. What started out to be a painful hamstring turned into a partial tear. And I was told not to run for four months. Running is my passion. I feel most at home when I run. Running is my form of meditation. It’s comfortable. It’s like an old friend. To be told I can’t run is like taking a part of me away. I also was registered for the 2011 Boston Marathon which I was not able to run.
I went to chiropractors, and physical therapists. I tried to return to running. I was allowed to run 1 mile three times a week. Then as I increased my miles, my hip began to hurt. More pt. Glutes weren’t firing well, needed to do core strength, etc. No improvement. Went to another doctor. Another dx, hip bursitis/tendonitis, mri of lumbar showed a buldeging disk, mri of foot showed inflammation and arthritis. I’m only 40. Once again, told not to run. This time only 5 weeks. After not running for four mths, 5 weeks was not so bad. I’ve cried many times, many. I finally returned to running in January. Very slowly, no hills, no two days in a row. I’d have a good day only to have it be followed by a horrible run. Then like you, I was told that my glutes weren’t firing very well. Again, how can that be. I think I would have lost my mind if I hadn’t started doing yoga for athletes. My instructor knew what I was going through and she said you have to “honor your body” where it is at the moment. I was so used to pushing through. That’s what you do in long-distance running. However, I had pushed through beyond the point of just being tough.
I once again am registered for Boston. I’ve been working with a physical therapist so that I can run it this year. I’m running three days a week and cycling 2. A very different training schedule than I’m used to. The goal is to make it to the marathon and complete the marathon. Each run is a blessing and something I no longer take for granted. It has been an emotionally draining year. I’ve tried to remain optimistic but a part of me worries that I will never run like I used to, that I may never be able to sign up for a race without doubting that I will be able to train and complete the race. I worry that I have other muscle imbalances or issues that are going to prevent me from doing what I love. But, I know that I can’t worry about what may happen. All I can do is do the exercises, stretches, etc and above all “honor my body” where it is on a given day.
You are such an inspiration. I take serious comfort that amazing runners like yourself suffer from injuries like these too. I started running 2 years ago in May and completed my first marathon and first 50k during the first 6 months I started running. After that its been injury after injury.
First, it was my IT Band. I suffered for months before I went to an ART doctor and she literally fixed me within a few weeks.
Then during a 50k race I rolled my ankle and chipped my ankle bone/had a severe sprain. My bf had to carry me fireman style 3 miles out of the woods, it was embarrassing. The following month after that I had a stress fracture in my metatarsal.
Now that I am easing back into running I find out I’m preggo. Its been pretty discouraging.
I will be rooting for you and I know you’ll make it to the Olympics yo!
Dear Lauren,
You write beautifully, and I’m sending you all the best of luck with your IT band. I wish I had a PT-based recommendation to help. I’m reluctant to post about surgery when I don’t know how you feel about that, but I got an IT band release after suffering for a year and a half with chronic inflammation and truly debilitating pain from my IT band. The surgery was successful and I ran 2 marathons after (just sub-3, but not nearly as fast as you and the other runner-readers). I am a believer that conservative therapy works, especially if you don’t create chronic inflammation in your knee. But, if you do reach a time when you feel you have passed the point of no return, don’t give up hope. There are options, although I hope you don’t have to go that far, but maybe just knowing you haven’t reached the last resort will help you heal. Take good care of yourself, be nice to that knee, we’ll be rooting for you!
I have struggled with IT band issues in both legs (at alternating times). I started seeing a chiropractor (Dr. Michael Kuk in Westlake, Ohio – for anyone in the Cleveland area) who uses active release, accupressure, and kinesio taping. I was about 95% better after my second visit (everyone’s body is different though). There are videos on YouTube for Kinesio taping techniques and self massage for IT bands that I’ve found to be useful.
I also use a foam roller and do yoga stretches (Yoga Journal has some great stretches for athletes in the March 2012 issue – even some that are IT band specific).
Good luck to you Lauren and anyone working through this annoying injury!
Julie
Hey Lauren,
I know exactly how you feel. I am a freshman in college and had a great cross season and then come January I hurt my achilles. It had been a two month on and off process trying to relieve the awful achilles tendonitis and then wound up with IT band syndrome and patellar tendonitis so now my knee handicaps me. It has been a nearly two months of trying to heal from knee issues, not exactly how I imagined my frosh season in college. I always heal from injuries pretty quickly so I am easily frustrated by this. All I know is that this injury is teaching me to have patience, put my faith in God, and just be ready to compete when the opportunity presents itself. I’m so hungry to run again! Good luck with your recovery! I’m looking forward to hearing of your post injury success!
Lauren – Don’t have any advice related to your specific injury. However, can relate my own experience, all be it, at a lower level (career 3:43 1500m) to your situation. In 1996, I was hoping to qualify for the OT trails in the 15. I had a coach who was oriented more toward 5/10 training and was at somewhat of a loss as to how to move me forward. Anyway, he latched onto a particular Dellinger training scheme a 5 mile steady state followed by a series of quarters so he had me repeat this workout like every week for like six or eight weeks or something and then at the end shipped me off to the Texas Relays expecting something profound I guess (also I am not faulting him for trying he was doing what he believed would make me better). Anyway, I bombed to the point that I was so furious and crushed. As you say I wanted to hurt something maybe jump off the stadium or totally crawl under a rock. It was devastating. And I was really toast from the training. So I did what you have done. I went back and consulted some other sources, reidentified with the things that made me sucessful in the past, and ventured off on my own. I ended up salvaging the season and by June I was close to PR range and had a really good series of races on the Northwest – Vancouver/Washington race series. So if you get on top of the injury now, You can make it back by the trials. Regardless, you clearly still have an intense passion for the sport as evidenced by your very intense expression of the paradox of our sport – the love/hate and frustratingly roller coasted nature of our sport. I say it is one of the most devastating but at the sametime one of the most rewarding sports you’ll find. I experienced some of the highest highs but also some of the lowest lows of my life during my years pursuing my running dream. I wish you the best.
Thought this might help when I saw it:
http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/248453-2012-Journey-to-Eugene-and-the-Olympic-Trials/video/614905-Chris-Solinsky-lessons-learned-beating-your-own-head
I guess you wrote this awhile ago, so I’m hoping you’ve made progress since then!! But in any case I’m glad I found this, because I can completely relate right now. I’ve been struggling with multiple issues since last July – about ten months – and can’t seem to get back on my feet. First it was posterior tibial tendonitis, then an iliopsoas strain, and now I seem to have developed ITBS…but from my road bike, as I haven’t run a step since January. Ironic to be injured from your cross-training! The other ironic thing is that I’m already getting physical therapy, active release, graston, etc and I’m not really working out hard enough to sustain an “injury”…so what gives you know? I’m only 22, but I had big dreams of running in the olympic marathon trials and qualifying for Kona someday, and with all of these nagging issues that I can’t get to the bottom of, it feels like I’ll never make it. It’s incredibly frustrating and everything about it makes me angry – I don’t understand why my body isn’t working, I don’t feel like myself when I can’t work out at a high intensity, I’m “ashamed” that I’ve gained ten pounds etc etc….It’s hard to stay positive, especially because we only have one body! But I think the most important thing to remember is that you’re doing everything you possibly can – you have the best medical care in the nation, you’re doing all the work to stay fit that you can, and in your heart of hearts you’ll always be an athlete. That’s something no one can take away from you – you’re a fighter and even if your body doesn’t work on YOUR timetable, it will eventually come around, and when it does you’ll still have what it takes to reach the top level of performance again because that’s what’s in your heart. I’m pulling for you!!!
I’m sorry to hear about your misfortune.
I have suffered with ITBS in the past as well. After dealing with it for 5 years, I decided to have surgery this past fall.
My ITBS is gone but now my motivation to run is suffering. Hopefully, soon I’ll be back in the game mentally.
Hi, would very much like to speak with you and offer both words of encouragement and possible itb injury advice. Please send me an email so I can give you my phone #. Good luck with your training.
I am just reading this. My IT blew up three weeks after the Boston Marathon, seemingly out of nowhere. I’ve been out for more than a month and right now, the light at the end of the tunnel is a bit dim. Weekly PT, acupuncture, massage and even a cortisone shot to control the inflammation has cost me a lot of money, but so far hasn’t yielded a whole lot of results. I’m in the process of looking for a good witch doctor who can work some voodoo magic. I’m able to do the elliptical and alter G with no pain, but get me out on the roads and the party is over. People have said, “take this opportunity to catch up on other areas of your life.” Obviously, those people have never been injured because it’s WAY more time consuming than running. Of course, I wasn’t training for the Olympic Trials, but my racing team in NYC is poised to be in the mix this year, and it’s a bummer to not be able to take part in it. Small potatoes in comparison, I know. Anyhow, I don’t have any groundbreaking suggestions. I wish I did. I just wanted to commiserate, because sometimes it’s really hard to be positive.
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Oh, Lauren, my heart cries for you. I asked the guys at T & F News why you weren’t on their formchart for the Trials and in response they linked to this blog entry. So sorry to hear about your ITB troubles. All I can say is that – like every single one of your multitude of fans – I wish you well and hope you will return to top form soon and be both unbreakable and victorious. We’ll keep you in our prayers, send you good vibes and do whatever else might or might not be useful. We’ll be checking your blog for progress reports. Get well, get strong!
You said ‘sometimes it takes a long time to get to the bottom of an injury’. Couldn’t be more correct, and this applies not just to the physical, but in all aspects of mind, body, and soul. When you get to the bottom … just general advice for all … there’s only one way you can go:)
Lauren – just read your interview in the January Competitor then read this blog post and many of the comments. As you say in the interview: “it will be healed when it’s healed”. I’m a 51 y.o. runner / cyclist who’s taken up swimming to allow time for my AT to fully heal. I’ve just returned to intense work on the bike but these posts are a great reminder to come back gradually. Thank you for your insights and very best with your recovery!
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Hi Lauren. Reading your blog has been so cathartic for me. I have been working through IT band for months now. It’s terrible because the moment I fixed my right knee issues (which have stayed at bay for now), my left IT blew it. It’s so frustrating. Sometimes I just hate the foam roller. I hate my yoga mat. I even hate my PT who is actually an amazing person. But my left leg is slowly letting me run longer distances (minuscule advancements but I am grateful) and I am learning to love running again. It’s hard. I hope to be ready for a major marathon in January but right now I am placing my faith in a higher power and hoping for the best. All the best to you as well
i want to recommend Katy Bowman and the Restorative Exercise Program. here’s a link to the Restorative Exercise Institute and one of their programs: http://www.restorativeexercise.com/save-your-knees-build-a-butt/
Thank you… I can’t tell you how much this ment for me today… I feel like such a looser when I struggle with an ITB that just doesn’t wanna get better. After my run yesterday evening, I threw my trainers into the dustbin. I can’t understand how one person can love something soooo super much and be so bad at it. It is good to know that even amazing talented runners, professionals, that was born with the gift also have struggles. Thank you xox
I love your posts – I’m suffering from knee inyuri for about 5 weeks now. right now I’m doing a lot of yoga, myofeascial realeses to fix my knee. Hopfully I will fix it by the end of the summer.
also wanted to tell that your post totatly tells how injury feels like. Thanks for being that open.
You’re welcome Martin. I hope your injury heals quickly.