IT Band Recovery Training

I've come up with a plan to minimize my running while my IT Band injury heals. I am hopeful that this plan will help with my overall fitness. This is the plan for the next 3 to 5 weeks. Hopefully my injury will have healed by then and I can start my specific WS traing plan.

* Pool Running 3 x a week - 30 to 60 minutes.
* Slow runnining on the soft surface of the Katy Trail 3 x a week with a day of recovery in between. I'll run 4 miles every other day and do a longer run of 5-6 miles on Saturday mornings. Total outside running for the week will only be 14 miles. This is a far cry from the 50-60 mile weeks that led to this injury.
* Yoga 2-3 times a week. This will help with my flexibility. I am extremely tight from not stretching at all for the past 4 years. Yoga and my other daily stretching will help this.
* Strength and Core Training 3 x a week. I need to balance out some of my body diffencies. I have a strong lower body right now, but weak upper and core. I am doing many different crunches, leg lifts, planks, and weight work to fix this problem. Having a strong core will really help my running and help decrease the odds of further injury.

The Western States 100

OK -- here is what you need to know about the Western States 100.

This is "borrowed" from Wikipedia...

The Western States Endurance Run, known commonly as the Western States 100, is a 100 mile long ultramarathon that takes place on trails in California's Sierra Nevada annually on the last weekend of June. The race starts at the base of the Squaw Valley ski resort and finishes at the Placer High School track in Auburn, California. Runners climb a cumulative total of 18000 feet and descend a total of 23000 feet on mountain trails before reaching the finish. Because of the length of the race, the race begins at 5:00 A.M. and continues through the day and into the night. Runners finishing before the 30 hour overall time limit for the race receive a bronze belt buckle, while runners finishing in under 24 hours receive a silver belt buckle.

The WS Endurance Run was first completed in 1974 by Gordy Ainsleigh. Ainsleigh had finished the Tevis Cup Trail Ride in 1971 and 1972 on horseback, but in 1973 his new horse was pulled with lameness at the 29-mile checkpoint. In 1974, his horse turned up lame and, according to legend, Ainsleigh declared that he would run the entire course on foot. An incoherent Ainsleigh finished the event 23 hours and 47 minutes later.

Fourteen runners signed up for the first official Western States Endurance Run in 1977, and started along with the horses in the Trail Ride. Eleven of the 14 had dropped out or were pulled by the midpoint that year. Of the three remaining runners, only Andy Gonzales finished in the 24 hour time limit set for the horses. The other two, Peter Mattei and Ralph Paffenbarger, finished in 28 hours and 36 minutes (unofficially), leading to the establishment of the 30-hour bronze buckle time limit for runners.

The following year, 1978, 63 runners competed in the first Western States Endurance Run. The race was held on a separate date, independent of the Tevis Cup Trail Ride.

In 1984, the Granite Chief Wilderness Area was created under the provisions of the 1964 Wilderness Act, and about four miles (6 km) of the trail were within the new boundaries. The wilderness designation would normally mean that the Forest Service would not be able to allow organized events in the area. In 1988, however, the Endurance Run (and the original Trail Ride) was finally given Congressional permission to continue, but with the number of runners limited to 369, the size of the 1984 field. As the event grew in notoriety, a lottery system was created to allocate the available positions. Each year since, a limited number of entries have been awarded to selected winners of certain other runs, or to top ten finishers of the preceding Western States race. After the few select entries are awarded, a lottery is then held to fill the field from a pool of qualified applicants. The Forest Service allows race management to use a five-year running average of 369 actual starters, and historically some fifteen percent of lottery winners do not report to the starting line, so some 425 runners are typically notified as being eligible.

Today the race is one of the premier ultrarunning events in the world. As of 2006, Tim Twietmeyer has completed the race a record 25 times, all in under 24 hours. With his 2005 victory, Scott Jurek has won seven consecutive races and set a new course record of 15 hours, 36 minutes, 27 seconds in 2004.

The most recent winners of the race are Hal Koerner and Nikki Kimball. (2007)

OK -- here's what you really need to know about this race -- it is an enormous challenge! Ultrarunning magazine rated this course as one of the toughest of all of the 100 mile races. You literally climb to the top of a mountain in the first 4 miles. You deal with snow and then drop down into canyons where you deal with near 100 degree temperatures. There are some really tough climbs, but the I hear the downhills are what really get to you. Your quads take a beating. It is a nasty race to say the least.

It is the Superbowl of our sport, and it will be my first 100 mile race.

Another Setback and a New Goal

After my last post, I went to REI to do some shopping for the race (new headlamp, gels, etc). My knee was still not feeling right so I took the elevator up to the second floor of the store. I decided to walk down the stairs to test my knee a bit. Well, the pain is back. My IT Band decided to bark at me in a big way and it lasted all day. I guess 9 miles was too much at this point in my recovery.

The good news is my IT Band made the Rocky Raccoon decision for me - I will not be able to do the race. I had been going back and forth in my head about it for weeks. Could I do it given my condition? How long would my knee hold up before it started to hurt and I was reduced to a painful walk? Running for the DREAM Fund played a big part in my decision as well. I really did not want to let anyone down. But in the end, my body made the decision for me. I am just not able to do the race.

This injury is so strange. Right now I am still able to run, but I can't run very far without aggravating it and going back to square one. I was doing the 9 miles on Saturday and all I could think about was my IT Band. When would it reach out and start barking at me? How many miles could I go before it did? Would it bark at me at all? Was I cured?

Well at least now I know the answer. I am still injured and this is going to take some time to heal. It would be completely foolish to try and do Rocky Raccoon. I could probably gut out 30-40 miles (I think), but I would really hurt myself for future races. But I am not done with the Rocky Raccoon. It is the 3rd largest 100 miler in the country and I want to complete it! So 2009 will have to be my year!

I am still going down to the race in two weeks, but now as an aid station volunteer. I love the whole trail running experience and community and I want to help out. There is also an 8 hour mandatory trail work as part of my Western States entry, so this will be a good opportunity to do it. I have a few buddies who will be doing the race, so I will be able to monitor their progress while working the aid station.

I have really struggled mentally during these past weeks. I wanted to do the Rocky Raccoon so badly. It is really hard to let it go. I trained for 8 months for this race (probably overtrained) and it has been my goal the entire year. But my body is telling me otherwise, so I must let it go. Now I will turn my focus on getting ready for the Western States 100 at the end of June. I'll post more about this race in the future.

So for now I'll continue my physical therapy, stretching exercises, and core work along with running every other day but for no more than 4 miles. That seems to be the magic number at this point before my IT Band starts to hurt. I'll take this time when I can't do long runs and really work on my upper body so I can have a more balanced body.

5 months until the Western States 100. I have a lot of work to do before I get there!

It May Be Time for a New Goal

I just got back from a 9 mile run around the lake. After 4 miles, the area on the outside of my knee started to get numb. I could feel the pain come creeping back. I took some walk breaks which helped a bit and I was able to finish the run. But something is still not right with my IT Band. This is absolutely driving me crazy!

It's such a strange feeling. My right knee just does not feel like my left knee. I can even feel it a bit while I am not running which is not a good sign at all.

I had a long talk with one of my ultrarunning buddies yesterday who knows of my condition and is also running the Rocky Raccoon. His first question to me was why are you running Rocky? I told him because it was my goal race and because I am raising money for the Dream Fund. He has been through serious IT Band issues before - during one period he could not run for an entire year. And he is a competitive runner -- way more talented than I am -- not running for a year absolutely killed him! So he knows a ton about my condition. We are both signed up for the Western States 100 in June which is the Superbowl of 100 mile races. His point to me (and I've thought about it a lot as well) is if I try and gut it through the Rocky 100, that I may hurt myself much more and not be able to rehab in time for the Western States race.

We talked about race strategies if I do decide and gut out the Rocky. Run 5 minutes, walk 5 minutes is what we decided on. But I really don't want to do the race this way. I don't want to just get through it. I want to run it and I want to run it well.

I tried unsuccessfully to take an ice bath after the run this morning. You should try that sometime. It is brutal, but it really helps your leg muscles recover faster. I was just too cold already (28 degrees outside this morning!) and the cold water just about sent me into cardiac arrest!

I had a long talk with Virginia who thinks I am an idiot for even considering the Rocky in my condition. And she's a runner who has a marathon and several halfs under her belt.

I was so hoping to finish the run this morning with no pain and a ton of confidence that I am finally healed and ready for Rocky. I am so disappointed to say the least. I've never quit anything in my life. But this is not a marathon; this is 100 miles. And you can not go into a 100 hurt. It just does not make sense. I think I am finally coming around to that.

How I Got Started

I started running about 5 years ago. My wife signed up for the Tom Landry Sprint Triathlon (1/4 mile swim; 18 mile bike; 5K) and I decided to join in the fun. I had not run in years so I had to work up to the 5K distance. I remember doing laps on the roof of the downtown YMCA and wondering if I could ever run 3 miles! Race day finally came and the race was brutal for me. I could barely do the swim, everyone passed me on the bike, and the run was awful. But a seed was planted in me that day. It took awhile to grow, but eventually it turned into a complete life changing experience for me.

Huy Pham, my workout partner and good friend, and I had just quit the YMCA because we were not using the facility as much as we should. One day we discovered the Katy Trail which is very close to where we work. The Katy Trail was still very new at that point so not a lot of people knew about it. We started running nearly every day at lunch. 2 miles became 3; 3 miles became 4; we were so elated when we finally ran all the way to Knox/Henderson and back - 4 miles round trip. Eventually we were doing regular 5-6 mile runs during our lunch hour. We'd bang out a quick run, hurry back to the office to change, and eat at our desks.

Then one day, Huy mentioned how one of our buddies, Dennis Webb, had completed the White Rock Marathon. At that point, I did not even know that a marathon was 26.2 miles. I completely admired Dennis for doing it, but I had no aspirations to run that distance ever! Huy thought we should sign up for the half marathon - I thought he was nuts. But Huy was persistant, and he eventually talked me into it.

On the first Sunday in December of 2004, we ran our first half marathon. We were completely undertrained and the race was just awful, but I was absolutely hooked. I remember crossing Interstate 75 just after running through Highland Park and telling Huy that this was the coolest thing I had ever done in my life. That feeling went away somewhere around mile 11 and we limped to the finish line completely spent. We then argued about who was in the best shape to drive us back to his house where I'd left my car. I won that discussion and Huy had to drive us home. I went home and went right to bed. I have never felt so badly in my life.

In 2005, we decided to do the full marathon. Huy and I signed up for training with RunOn and we ran with them 3 times a week. We also worked in 2 other training runs each week -- we were not taking this distance lightly. We trained very hard for this race and we both completed the distance. I remember telling Huy that it was the hardest thing I have ever done. He agreed completely.

So here I am now - 3 marathons under my belt, 2 50K's, 1 50 miler and countless training runs over the marathon distance and I wonder if I am ready for the Rocky Raccoon 100. My IT Band is starting to get better. I've been taking it slow while building up my distance. I've run 3 times now pain free - the longest run has been 4 miles. I am going to do a 6 miler tomorrow and if that feels OK, I'll probably do 9 on Sunday. It's encouraging, but if the pain comes back I am sunk! But every day I get a little more excited - especially after a pain free run. I am starting to get cautiously optimistic that I may be able to do this run!

Big Bend and a Small Glimmer of Hope

It's been some time since I last posted. Viginia and I took the kids to Big Bend National Park. My Mother-in-Law, Nancy, went along for the trip as well. We had a terrific time. The weather was wonderful - high's in the 70's and lows in the 30's. We went on a couple of short, but really spectacular hikes. We rafted the Rio Grande which the kids loved. If you have not been out to Big Bend, you really need to check it out. It's what people who are not from Texas imagine what our great state looks like. Mountains, desert, and lots of cactus. We even ran into a bobcat and a group of javelinas. All in all, it was a great trip.

During the hikes, I had some more trouble with my IT Band. This thing is absolutely killing me! I've been a little down because I have never had an injury that has lasted this long before. I had another session with physical therapy late last week which I believe is doing me some good. I've continued with the stretches and bought some new running shoes. All of this is supposed to help me.

Yesterday I had enough of just working out (stretching, elliptical machine, treadmill walking) and decided to go for a short run. I ran down to the Lake Highlands track and tested my IT Band a bit. I did not want to overdo it, so I limited myself to 1 1/2 miles of running and 1 mile of walking. It felt so good to run again! I can not tell you how much it lifted my spirits! I had no pain in my IT Band, but I can still tell that something is wrong around the outside of my knee.

The run gave me a small glimmer of hope that I may able to do the Rocky Raccoon 100 (less than three weeks away). My fitness level has dropped a ton these past four weeks, but if my IT Band is OK I am going to give it a shot.

Here is my plan for the next three weeks: run every other day while very slowly building up the mileage. If I feel no pain during a run, I'll increase my distance during the next run. If I feel pain, then I'll back off and my Rocky Raccoon hopes are officially over. If I can somehow build up to a 15-20 mile long run with no pain the last weekend before the race I feel like I have a shot of completing this race. I know that this probably won't happen. But that one run with no pain has given me hope that I can do this race and for now that has totally recharged me!