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?