Marathon Training Blog

October 30, 2008

Headphone Patrol: Say What?

While leisurely scanning my e-mail inbox on a Sunday night, I was so excited to see a message from the Cape Cod Marathon.

Wonderful! I'm really doing this! It's so cool!

Then, I scrolled down further and in bold red letters (no joke) read:

Please Note: Wearing headphones during the race is prohibited by our USATF sanction and for safety reasons. Runners who wear them during the event and whose bib #'s are recorded by course checkers will receive a letter of disqualification after the race.

The words sent heart palpitations thumping through my body. Fact: I've never run more than 6 miles without music. It's my inspiration. My distraction. My motivation. By this time, it was after midnight and calling the friend I'm doing the marathon with was not an option. I whipped out my phone and sent her a text. Knowing she had received the same e-mail, I kept it simple:

"No headphones? Uh-oh!"

Put mildly, this adds a new element of challenge to the race. If you're running a marathon, be sure to scour the rules and regulations ahead of time to keep the surprises in check.

Q: Is wearing headphones permitted at your marathon?

October 29, 2008

Meet a Marathon Legend

If you're in New York City for this weekend's marathon, I encourage you to take the opportunity to meet world-champion runner Grete Waitz. The Norwegian athlete won the New York City marathon a record nine times between 1978 and 1988—I'll be happy to finish it just once! She's truly an inspiration for long-distance runners everywhere. Grete will be signing autographs at the following locations:

Thursday, October 30th, 4:30-5:30pm
New York Running Company: The Shops at Columbus Circle, 210 59th Street, New York, NY

Friday, October 31st, 1:00-2:00pm
Urban Athletics: 2 World Financial Center, 225 Liberty Street, New York, NY

Saturday, November 1st, 2:00-3:00pm
Paragon Sports: 867 Broadway, New York, NY

October 27, 2008

My Favorite New Treat

I'm always looking for easy ways to fuel up before and after workouts, and I recently found a new running snack: Bear Naked's Peak Protein all-natural granola. Each 12-ounce bag contains 16g of carbs and 5g of protein and is chock full of cranberries, soy flakes, whole-grain oats and walnuts.

The drawback? One bag costs $4.84, so I'll be reserving this treat for races. After all, I could buy a box of cereal that would last a week for that!

I love Peak Protein, but don't take my word for it—order your free sample here and you decide!

October 24, 2008

What's My Prognosis?

Deflated about possibly having to abandon my race plans, I consulted marathoner Mark Klion, M.D., a clinical instructor of sports medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine Department of Orthopaedics in New York, about my injury.

"Marathon running is an endurance sport that pushes your body past its comfort zone," said Klion. "Running upward of three hours puts muscle tissues under extreme strain. These are mechanical structures that under repeated stress will fail."

My diagnosis: Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS), which is often caused by overuse. The IT band is a bundle of fibers that runs along the outer leg from the hip to just below the knee joint. When you bend and extend your knee, explained Klion, the IT band rubs against the joint. The fluid-filled sac, or bursa, there reduces this friction, but when you overdo it, the band tightens, increasing friction and inflaming the normally slippery bursa. And that's when the pain kicks in.

What Causes ITBS
ITBS can also result from biomechanical abnormalities, such as bowed legs, over-pronation and leg-length discrepancies; worn-out running shoes (replace them every 3 to 4 months or 300 to 500 miles); and consistently running on a slanted road (switch directions or terrain often so one foot isn't continually lower than the other). But my problem was definitely linked to the amount of mileage I was logging.

How to Treat ITBS
Since pain stems from inflammation, Klion said the first thing I had to do was reduce the swelling with these steps (the first four are commonly known as the RICE method):
REST: Switching to biking and light jogging will allow my damaged tissues to rest, repair and rebuild.
ICE: For 10 to 15 minutes after I exercise, I ice the area to reduce swelling.
COMPRESSION: When working out, I wear an IT band wrap to compress the irritated area.
ELEVATION: I lie down on the couch with my leg propped above my heart on couch pillows for at least 30 minutes each night (after an acute injury, you want to elevate as much as possible in the first 36 to 48 hours, says Klion, and for a chronic injury where there's swelling, 20 to 30 minutes, 3 to 4 times a day). Gravity pulls excess fluid away from the affected area, reducing inflammation.
ANTI-INFLAMATORY: Ask your physician about taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory meds such as Aspirin, Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) or naproxen sodium (Aleve). "Remember," said Klion, "you're not taking a pill so you can run, but to reduce inflammation so you can start a rehab process and heal your injury."

My recovery plan was short one item. Klion also suggested using a foam roller, which I found at my local running store. After the pain subsided, I started using it a few times a day to relieve tightness in the area.