Anytime the sun is out and the temps are hitting the mid 60’s in January, I’m going to do some running. Strained IT band damned, those stats are too good to ignore, even for a guy that cares very little about the stats of the sport. So after properly hanging up my church clothes, a conditioned behavior from growing up and being taught to not throw them on the floor, I laced up again and ran Lake Fayetteville, with about 56,489 other people from the tri-state area who wanted to take advantage of the afternoon. I felt like I was in a video game, dodging and weaving through families with strollers, packs of sorority girls taking selfies, cyclists riding like they were in the Tour de France, and toddlers on push toys with their feet sticking down like Fred Flintstone’s car. But none of it was enough to make the run unenjoyable. I still felt like a man on top of the world, doing what I’m supposed to do, being where i’m supposed to be. Running.
I’m currently in the middle of an IT band crisis, feeling considerable strain anytime I run elevations. It started a few weeks ago and, sure enough, creeped around again yesterday on the Arsaga’s hill about mile nine. Stretching in the moment seems to help, as well as changing my gait temporarily to sort of a gallop. Of course doing said motion looks ridiculous, but nothing looks as bad as running a marathon feels, so if i’ve got to gallop a few yard then i’ve got to gallop. All of this is an issue because there’s a two-mile incline right in the middle of the Little Rock Marathon, starting around the State Capital building and going up through Hillcrest toward Mount St. Mary’s. If I have to walk it, or gallop, then so be it.
The IT band, or iliotibial band, is a band of tissue that runs from the hip to the knee, connecting the upper leg. During running, or other activities, it moves around the bones of the knee and can become irritated with prolonged use. It’s a relatively common occurrence in runners for it to be sore, and sure enough mine is right now. The picture below shows how it all connects, and it also reminds me of Slim Goodbody, who was this sketchy guy from the 1980’s who talked to kids about healthy living. He was totally odd and for the life of me, I can’t remember which show he was on. Let’s all take a moment to appreciate his hair.
Treating a painful IT band involves multiple strategies, but is anchored in the advice that no runner ever wants to hear: stop running. I’m going to make a concerted effort at that and am genuinly hoping for a rainy weekend, which will increase the chances of it actually happening. But in the interim, i’m spending lots of time stretching, foam rolling, and icing. In fact, yesterday I spent a full hour with ice packs in place and snowboarders qualifying for the Olympic team. Being partial to skiing myself, it wasn’t too long before I was asleep.
There are four weekends left before the Little Rock Marathon and one of those needs to not include running. At all. But that’s easier said than done, even with sore IT bands reminding me to slow down. I suppose I could spend a weekend doing a different type of marathon -- taking in the entire seasons of Downton Abbey or Mad Men or American Horror Story. But TV shows aren’t what they used to be, so i’d probably stick with the celluloid of my youth and relive the drama and excitement on Dukes of Hazzard and The Love Boat. But that will only last for so long, before I can’t stay on the couch any longer.
Run.
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