Saturday, November 11, 2006

That’s More Like It
ORN: 16.3 miles, 2:39:26, 9:47/mile

Finally.

I’ve been fighting an annoying ITB since early October. And for the first time since the Portland Marathon, I had a honest, solid, long run on a Saturday. Man, I have missed this rhythm. It’s been two months since I’ve done this mainstay of my weekly rhythm.

It was probably a good preparation for the Tecumseh Trail Marathon. It was raw, windy, wet and grey, just as it could well be three weeks from today. And I decided to just run. The right ITB was there, murmuring but not shouting. The lungs worked, the quads worked, the new Adidas supernovas worked. I am finally encouraged about making the upcoming marathon itself enjoyable. I’ll be hosting Darrell as he checks Indiana off his 50 state list and that will be lots of fun. But I didn’t really know how my own running would be. I’m feeling better.

Mega kudos for this nice turn of events to fellow bloggers Sarah and Dianna. When I wrote earlier about the ITB, they urged me (strongly) to get a foam roller to treat the ITB. The roller arrived in the mail this week and with their help, I’ve started working it. Oh my. Does it ever help! Yes, it hurts. And, as Sarah told me “Find the spot where it hurts the worst and leave the roller there for about a minute.” Bingo. That’s the ticket. In just a few days, I’ve seen a lot of improvement. I wouldn’t have done 16 today without it.

I tried one other new thing today that I picked up from several sources. I pushed hard over the last mile. I did the 16th mile in 9:09 today. Not awesome, but the fastest mile of the day and it equates (exactly) to a four-hour marathon. Much of the early part of 2007 will be directed to this end, I’m currently thinking.

Enjoy your weekend.

Persevere.

PS. Links don't seem to be working today on Blogger...sorry.

9 comments:

Backofpack said...

Joe,
Yep, that foam roller is awesome. It gets a regular workout at this house. It's even kind of squished in the middle from so much use! I like to roll my hamstrings, calves and quads as well as the ITB. Feels good!

That is a solid run you put in today - way to go! Funny, I'm jealous that you are hosting Darrell - we've had so much fun meeting other bloggers that I'm ready for another meetup!

Anonymous said...

Joe, I want to say again...I am SURE my ITB would be much worse if I didn't roll regularly. I go to the gym three days a week, and I always end my weight training by rolling and stretching. Some days the ITB area hurts more than others, and it's probably due to the run the day before. But by the next day, I'm good to go. Good luck!!

Darrell said...

This is really good news. I ran 16 today as well, you were faster than me. I haven't written about it yet but you understand when I do.

"It was raw, windy, wet and grey, just as it could well be three weeks from today." Why can't I help but think you wrote this ominous statement for my benefit. My first thought was, please No. But then I decided it will just add a new dimension of challenge to Tecumseh.

Unknown said...

Great run today Joe. Glad to hear that it went well and the roller is helping you out.

Anonymous said...

Great job on the run. The roller will be a huge help.

Jodi said...

Welcome to team HM! Sounds like you have a lot of great halfs planned for next year!

I had ITB issues for a month this year and I feel your pain. I just worked on extensive hip flexor stretching and that took care of it. Great to hear that you are getting a handle on it. Great run today- way to finish strong!

Jodi

David said...

9:09 16th mile wins a cupie doll in my booth. Nice work.

Sarah said...

Yeah! Glad to hear the foam roller is helping. Nice run! : )

Wes said...

I also heard nice things about the foam roller, until you start using it. It's good to know that it works though, since I'm sure we'll all need that advice in the future. nice run! Glad you enjoyed it.