Week 8 Wrap-up

I am pleased to announce that I had another good long run today. My dad met me about 30 minutes in and we run the rest of the way more or less together. I did 14.15 miles in 2 1/2 hours. That came out to a 10:38 pace. I ran most of the way, I just had to walk twice (about .20 mile each time). My groove was there even with the hills which was a pleasant change. I felt very stiff the first couple miles, but then everything fell into place.

Around mile 10 I did start to experience hip pain. My IT band (a muscle that runs down the side of the thigh from hip to knee) tighten up severely and kept causing my hip to pop. Each time it popped, it would radiate pain down my leg. I had to stop a few times to try and stretch it out. While it didn't go away completely, I was able to work through it and finish my run. It's super sore right now and I have been massaging and icing it. IT band issues are very common with runners. A tight IT band can cause everything from knee pain to hip pain. Ways to remedy it is to roll your thigh on a foam roller to loosen it up. I have a foam roller at home that I try to use on regular basis, but I will be honest. Rolling out a tight IT band hurts like hell! Sometimes the pain is so intense I think I will pass out. The tighter it is the more it hurts. I seriously can not think of a pain that is worse. I'm trying to work up the courage to roll it out right now but I'm not quite ready for it.

My other issue came after my run. To avoid getting too graphic let's just say I sometimes get "tummy problems" during my runs. It comes on suddenly, sometimes during a run and sometimes afterwards. For three years I tried to figure out what the cause was. I spoke to my doctor but she didn't really have an answer but she did tell me what foods would be good to avoid before a run. I kept a food diary for awhile to see if I could figure out if it was a food that was triggering it. That didn't seem to shed any light on the matter. Everything was just so unpredictable. I could eat one thing and be fine, and then eat the same thing the next week and run into major issues. I just didn't know what to do other than grin and bear it. Just as I was about to give up hope, I stumbled upon the cause by accident. Dehydration!

Two weeks before I started my training I began drinking 2-3 liters of water a day as a way to help me lose weight. After the first few weeks of training I noticed that I was not having any problems. I changed nothing in my diet and ate exactly as I had. The only variable was the increased water intake. I put two and two together and it seemed to be the answer. That theory was confirmed today. This past week I had a very limited amount of fluids due to being on vacation and being very busy at work. I paid the price for my laziness after my run. I eventually recovered, as I always do, but it certainly wasn't pleasant. I now know I MUST drink my water every single day or I will suffer the consequences. I am very happy to have found an answer to my worst running problem.