Great Eastern Run 10km

This is a race of firsts. It is the first time I am participating in a women's run, and the first time I'm running a race alone.

Both rather mind-opening experiences I have to say! I'm used to being a rare damsel in a sea of hot sweaty men (remember the "Spot the Woman" contest in my blog post about the Sheares Bridge Run?) It is such a treat to stand in the holding area before flag-off and not worry about bumping into sweaty bodies. Very nice. I can even look about the holding area since I'm no longer shorter than average. ;)

SPOT THE MEN CONTEST!





It is a lot more tiring running a race on your own than with someone else, I have to say... I push myself so much harder. Although it is to a certain extent still a spectator or social type of sport — I love watching the fast ones whiz past me on their return leg: I always hoot and cheer for them — I think about the distance and the time so much more when alone. And I am so much more tired when I am done.

Got a chip time of 1hr 2mins 26sec. I wish I could have broken the hour, but I haven't been running very consistently these days, so it was really as fast as I could have gone... I'm happy with it though. Worth the pain. :) Seriously, when I crossed the finish line, I was seeing stars and had to squat for a bit — I am that unfit!! :)

ITB woes again. Boohoo.

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Squashed hips

Played squash by myself yesterday. The racquets they loan out at my school are better than the ones I own! I think that's amusing; and awesome for me, 'cos that means I don't have to lug my Cash Converter racquet all the way to to the boondog parts of the island.

After pitting myself against the unforgiving wall and working myself up to a dripping, hot and happy state, I went to do some hip exercises for my sore ITB at the gym. I used the lever machine you see on the left. I'm planning to work on my hips every other day. I suppose this is just about my last resort when it comes to my ITB. The thought of never being able to run a LSD makes me sad.


You could do the exercise with a cable machine as well but I've never tried it. I used to do my hip abductor exercises with a ball in between my legs. But I think it may be less effective than going to the gym and working on it consistently with weights. I'm not sure. I'm hoping for the best in any case.



Below is a pic of a seated hip abductor exercise. This webpage gives good information on everything you can do with your hips. Erm, just about everything unexciting anyway. ;) All the animated gifs in this post were taken from http://www.exrx.net/.

Tomorrow, I shall swim! The revenge of the slow marlin!

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Terry Fox Run: 6am

6am: "Why does it rain _every_single_year?"
7am: Eating a rather stale piece of coffee bread
8am: Stuck in jam in taxi
9am: Feeling a little faint and nauseous from the stale piece of bread
10am: Limping

It was quite an inspiring run. There was a guy on crutches who was doing the 8km. He had only one good leg. And a lot of cute little red and blond headed kids.

[I must have been tired when I wrote that. I don't mean that he had a lot of cute kids. I meant there were a lot of cute kids at the run.]

My ITB in my good leg acted up. Sigh. 8km only.

(Photos later..)

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ITB is my bane

Ran 4.5km at 10km/hr and when I stepped off the treadmill, there it was again, like an old friend, but this time, in my good leg. My good leg! What do I need to do? Realign my hips, or what??

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ITB Anonymous: Session V

Hi, my name is mis_nomer and I have a problem.

I went to see the sports doctor at National Stadium this week. I was nervous about seeing the doc 'cos I felt like an impostor. After all, I'm not exactly an athlete. But I felt a little better when the person after me was an auntie whose sport was "aerobics". Sports is for everyone; it is just hard to imagine it so.

Anyway, it turns out that my ITB problem may have a biomechanical origin. My left leg is 1 cm longer than my right, and my left knee naturally tilts inwards. This means that every time my foot hits the ground, it rolls inwards and the ITB strains to keep the knee straight. After a while the ITB rubs against the bone and becomes inflamed.

I was a bit appalled to hear about the discrepancy in my leg length, but the nice doctor assured me that a 1-3 cm discrepancy is normal and the only reason I feel pain is because small discrepancies become magnified when you multiply it over in long distances. She thinks that thrice daily stretching will help, followed by short runs (starting 3km, increase 10% per run) in the new year. Hopefully, my body will know how to compensate for the quirks in my leg structure. If the pain comes back, I'll have to consider making an insole.

These are the four ITB stretches she recommended:

For the ITB, this is her preferred stretch. This stretch reaches the hip as well, so if you suffer from hip ITB, this is a good one to do.



This is my preferred stretch. I find it hard to feel the stretch in the one above because I'm fairly flexible and have to lean really low to feel anything at all.



This is another one.



This stretch is good because I can do it while I am sitting at work.



You mustn't forget to stretch your calves and quads too.

I had a lot of questions to ask the doctor and she gamely answered them all.

1. Can I swim the breaststroke? What about cycling?
"Everyone is built differently. Of course the frontcrawl is the best for swimming because the breaststroke shortens the ITB, but if it doesn't bother you, go ahead and do it. In your case, it may be that only running/ walking is the precipitating factor." Whoohoo!

2. What do you think about the Walt Reynolds' ITB Special?
"I can't comment on that because we haven't tested it out."

3. How long must I stretch for?
"Three times daily: morning, afternoon, night; and don't forget to stretch before and after your runs." What! I was thinking along the lines of five minutes before and after my runs!

4. How can I stretch for hip ITB? (on behalf of Smole)
"All of the regular ITB stretches work for hip ITBS. The leaning on the wall stretch is the best. Some athletes use a rubber ball with rubber spikes to rub against the hip ITB. That helps too."

5. Can I buy an insole from the store?
"No. If you have a specific problem like you do, it is very unlikely that a store-bought insole will help. You need one to be custom made. Our podiatrist is a runner and comes in every Friday if stretching does not solve your problem."

6. Is this something that will heal and resolve itself? I want to run for a long time.
"Stretch a lot and if that doesn't work, make a prosthetic." Hmm. Not quite what I was looking for. The doctor said she has the exact same problem as me and hers kicks in at 7km. I wonder if this is going to be a long-term issue if even the sports doc struggles with this...

and these are the questions I didn't get around to asking.
7. Is it possible to stretch too much?
8. Can I do speed training, run on hills, run laps, play squash?
9. What do our athletes at the Asian Games struggle with?
10. Hey doc, nice Treo!

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ITB Anonymous: Session IV

Hello everyone, my name is Ms. Nomer, and I have a problem.

A bit of trivia before I start: what is an important difference between running and swimming?

After a swim, you're not smelly!

This past week, my bedroom has been suffused with the antispetic smell of chlorine, unlike the usual musky smell emanating from the laundry basket at the corner of the room. I almost like the sweaty smell more than the chlorine smell, just because it is more familiar and it always makes me feel happy and accomplished.

So after a week of not running, I went for my first run yesterday evening. My mind had grown soft -- I wasn't looking forward to exerting myself at all -- but once I got started, it felt so remarkably good to get gloriously sweaty again. Great big glops of sweat, like a labourer at work. And the cadence of the feet, the ability to breathe whenever I wanted to, the music in my ears, the road before me, it was all very good.

And then of course, the pain set in.

I have resigned myself to the fact that I will not be able to walk after the marathon this coming Sunday. It is not like I haven't cut back my mileage. My total mileage this past week was less than 10km. How I am going to go from less than 10km to 42.195km this coming Sunday is going to somewhat of a miracle on the Moses-parting-the-red-sea scale. Not to mention the ITB. My longest run so far is about 26km; my ITB is probably irrevocably inflamed; the die is cast.

But dang it, I'm going to finish it anyway, hobbling if required.

So, since it doesn't help to ruminate on this matter any more as the die is cast, I'll just do what I have to this week (swim the freestyle, eat, drink) and think about something else altogether:

Do people sweat when they swim?

If so, is that why public pools taste salty?

Food for though eh? :) Have a good day.

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A to-do and a to-wish list

Running late. I have five minutes. I wish I could draw.  And run.  And dance the tango.  And settle down.

I've done no running this week -- only freestyle, back and forth until my lungs cannot take it anymore, which doesn't take very much at all.  I've been eating and sleeping in and getting lazy.  So I must -- I tell myself  -- I must go for a short run this evening and hope that it will not protest. 

Running late.  I may have to skip the shower.

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ITB Anonymous: Session III

Hi, my name is Ms. Nomer and I have an ITB problem.

I went for my first swim last weekend, the day after a 21km (achey) long run. The water in the public pool tasted somewhat salty... very gross! But I was determined to swim and so struggled through ten laps anyway. Have I mentioned that I don't like swimming?

In other news for fellow-sufferers, I have discovered a new ITB strengthening exercise. I call it the kungfu stance.



What you have to do is to place your feet far apart (facing outwards) and bend your knees to 90 degrees. Then stand up slowly, without locking your knees. Do 15-20 reps per day, followed with ITB stretching. Do this before AND after your runs to keep your ITB flexible.

I am almost at my wits' end since nothing I'm trying seems to be working. But after talking to a friend who is trained in this area, I'm somewhat cheered with the discovery of the "kungfu stance", the success of swimming ten laps, and the possibility that insoles may help my problem.

If all else fails, will someone please wait for me at the 30km with a pair of crutches? Thanks.

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ITB Anonymous: Session II

Hi, my name is Ms. Nomer.

I think I need to learn how to swim.

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ITB Anonymous: Session I

Hi, my name is Ms. Nomer and I have a problem.

I didn't used to think I have a problem. I thought all I was experiencing were a few one-time flare-ups, well within my control.

But I am realising that this may not be so.

My first encounter with my nemesis occured three weeks ago, on a jaunt to the Chinese garden. Then it was a dull throb, a fleeting temptation, so to speak.

I went cold turkey, put an ice pack, and forgot about it soon. Two weeks went by and I was asymptomatic. I wasn't as thrilled as I ought to have been because, well, I didn't think I had a problem.

Then I had an episode. It near crippled me, and I was frightened by its power.

So I took some precautions: did the seven steps to stregthen my resolve, the eight steps to complete joint freedom. And I was optimistic. Bouyed by the success of 25 minutes in the fray this last Thursday without a flare-up, I attempted a 45 minute endeavour on Friday. I was pushing my luck as I quickly realised...

Today, I only managed 35 minutes before the old demons knocked on the door.

But I will try again; because, why else am I here, telling you all of this?

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Walt Reynolds' ITB Special

Walt Reynolds' ITB Special is an exercise that mimics the running gait and strengthens the iliotibial band. I found the original instructions a bit difficult to follow, so I've taken the liberty of adding a few photos to illustrate.

First, find a four to six inch elevation.



Place the involved leg, i.e. the leg you are working out, on the step. Use a wall or railing on your non-involved side for support.



With both knees locked, lower your non-involved leg towards the floor. As you do this, your involved hip would be higher than the non-involved hip. (see pic below) Try to shift most of your body weight to the inside part of the foot of the involved leg. Make sure that a fair amount of your body weight is directed through your heel, not just your toes.



Bend your weight-supporting, involved knee slightly (about 10 to 20 degrees), but keep the non-involved foot off the ground or floor.



Now, move the involved hip forward about four to six inches, while keeping the involved heel in contact with the step and your weight on the inside of your involved foot. As your involved hip moves forward, your upper body should move backward.



After you've moved your hip forward, move it straight backward. As your hip moves backward, your upper body will tend to bend forward.



As you do the exercise, you should feel the burn up toward the side of your hip. If you don't feel anything happening, go back to the basic position and try again. Make sure that
1. Your involved hip is higher than the other hip
2. Your weight is shifted to the inside of the involved foot.

Start with 10 reps per day on each leg, and gradually build up to a set of 20 to 30 reps - carried out at two different times during the day.

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ITB woes

My left illiotibial band is sore like anything. I can't walk without it hurting so I keep my leg as straight as I can and swivel my hip around to take a step. Smole says I walk like a stroke patient.

I'm not really sure what to do. I think I really have to make an effort to stretch and do exercises to strengthen my gluteus medius muscle and hip abductors. And keep off the track. And try to pronate less and be less bow-legged. Er, right.

I am wondering if tape will be a decent substitute for the pattstrap...

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