5 Things Iliotibial Band Syndrome & 26.2 Miles Taught Me About Life
[A lame excuse for running a marathon slower than expected]
This past Sunday I completed my first ever marathon as I took part in the 40th running of the Chicago Marathon alongside 45,000 of my closest friends. It was a grueling 26.2-mile battle between me and my own body, but I had an absolute blast in the process and I can’t even begin to describe how much fun I had weaving through the streets of Chicago. In light of the enjoyment that I experienced on Sunday, it’d be hard to forget the adversity that I had to overcome in order to get to that point.
Long before race day, as my marathon training was just getting underway, I was met abruptly by injury. What started out as a slight pain in my knee eventually landed me in a chair at the doctor’s office. After ruling out a potential meniscus tear, the doctor diagnosed me with Iliotibial Band Syndrome — a painful condition which distance runners are especially susceptible to.
As someone who has been blessed enough to generally avoid injury, I was quite frustrated having to deal with ITBS as my training was only beginning. After being sidelined for roughly two months and nearly withdrawing my marathon entry, I was determined to do all that I could to get up and running again.
As I worked to slowly overcome my bodily deficiency, I learned a number of things about the limits of my body (and mind). I’m not sure if this was God’s way of trying to tell me that I am not built to be a long distance runner, but I think that training and running through pain taught me a great deal about tenacity, drive, and perseverance. Here are a few things I learned that helped me go the distance.
What Doesn’t Kill You Doesn’t Make You Stronger
Many have heard the recognizable quote that is attributed to the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Actually, he said it much more eloquently, “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.”
While it may be true from an evolutionary perspective that those who survive adversity are by definition the fittest, it is not so much the adversity that made them so. In our minds, the leap is short between seeing the strong emerge from calamity and concluding that they are strong because of the calamity.
When faced with hardship we are essentially faced with two options. Either you allow the pain to take control or instead you become resilient. At which point you make the proactive decision to grow stronger — which takes effort, concentration, and discipline. However, this is no easy task and it’s certainly not fun.
Mayhem and turmoil don’t toughen you up, and they don’t prepare you well to deal with challenges. Fortitude and tenacity are what ultimately toughens you up, because they reinforce your capacity to adapt. But toughness does not come by sitting idly by in the face of adversity.
In life, as in running, I don’t feel like I’m strong because of hardship— but I do feel I can be strong in spite of it.
Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)
Running is so freaking liberating.
Running allows you to break the chains that bind you to freely move your body. Bruce Springsteen says it best, “baby, we were born to run.” Not only does this make for a great running song, but there’s so much more to it than that. Running is living in the moment. You can start your day off with an early-morning jog or later run away from that long day of work. Running, for me, is like hitting the refresh button on my brain. It clears my mind, allows me to move beyond day-to-day stresses, and gives me an insight into the big picture. Carving out this space for creative thinking is critical. No matter how much is weighing on my shoulders at any given time, I know that liberation is waiting as soon as I hit the pavement.
While at many times this concept seems so obvious, it’s certainly easy to forget such basic truths until you find yourself incapacitated on the training table at physical therapy.
Don’t Be a One Trick Pony
When confronted with ITBS, I had no other option but to look elsewhere in order to overcome my pain. Instead of focusing locally on my pain areas, I had to train myself to strengthen other parts of the body. Through this process I discovered that the whole is only as good as the sum of its parts. If any parts of the body are not pulling their respective weight, it can only inflict added torment on other parts of the body.
We must try our best not to neglect any elements of the body or our lives due to their apparent insignificance. Instead we must realize the combined potential when all aspects work in unison with one another. No tree can bear fruit in all seasons, and no runner can train hard at all times. That’s just the way nature made us. Through the benefits of cross-training, we can tap into cumulative strength in order to overcome any potential adversity that is thrown our way.
Always Be Prepared for a Rainy Day
At the height of my injury, my pain had gotten to the point where I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make it back home if my pain acted up while I was out on a run. Since I don’t carry my phone when I run, this meant that I was forced to start carrying my bus pass as a precautionary measure in case anything were to put me on the concrete during a run. Although I fortunately never had to use that bus pass, I definitely came close.
Somedays ended up hurting worse than others and sometimes $#*! happens — and when you think about it, not preparing for it is just foolish.
It’s a lot easier to think, “it won’t happen to me”… until it does, and you can be sure that something will happen. Life is unpredictable but one thing you can predict with certainty is that roadblocks will pop up no matter what road you’re currently traveling down.
Life, as in training for a race, rarely goes exactly the way you plan. Setbacks and obstacles are part of the process and they should be looked at as a challenge, not a barrier. The key is to learn how to plan for and manage them.
Foam Rolling Kicks Ass
For the longest time, I put Foam Rolling in the same bucket as avocado toast. To me it appeared to be just a trendy craze surrounded by a lot of hype, until I gave it a go.
My physical therapist would always relate the relationship between foam rolling and stretching as one resembling a ball of dough. As you roll and knead the dough, it becomes more pliable. Adhesion's break down and the dough ball begins to become more accepting of change. Once the dough becomes less dense and pliable enough, it can now be stretched and lengthened.
I am obligated to give credit where credit is due, and I am unashamed to proclaim that none of this would have been imaginable without the assistance of my foam roller.
As much as I enjoy running, let’s just say I’m glad to be taking a few days off…
