I went to Fleet Feet on Tuesday to see if getting some new shoes will help my IT issues. The extremely friendly and helpful worker – Alex – analyzed my gait and let me try on about a bajillion shoes. It made me feel good that, upon looking at the wear of my last pair, he remarked, “Oh, yeah, these shoes are done.” My shoes don’t last for nearly as many miles as “everyone” says they should. Good thing my weekly mileage stays under 30 or I’d go broke on shoes. My new BFF Alex also confirmed that I have a forefoot stride while running and a mild enough pronation that I can choose to correct it or not. So, what did I buy? The exact same pair of Newtons I’ve been wearing. Of course.
On the way home, I was whining to The Hubs about my IT (again) and dithering about how to treat it (again), what to do next (again), whether or not I could run the marathon (again), etc. The Hubs said to me – Well, hang on for a minute and let me tell you a little bit about my husband. He is a man of VERY few words, a former Army officer. His current job is very stressful, but I hardly ever hear about it because he just doesn’t bring it home. He pushes himself to be excellent at anything he tries – have I mentioned that he’s training for the full iron distance Silverman right now? He’s pretty tough.
Anyway, here’s how our conversation went:
HIM: So, are you really in that much pain?
ME: *whine* blah blah blah, all about me and my IT, blah blah blah (this went on for a while, I admit). What worked for you when you had IT pain a couple of years ago?
HIM: I have IT pain now, too.
ME: What, like when you run?
HIM: Yeah.
ME: How about when you ride your bike?
HIM: Yeah.
ME: You have IT pain all the time, even sitting here in the car and talking to me??
HIM: Yeah.
ME: *silent for a moment while I process this information and remember all the hard miles he’s put in lately* So, you’re saying I just need to HTFU, huh?
HIM: *laughs* You said it, not me!
Even though he didn’t say it, he made a good point. This is what I have been lacking in my training and racing. This is why I set goals that I don’t quite reach – I back off when things get difficult. Rather than rest and whine and worry, I need to work through rough spots, to gut out pain, to harden the F up. (Side note: I still have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow – you can’t “tough out” a broken bone, so I will at least rule out all other injuries before jumping back into marathon training. I’m also looking into Active Release and massage therapies in my area, because ideally I’d like to run pain-free, you know?)
So I went for a five mile run today. I started off around marathon goal pace and picked it up about ten seconds every mile. There was some pain, but I ran through it and it didn’t kill me. Good to know.
Good luck at your appointment tomorrow. Apparently I need to HTFU too 🙂 My knee issues have been so frustrating and I have the Portland Marathon on 10/10. I still might not be fast, I might have pain, but dang it, I’m going to finish no matter what.
Totally laughing at your recap convo with husband. Hahaha!
I dont know that much about it and how often or fast that injury is supposed to take but I had the IT injury last Nov. and have been okay this year…
-Derek
I don’t agree with your husband. I’m all for fixing the problem and running pain-free.
Okay maybe I am tired or just old. I get the TFU but what is the H? Good luck at your appt.
HTFU only works if it makes you get better. If it’s going to make your performance worse than you should SOTC…sit on the couch.
I think there is a time to HTFU and a time to rest. If you have pain and something is injured, it is not going to do you any good to run through it because it will only make the injury worse. It’s hard to know when to stop b/c of an injury and when to HTFU and just keep going. Only you can be the judge of that!
no no no. ignoring a problem doesn’t make it go away. it’s one thing if you’re just going to tough your way through a 5k but a MARATHON is a different beast. treat the problem! so glad you’re seeing a doc. have you considered acupuncture? helps me lots though it’s more for treating the symptoms than the cause.
I agree with Aimee. You need to HTFU with intelligence.
Suck it up, but also consider physical therapy. It has done wonders and I am ITB pain free. Now the new nagging bruise thing on my right knee that showed up during my 16 mile run Sunday is a total HTFU situation. Thanks for the kick in the pants.
I’ve gone both ways – I’ve trained through aches and pains and have shut myself down because it turned into a severe injury. It is hard to know the difference. I would give it a try but be cautious.
Feel better.
Yeah…I’m on the HTFU with caution boat 🙂
You can do it! Everyone needs a good dose of HTFU every once in a while!
Not sure I agree with this. I’m afraid eventually that IT pain will get so bad it will shut you down…and take muuuch longer to fix….if it doesn’t become a chronic issue. Be careful my dear!
I agree with the other commenters – HTFU with care! There definitely is something to toughening up and running through mental fatigue and minor, normal body tiredness and soreness, but it’s a totally different thing to push through an injury and make things worse.
yay for new shoes! just got a new pair myself @ fleet feet no less! it did feel really good getting fitted–they are very genuine.
sorry about your IT–check out http://www.airrosti.com and see if they offer it in your area. worked a bit for me and a lot of other runners swear by it! hope you recover soon!
Yeah. Please be careful. If something hurts then it’s a sign something is not quite right. And remember how many times per mile our feet – and therefore our bodies – are pounding the ground.