Medical Edge - IT pain

I.T. Straps, fiction or fact? After my race yesterday I'd say fact.

I try not to be a sucker for all those unnecessary accessories where the injury just needs some TLC recovery time, and the only benefit seems to be adding some ridiculous color or pattern to your outfit.

But I am convinced when I personally experience something that truly works. After my last 50K 4 weeks ago at Holcomb Valley Trail Run, I've been nursing an IT band pain. With only a few very painful runs achieved from that race to my 50K race yesterday at Harding Hustle, my last training run ended painfully at mile 9miles. How was I going to do 32Miles if I couldn't go past 9?

I did the one thing you are never suppose to do, tried something new on race day. Since this was a training run for my 100M race coming up in August, I knew I needed something and what better time to do it!

During those 32Miles the only small twinge I felt was mile 13. That was on a downhill over a loose rocky technical area. Besides that the IT held up with no pain and it was easy to use. At the finish when I took off the strap I did notice that I got a small blister on the back of my leg, but did not feel it during my run. On the trail I did readjust it 3 times, when I started to feel the IT, and that seemed to work well to make it go away.

When buying the IT Band strap make sure you are aware that the IT band strap is the one that goes above your knee. For IT band injuries seeing a physical therapist and taking time off is how to heal the injury. The IT strap should only be used when still in training. Prolonged use without healing can lead to greater injuries.

Medical Edge - Allergies

Trail running exposes you to continual dust and pollens that spike up allergy symptoms. Sure, you can take an allergy medicine daily to decrease these symptoms. The problem with anti-hestimines are they make you drowsy and dehydrate you. As your heart is pumping hard and your lungs are breathing heavy, the less chemicals you need to put into your body the better!

I was just prescribed these allergy eye drops, "Pataday", from my optometrist. It does require a prescription and won't plug that runny nose, but it will relieve those itchy dry eyes.

A Race Story - Born To Run 100K Ultra - May 19, 2012

It wasn’t the partially filled air mattress nor my ice-cubed toes that kept me awake all through the night. It was the excitement and anticipation I was feeling NOW to jump out of my sleeping bag and into the dark starry night to start running. This was going to be my first 100K (62 miles) of pure fun, hilly, and eventually what would be HOT trail running! Picking the Born To Run Ultra 100K, in Los Olivos, couldn’t have been a more amazing experience. This Born to Run 100K Ultra was the most rewarding and to nature, unique, and challenging trail...it was what trail running is.

Trail Running is a community created by individuals that love the outdoors and especially to be close to nature. This race brought that passion to life with what I described to my friends as a mini "Running Woodstock". Before snuggling into your sleeping bag under the stars on race night, it was part of the experience to join the other runners warming up by the community fire. Carbo-loading by delicious Stone Ale beer and shared intriguing race stories of past, a sense of family was created. It wasn’t until I realized that the boys next to me “super” carbo-loading, were only doing the 10 mile race the next day. It was definitely time for me to go to bed!

5am; the air is brisk, the moon has gone to bed and it’s just the stars that are twinkling in the sky to welcome me after a restless night. The music from the band at last night’s fire is still playing a tune in my head as a smile grows across my face. A flicker of sound is heard in the distance as Luis Escobar, race director and Born to Run trail legend, gets on the PA to wake everyone in their tents. He gets us all to start howling like coyotes into the dark. Like warriors about to face battle…actually, more like coyotes about to circle together in a hunt. We howl and rise from our beds ready for the trails that await us.

The loud Mariachi music Luis played over the PA in the morning may have helped my teeth brushing and oatmeal cooking to be more enjoyable, but it did nothing for making the 90+ degree heat we were about to experience any cooler, nor the hills any less steep. As Luis described on his race site, it’s doable but it’s hard...that was well said. Views over the rolling hills were of golden grass and contrasting Savannah trees. The trail had sections of shaded tree canopies that made every step worth it. In the end we were congratulated with, what seemed very appropriate, a handcrafted running amulet necklace, instead of your bulk ordered stamped ribbon metal.

This race was one-of-a-kind and it’s finishers amulet necklace was the cherry on top of what I would consider a true trail runner’s race. Next year, I will NO doubtingly be there! But for next year though, I’ll be there with warmer clothes to sleep in and probably sign up for the 50K instead of the 100K, just so I can enjoy the beer I brought and maybe even the camping solar shower. HAHAHHA!!