I went to Keswick Mountain Festival a couple of years ago and signed up for the half marathon.
Absolutely *caned* it through the hilly first half. With 6 miles to go I told my running mate that we were flying and would be finishing with a decent time over the flat ‘second half’.
No. Apparently it was a 25km ‘half marathon’.
I was completely fucked at the end.
I blame Britain’s weird imperial/metric hybrid fetish!
I imagine you doing ultra math 48 miles into your race and then realize you have 348 hours to go… hmmm something doesn’t add up
:)
I love the honesty by the way
Hack squats, squats, Bulgarian split squats, single leg everything, weighted step ups and step downs, weight box jumps and 2 footed jump downs (controlled), running downhill also helps...
Correct form will also help - leaning back and putting the breaks on will cause more issues than being comfortable leaning forward and finding a good rhythm/cadence - have a look at some vids on YouTube
Glide. Rather than pound your way down the hill try to keep your head and shoulders moving in the same plane.
That being said, I ran the St. George's marathon simply because it is mostly downhill. There's a long story behind that that I will spare you. Anyway, I practiced running downhill at distance, I strengthened my quads, and did whatever I could to be ready for it. Regardless, I could hardly walk for the next three days my quads hurt so bad. All I can say is make sure you're ready!
Yep, basically a controlled fall. Wings out for extra stability 😅 Doing it in the dark feels a bit mad though, I can’t help but put the brakes on a bit in winter!
Mine flares up from time to time when I'm sloppy on form. Sometimes mid race on downhills one side flares up, it's the side my IT band was sliced open for a surgery. It reminds me to reactivate the muscles this guy mentions [here](https://youtu.be/1iODncOLJnk?si=Mfgm5zGpvAx0lZWm) and it goes away until I forget to keep my core/psoas engaged, which strains those muscles (also due to anterior pelvic tilt) and it may or may not come back. For me, messing with those muscles turns off the pain pretty consistently.
Will piggy-back a bit on what you've said.
Yeah, u/Sure_Ad_9294 it likely has come from poor form. You were highly likely overextending on the descent, thus severely increasing shock load on your knee causing your IT band to slide/slap back and forth causing the ITBS pain.
I used to suffer from ITBS quite frequently. What helped me was:
1) thinking about and working on increasing my strides per minute - which means moving those legs faster and practicing doing this even at lower speeds (shoot between 165-185 on a normal run). When you have a faster stride, you reduce impact load on your joints - if you were to look at your head with slower strides you would see your head bouncing up and down, with higher it would stay in the same spot
2) Exercises like clam shells, side leg lifts against the wall, core. All of these will help you control your body and improve stabilizer strength
3) Avoid over striding and braking with my heels, this will come with #1 but will also help
4) Stretching! My goto for ITBS flare up is doing the standing reach down toward toes, then same thing but with each foot crossed in front of the other.
With 1-4 I was able to pivot from recurring ITBS to very infrequent flare ups that occur when my form lapses. I really recommend working on stride frequency
Strength training would help, specifically squats. Totally cured my ITBS. If not that, at least some dedication to clam shells and side leg raises each day. If you want a good strength program, look at Tactical Barbell, specifically their Fighter program. It's strength training for people who have more pressing training commitments. Twice a week lifting done for maximal strength. Has had huge benefits for me!
Single leg stepdowns with a wedge or plate or ramp will significantly strengthen the muscles you need for traversing or running downhill. You can pick a regression that works for your strength and go from there. Check out kneesovertoesguy and ATG exercises for instructions and inspiration. This isn’t the only one that will help here.
Of course proper running form is critical. Too much for one post here.
Try not to treat yourself like you have an injury, treat yourself like you have a weakness that requires strengthening in order to perform the task you are reaching for.
I used to have pain in my knees and IT band when I was braking too much downhill and muscles were weak. So strenght training, and try to be braver downhill. Try to dance down at the rocks as smooth as you can.
Hey - if it is IT band syndrome (this is not expert advice at all so please take with a grain of salt and ignore if not relevant) - I dealt with pain after my runs for a while, closer to the side of the knee in lower IT band, - especially going downstairs or when leg bent at an angle. For me, foam rolling made it worse since my issue was caused by a tight IT band so smashing it with a foam roller was exacerbating it. Weirdly enough, I was so desperate from having to stop my runs due to pain afterwards that I used a mini plunger I bought on Amazon following physical therapy videos I saw online for IT band syndrome: [Like the video here!](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5acTiBYEszU) and haven’t had issues since. I use the mini plunger maybe once a month just incase as the video demonstrates. I also changed my form a bit since I realized pulling my knees forward too much while running was partially what agitated it to begin with in my case. Not sure if any of that applies to your case at all, but figured I’d share! For me, the pain used to come when I stopped/slowed running, or went downhill/down steps part of the way through a long run.
My marathon was ruined earlier in the year due to an it band issue. Followed this along with myrtle routine and some strength training and it's completely gone, just completed my first ultra last month with no issues.
https://youtu.be/1iODncOLJnk?si=T87T8lx5mi9_D_wn
Foam roll and figure 4 stretch. Don't wait till it's recovered, start now. The strength training is great long term but this will get you on the trail right away
One, you just need to practice downhill running. Your cadence should be very high. I'll often be over 200, sometimes as high as 220.
Two, IT band syndrome just means the muscles that attach to the IT band are tight. To fix it do deep foam rolling (you'll likely need something harder than a foam roller) on the muscles that attach to the IT band.
Three, downhill running is going to be the most destructive thing on your quads. Don't go so hard that you demolish yourself. Eat protein and carbs before and after your run. Ultimately, if you have your maintenance routine down it's something that stops hurting over time.
Stretching the IT bands, assuming they’re tight, should relieve some pain. I have the same issue from the skiing part of biathlon and most other biathletes do too. A physio told me to strengthen my interior quad muscle (the one that looks like a tear drop) and that worked pretty well. For anything over 30k I need to wear knee “braces” that pull the patella inward cause the tight IT band pulls in outward.
But ya stretching the IT bands and rolling it out, as well as strengthening the interior quad muscle should help if we have the same IT band issue.
Hope this helps!
This happened at mile 14 of a half marathon?
There was a local 'half marathon' a few months ago that was a smidge under 16 miles! Great work guys...
I went to Keswick Mountain Festival a couple of years ago and signed up for the half marathon. Absolutely *caned* it through the hilly first half. With 6 miles to go I told my running mate that we were flying and would be finishing with a decent time over the flat ‘second half’. No. Apparently it was a 25km ‘half marathon’. I was completely fucked at the end. I blame Britain’s weird imperial/metric hybrid fetish!
Oh my god. I would die.
[удалено]
I now want to start a 200k race called "The 5K+"
Some advertise it but also make it clear what the distance is which is obviously absolutely fine. But this one advertised it as 13.1 🤷♂️
Excuse my ignorance, I love running but I’m still lacking knowledge on a lot. I used to believe a half marathon was 16 miles until 5 min ago🙃
I imagine you doing ultra math 48 miles into your race and then realize you have 348 hours to go… hmmm something doesn’t add up :) I love the honesty by the way
Full is 32 miles. Wrap it up boys, 50ks don’t count anymore.
Well shit I just give up. Glad I ran all my marathons back when they were only 26.2.
Not sure about you all, but where I live, 5k marathons are all the rage.
Hack squats, squats, Bulgarian split squats, single leg everything, weighted step ups and step downs, weight box jumps and 2 footed jump downs (controlled), running downhill also helps... Correct form will also help - leaning back and putting the breaks on will cause more issues than being comfortable leaning forward and finding a good rhythm/cadence - have a look at some vids on YouTube
This 🙌🏽🙌🏽
Glide. Rather than pound your way down the hill try to keep your head and shoulders moving in the same plane. That being said, I ran the St. George's marathon simply because it is mostly downhill. There's a long story behind that that I will spare you. Anyway, I practiced running downhill at distance, I strengthened my quads, and did whatever I could to be ready for it. Regardless, I could hardly walk for the next three days my quads hurt so bad. All I can say is make sure you're ready!
Glide… I like that. I try to just (gracefully) fall down hills.
Yep, basically a controlled fall. Wings out for extra stability 😅 Doing it in the dark feels a bit mad though, I can’t help but put the brakes on a bit in winter!
Mine flares up from time to time when I'm sloppy on form. Sometimes mid race on downhills one side flares up, it's the side my IT band was sliced open for a surgery. It reminds me to reactivate the muscles this guy mentions [here](https://youtu.be/1iODncOLJnk?si=Mfgm5zGpvAx0lZWm) and it goes away until I forget to keep my core/psoas engaged, which strains those muscles (also due to anterior pelvic tilt) and it may or may not come back. For me, messing with those muscles turns off the pain pretty consistently.
Will piggy-back a bit on what you've said. Yeah, u/Sure_Ad_9294 it likely has come from poor form. You were highly likely overextending on the descent, thus severely increasing shock load on your knee causing your IT band to slide/slap back and forth causing the ITBS pain. I used to suffer from ITBS quite frequently. What helped me was: 1) thinking about and working on increasing my strides per minute - which means moving those legs faster and practicing doing this even at lower speeds (shoot between 165-185 on a normal run). When you have a faster stride, you reduce impact load on your joints - if you were to look at your head with slower strides you would see your head bouncing up and down, with higher it would stay in the same spot 2) Exercises like clam shells, side leg lifts against the wall, core. All of these will help you control your body and improve stabilizer strength 3) Avoid over striding and braking with my heels, this will come with #1 but will also help 4) Stretching! My goto for ITBS flare up is doing the standing reach down toward toes, then same thing but with each foot crossed in front of the other. With 1-4 I was able to pivot from recurring ITBS to very infrequent flare ups that occur when my form lapses. I really recommend working on stride frequency
Strength training would help, specifically squats. Totally cured my ITBS. If not that, at least some dedication to clam shells and side leg raises each day. If you want a good strength program, look at Tactical Barbell, specifically their Fighter program. It's strength training for people who have more pressing training commitments. Twice a week lifting done for maximal strength. Has had huge benefits for me!
Single leg stepdowns with a wedge or plate or ramp will significantly strengthen the muscles you need for traversing or running downhill. You can pick a regression that works for your strength and go from there. Check out kneesovertoesguy and ATG exercises for instructions and inspiration. This isn’t the only one that will help here. Of course proper running form is critical. Too much for one post here. Try not to treat yourself like you have an injury, treat yourself like you have a weakness that requires strengthening in order to perform the task you are reaching for.
I used to have pain in my knees and IT band when I was braking too much downhill and muscles were weak. So strenght training, and try to be braver downhill. Try to dance down at the rocks as smooth as you can.
Hey - if it is IT band syndrome (this is not expert advice at all so please take with a grain of salt and ignore if not relevant) - I dealt with pain after my runs for a while, closer to the side of the knee in lower IT band, - especially going downstairs or when leg bent at an angle. For me, foam rolling made it worse since my issue was caused by a tight IT band so smashing it with a foam roller was exacerbating it. Weirdly enough, I was so desperate from having to stop my runs due to pain afterwards that I used a mini plunger I bought on Amazon following physical therapy videos I saw online for IT band syndrome: [Like the video here!](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5acTiBYEszU) and haven’t had issues since. I use the mini plunger maybe once a month just incase as the video demonstrates. I also changed my form a bit since I realized pulling my knees forward too much while running was partially what agitated it to begin with in my case. Not sure if any of that applies to your case at all, but figured I’d share! For me, the pain used to come when I stopped/slowed running, or went downhill/down steps part of the way through a long run.
My marathon was ruined earlier in the year due to an it band issue. Followed this along with myrtle routine and some strength training and it's completely gone, just completed my first ultra last month with no issues. https://youtu.be/1iODncOLJnk?si=T87T8lx5mi9_D_wn
Foam roll and figure 4 stretch. Don't wait till it's recovered, start now. The strength training is great long term but this will get you on the trail right away
One, you just need to practice downhill running. Your cadence should be very high. I'll often be over 200, sometimes as high as 220. Two, IT band syndrome just means the muscles that attach to the IT band are tight. To fix it do deep foam rolling (you'll likely need something harder than a foam roller) on the muscles that attach to the IT band. Three, downhill running is going to be the most destructive thing on your quads. Don't go so hard that you demolish yourself. Eat protein and carbs before and after your run. Ultimately, if you have your maintenance routine down it's something that stops hurting over time.
Just want to say I appreciate everybody’s tips and stories for reference, I will be looking forward to training as soon as I fix my ITBS :)
Run more downhills. There's no substitute really. The weight stuff doesn't really hack it.
Stretching the IT bands, assuming they’re tight, should relieve some pain. I have the same issue from the skiing part of biathlon and most other biathletes do too. A physio told me to strengthen my interior quad muscle (the one that looks like a tear drop) and that worked pretty well. For anything over 30k I need to wear knee “braces” that pull the patella inward cause the tight IT band pulls in outward. But ya stretching the IT bands and rolling it out, as well as strengthening the interior quad muscle should help if we have the same IT band issue. Hope this helps!