DN...eff

DNF stands for "did not finish," as in, the race you were running.

A week and a half ago, I DNF'ed for the first time: I dropped out of the New York City Marathon at mile 15, mostly due to IT band pain near my right knee. This marathon should have been my third. While I completed the NYC marathon in both 2008 and 2009, IT band syndrome has plagued me since I've started training for this distance.


(That's me on the left, sporting Kinesio Tape and an IT band strap in addition to my favorite beanie and Hudson Dusters singlet.)

My original goal was to qualify to run the 2012 Boston Marathon (which means that, by the end of 2011, I need to run finish in under 3:40:59). My new goal does not supplant that goal, but has become more important. I want to train for and complete a marathon-- actually, many marathons-- without being hampered by this injury. Or, really, any injuries... but let's not get carried away.

Some of the therapies I've tried so far, in addition to abstaining from running, resting, icing, and taking frequent doses of Advil, include physical therapy (with amazing Brynn at Finish Line PT), acupuncture, and strengthening of some key muscle groups. I am also completely attached to my foam roller and TP Quadballer (yes, feel free to laugh at the name; I did. Do not feel free to try to bring it on an airplane without taking it out of your carry-on and placing it into the plastic bin along with your laptop and liquids). I also really like this website created by a fellow IT band syndrome sufferer.

Tonight, I'm trying the Feldenkrais Method with Jae at The Balanced Runner. I'm really excited to see how that goes. Much in the same way I approached acupuncture, I'm heading into this thinking positively. Can't hurt, right?

My purpose here is not to tell you how to cure your IT band issues or how to qualify for Boston. I'm not an expert in either arena. I haven't done either. But I'd like to document my attempts to do both. I like writing, and things tend to make more sense to me when they are put down in words. (Ten years ago, I would have said "on paper.") Maybe in writing about running, I can observe some patterns or notice my mistakes. Maybe I can start a discussion that could prove helpful-- to me or to someone else. I have a friend who is "crowd sourcing" his life: asking the opinions of facebook friends and twitterers to weigh in on his decisions, both personal and professional, in accordance to his belief that knowledge is in the group. I'm not ready to do that (though, by all means, share your opinions). But I'm done stewing about this in my head or, even worse, launching into soliloquies when someone is polite enough to ask my how my running's going. So I'm trying this instead.