"No one ever drowned in sweat."

Stink, stink stinky stink! I totally understand your pain!! Really! I do! I've NEVER run that race w/out ITB pain after mile 10, it's hard with the weaving through crowds and downhill - it really aggravates it! You do have the conditioning to make a 1:55 or less though! You were hitting AWESOME paces - you did GREAT!

I think you're on the right track to look at those first 9 miles and know that THAT was your race! Stretch, roll, ice - repeat. Look at the fact that 2:05 is still a rockin' time! I wish I had a miracle cure for that ITB, trust me - I really wish I did!! Well, you could get pregnant - those hormones that relax all your hip tendons for childbirth really seem to help :) I, for ONCE, didn't have pain today.

I'm not saying it's worth it - it's just the only thing I've found to work so far! Keep up your excellent work and maybe even see a PT about the ITB, then pass on any new advice :)

You did a GREAT job in the race, and pushing through those last 4 miles makes you TOUGH AS NAILS girl!! When the ITB settles down, you'll have to let me try to keep up with you on a run.

Oh, dang Emily!!! I am so sorry to hear about your IT band, Those bands are a curse, I tell you. I know some people struggle with them all the time, but I was able to somehow get mine under control. I hope you are more like me than those other people (RACHEL!!!!) who seem to be plagued with problems. There are a lot of stretches you can do, Rachel is a pro at them. You should have her come over and show you!!!

I think those first miles indicate you would have had a great race, so I agree----focus on that. You are a great runner and things will get better, I promise! You know you were there, but not ever day is perfect and sometimes those bad days hit us on a race day and it STINKS!!! Just keep at it, you will get that race PR where you want it to be!!!

I sooo understand the IT issue. It forced me to drop out of Boston last year. Here's what helped me. 1. Stop running. If you don't, you'll be out of running longer than if you simply stop now. 2. Get the inflammation down. Fill a Dixie Cup with water, freeze it, tear off the top part of the paper and apply the ice directly to your knee for 8 minutes. Keep the ice moving, but apply directly to the skin. You knee will go numb and it's awful at first, but do this 2-3 times a day and it will get the inflammation down. I moved the ice in a circular motion throughout the area. 3. Stretch. There is some debate about this, but it usually doesn't hurt the situation. There are lots of stretches out there on the internet. Foam rolling works, too. I bought a marathon stick and have my husband roll my IT band out each night for a deeper massage. 4. Strengthen glutes and hips. Most knee problems stem from weak glutes and hips.

I hope this helps. I even stopped indoor cycling for 5 weeks to beat this thing, but it worked. The more you "push through" the pain, the more inflammation will set in and the more scar tissue your body will lay down. The more scar tissue, the less range of motion which means more inflammation, etc. It's a vicious cycle. The good news is, it will get better if you treat it right. PT can help find exercises and stretches. They can also help guide you back into running. This is common, but treatable, and if it's any consolation, when I got back into running, I was MUCH faster. It was after all of this that I started setting PR, winning age group awards, and yes, I made it to Boston this year. Good luck!

How are things now-a-days?!? Haven't heard from you in a while!

I was wondering the same thing this weekend---i was looking for you out on the road!

I am such a horrible blogger! I am so sorry. I have been so busy since the SL half that I haven't even had time to check my e-mail! I work part time for my dad, doing his billing/accounting and he hired two new consultants and hasn't hired the clerical support to do their billing so I've been up until about midnight every night and have had to wake up at 5 am to keep up with it all! I'm exhausted! He should be hiring someone this week, so hopefully that means I can get back to exercising.

Thank you all for such wonderful advice on my IT band issues. I'm honestly really nervous to start running again. I've been stretching and doing some strength training exercises since the race and hope that by taking a couple of weeks off, it will heal. I was in SO much pain after the race! I couldn't walk normally for about 4 days. It hurt to simply bend my leg to walk. I probably looked so silly swinging my straight leg in front of my body every time I took a step! Oh well. Thanks again for all of your help and concern. I will let you know when I start running again. I'm hoping by the end of this week. Any advice? Obviously I'll start slow and stretch before and after, but what should I do if I start to feel pain again?

Avoid running downhill, that is for sure!!!! Just run nice and slow, walk if it hurts, take it easy. I was able to clear my ITband pain up within 2 months or so, I just had to really take it easy and STRETCH!

I remember being so nervous to start running again, so when you do, start with short runs. My first run was 2 minutes long! The biggest piece of advice I have is to ice the area every day, even when you're not running. It does wonders for inflammation. Stretching and strengthening are important, too, after the inflammation is down. My doctor told me to run and stop BEFORE pain hits. Hard to do, but if you feel your leg tightening up, stop. This is no fun, but the sooner you take care of it, the shorter your recovery time will be. I agree with the downhill comment. They're hard on IT bands. I do fine on them now, but avoid them early on when you get back to running. This IS treatable. Ice, stretch, strengthen. Good luck and let me know how you do! I have so much empathy for what you're feeling now!