Half Marathon Without Injury???

julie_emma1

Hello all!

I am a runner and have done one half marathon in the past (in May 2012, finished in 2h12min) but I haven't done another since, because I keep getting injured before the big day. I've suffered from a few cases of tendonitis and plantar fasciitis (usually running through these injuries but just lowering my weekly mileage), and then in June 2013 I had a really bad case of ITBS which prevented me from racing in the summer 2013. Actually, I've only just recently healed enough from the ITBS to be able to run 10K without pain in my lateral knee for several days after. I realize these injuries are not "major" by any means, but still painful enough to keep me from running consistently (especially the IT band syndrome).
My question IS, I would like to start training for another half marathon in the spring 2014, but am not sure if I can/should. Are some people just "injury prone" and naturally max out at 10Ks? My physiotherapist thinks that my ITBS is settled and I should be able to run a half, which was a relief. On the other hand, my husband really wants me to keep to 10Ks to prevent any future injuries, and he thinks that I am just "injury prone"...
Any tips or thoughts?

kwilson18

I'm in a similar situation- I have done a half marathon a few years back and was training for one last spring and got injured and missed it. I don't believe that some people are just "injury prone" and if your PT thinks you can do it, I would totally go for it. But recognize that you should approach training carefully and build slowly so you don't reinjure your ITB. Be careful to warm up well (a good dynamic stretching warmup has helped me a lot), do some strength training to make sure you are balanced (especially glutes), and do stretching and foam rolling when you are done.

MrGonzo05

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQfOMrEEmF4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

julie_emma1

I'm in a similar situation- I have done a half marathon a few years back and was training for one last spring and got injured and missed it. I don't believe that some people are just "injury prone" and if your PT thinks you can do it, I would totally go for it. But recognize that you should approach training carefully and build slowly so you don't reinjure your ITB. Be careful to warm up well (a good dynamic stretching warmup has helped me a lot), do some strength training to make sure you are balanced (especially glutes), and do stretching and foam rolling when you are done.

Thanks for your feedback! That was very helpful and encouraging. Strengthening is something I should definitely do more of! I think I will go for it, continuing to build up running base now, and starting my real training in January for a May race :-)

CarsonRuns

Here is my blog post about ITBS and how to treat and prevent it.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/CarsonRuns

julie_emma1

Here is my blog post about ITBS and how to treat and prevent it.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/CarsonRuns

Thank you! This is great!