finished my first marathon(Milwaukee lake front) and i have to say...
WOW, much different than a half. the last 4 miles were unreal. granted i was having problems with my knees and a dime sized blister on my toe, but still.
all in all it was an amazing experience, and a precursor to the ironman i am hoping to do in 2009.

anyone know what can be done to reduce soreness in the knees? im pretty sure its because my IT band is too tight as i have been stretching it every night and the problem is somewhat going away on my longer runs. it was kind of frustrating as i had plenty of energy and no muscle problems, just every time i would push my self faster the knees would start to act up.

Quoted: finished my first marathon(Milwaukee lake front) and i have to say... WOW, much different than a half. the last 4 miles were unreal. granted i was having problems with my knees and a dime sized blister on my toe, but still. all in all it was an amazing experience, and a precursor to the ironman i am hoping to do in 2009. anyone know what can be done to reduce soreness in the knees? im pretty sure its because my IT band is too tight as i have been stretching it every night and the problem is somewhat going away on my longer runs. it was kind of frustrating as i had plenty of energy and no muscle problems, just every time i would push my self faster the knees would start to act up.

I've never done more than a 10K - hats off to you.  Just trying to extrapolate the foot, knee, and shin pain of 10K to 26 miles scares me.

What was your time?

Quoted: Quoted: finished my first marathon(Milwaukee lake front) and i have to say... WOW, much different than a half. the last 4 miles were unreal. granted i was having problems with my knees and a dime sized blister on my toe, but still. all in all it was an amazing experience, and a precursor to the ironman i am hoping to do in 2009. anyone know what can be done to reduce soreness in the knees? im pretty sure its because my IT band is too tight as i have been stretching it every night and the problem is somewhat going away on my longer runs. it was kind of frustrating as i had plenty of energy and no muscle problems, just every time i would push my self faster the knees would start to act up. I've never done more than a 10K - hats off to you.  Just trying to extrapolate the foot, knee, and shin pain of 10K to 26 miles scares me. What was your time?

nothing to write home about...
5:18
my goal was to complete it, and i did, so im happy. now i am going to concentrate on speed work, however im more of a leisurely type runner who stops and stretches when my knee gets sore as it has helped in the past, but after mile 23 it did not really help much anymore. ideally i would like to get within the 4 hour flat range, but that is going to take some work.

Congrats on your first!

What stretch(es) do you do for the ITB?

Have you tried the Cho-Pat bands or something similar for your knees?

Congrats on your first marathon.

My wife is a runner and so is one of the attorneys in the office. This crazy attorney has done two ultras (100 mile races) and an Ironman this year. He has another half at the end of the month.

Quoted: Congrats on your first! What stretch(es) do you do for the ITB?

Leg across the body.  Also massage and the stick

Congrats on your first marathon P-head, though running one is not a prerequisite for Ironman success and I would strongly discourage you from running a full marathon in 2009 if Ironman is in your sights for that year.

Quoted: Quoted: Congrats on your first! What stretch(es) do you do for the ITB? Leg across the body.  Also massage and the stick Congrats on your first marathon P-head, though running one is not a prerequisite for Ironman success and I would strongly discourage you from running a full marathon in 2009 if Ironman is in your sights for that year.

Why is that?   Marathons are great training tool for the Ironman.  I ran a trail marathon four weeks ago in my taper for a 50, then two weeks ago the Moab 50...thats a 50 MILE race with over 23,000 feet of elev gain/loss.  then two days ago turned a PR at the St.George marathon 3:25...knocked off 9min.

I attribute my PR to the 5 marathons and 2 ultras and several trail 1/2's I ran this summer since May.  Nothing keeps you determined like constantly being in the ring.

Just use a training and taper strategy and get your nutrition and hydration down.  Allow rest days each week (do absolutely nothing but strech!  Start on a liquid nutrition product like Hammer Perpetum www.hammernutrition.com/za/HNT?PAGE=PRODUCT&PROD.ID=4047&OMI=&AMI=.  It is really a benifit on the multi hour events.  I only use it on training runs/rides in excess of six hours.  Heed is the best electrolyte drink made and start using succeed (ele) caps.  

Racing (and marathons) can be great training...at least in the tri you get to rest on the bike.

Here's my fav IT stretch www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/itband.html

I have run 10 half marathons before I ran my first marathon. I am a firm believer that halfway in a marathon 20 miles. Anyone who has ever done it knows what I am talking about. I will going for my second marathon in Washngton DC on October 28th.

First, congrats!

Second, with respect to the IT band issues.  They're very common.
A.  learn to stretch for your IT band (look on the 'net or talk to folks)
B.  get a foam roller... one of the best runner gadgets EVER.  Use it.
C.  20 min + ice baths after every 10+ mile run.. they suck but they work
D.  I wear cho-pats for patella tendon issues... They're great, but I'm not sure they're very useful for IT band injuries.

ETA:  also, get a real massage.  It'll do wonders.

I am a firm believer that halfway in a marathon 20 miles.

the last 10K of a marathon is definitely the hardest part

Quoted: D.  I wear cho-pats for patella tendon issues... They're great, but I'm not sure they're very useful for IT band injuries.

This is the one I was thinking about.

secure.cho-pat.com/products/product.php?product_type=27

Quoted: Quoted: D.  I wear cho-pats for patella tendon issues... They're great, but I'm not sure they're very useful for IT band injuries. This is the one I was thinking about. secure.cho-pat.com/products/product.php?product_type=27

Actually I have seen a few of those.  No idea if they work, but at least they're cheap.

thanks for all the advice.

www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/itband.html
i just discovered this stretch 5 days before the race, so im not sure if it helped much for race day. im planning on doing  a trial ironman when im on vacation in 2008, as i have access to a lake, bike trails and running paths in the north woods of Wisconsin.
i will be picking up those solid foam roller pain tools.. er i mean stretching devices tomorrow.

Quoted: i will be picking up those solid foam roller pain tools.. er i mean stretching devices tomorrow.

Sure it hurts when you do it, but that's because you're tight in places you didn't know were tight.  By loosening those spots up, you're far less likely to get hurt than if you ran while you were all tight (even if you didn't know it).  It also helps lessen the soreness after a hard workout as well.

I'm a huge fan of the foamroller.  For getting really tough on places like my calves, however, I use a tennis ball or a raquetball as well (I also have a plastic baseball bat that belongs to my kiddos as well that works wonders).

ETA I've also heard that a "figure 4" stretch (ankle over opposite knee, squat down) is good for IT problems

Awesome, kudos and congratulations.

I've done a half, and I'm hoping to do a whole in the next year and a half or so...

feels great doesn't it?