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I haven’t been injured since I got stress reactions in colleges in 2014, well injuries that have sidelined me from running. I’ve had little tendinitis and some shin splints, but nothing that has made me take time off from the pain. I’ve done PT more times in the last year than I have in my entire life. I started PT on December 2018 when I got my hamstring strain, and I think that lead to a cascade of other injuries. I could run relatively pain-free with my hamstring strain, which probably made it a lot worse because I’m stubborn. I was getting over my hamstring problems and getting back into marathon shape. I was so excited, feeling excellent and motivated; then I ran for a month straight. I remember the pain started creaking in around July and took some time off when I went to New Hampshire for my best friend’s wedding. I decided to go for a run after my long weekend off, and when I ran 2 miles and felt stabbing, it was honestly the worst running-related pain I ever felt. Every time I extend my leg out and push-off, my whole leg would be in so much pain no matter how fast or slow I ran - it was killing me. Then I would take a couple of days off, and it would still be throbbing. I made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon who said it was IT band syndrome and hip bursitis, and a cortisone shot would help, and I figured why not I wanted quick relief! Getting a needle stuck into your hip IS NOT FUN. Holy sh!t. I hobbled around for a few days, did some research on how long it would take for it to work, and after two weeks, and it was still bothering, I decided I needed to do something else.
I got a follow-up appointment and reached out to my friend, Melanie, who is an inpatient PT and whose husband is an outpatient PT. I told them my pain, and Mike brought me in for an evaluation. Mike is such knowledge and noticed so many tweaks in my running form. For example, he saw my ponytail would deviate to the right, not something you would look at, but my whole body was leaning to the right, extending my left hip more and pulling on my IT band. When I did PT for my hamstring, it helped, but we did the same exercises every single time, which become a little frustrating because I could do them at home, and it felt like a waste of time going in. When I did PT with Dr. Quinitians, it was a different thing every single time; he did strengthen exercises, plyometrics, and stuff not only to help my hip but my running form and gait. I never realize how messed up my gait because I was used to running this way basically for my whole life. I was overstriding, wasn’t driving my knees up high enough, and my right hip would drop, causing more stress and pull on my left side. So I finally got a second opinion, got a full workup, and the doctor decided it was best to get an MRI done to make sure I didn’t have a stress fracture in my hip. I am not claustrophobic, remember having the feeling of like I need to get out of this damn MRI machine (thank you anxiety). The last time I got an MRI I remember doing it in the morning and went to sleep, and this was 5:30 on a Monday night my body was in hyperdrive. I was terrified I would have a stress fracture, and my training would be shut down. Spoiler alert I didn’t have a stress fracture but still had an injury that would almost make me shut down my practice. When I went for the results, I was excited when my doctor started with, “You don’t have a stress fracture…..however, we think you have a labrum tear because of your cam deformity.” HUH, what the…. is a cam deformity? I immediately thought. She showed me the MRI, and the best way she could describe it was like a bone spur from my hip being “abnormally” formed. As for the labrum tear, my symptoms led towards that, but I would have to get a diagnostic test done. I honestly wasn’t too concerned about the labrum tear but more of the BONE SPUR sticking off my hip?! The head of my femur is abnormally shaped, and a part of the head can jam into the socket when the hip is bent (running). As running is repetitive, the bone keeps rubbing against cartilage, wearing it down (osteoarthritis), and can cause a labrum tear. So, my doctor *recommended not* to run Chicago Marathon but technically didn’t really run it ;) I ran walked it. This build-up was the hardest one I’ve ever had; you never realize how lucky you are to be healthy. I could have quickly just said no, I give up and don’t want to put myself through the pain, but my stubborn self was like oh well, I can’t defer because I have a charity bib and I want to do Chicago because my whole family had planned a vacation around it. I really wanted to throw in the towel; I remember telling my running best friend Ashley (she is running her first marathon in June at Grandmas and fundraising for Brave like Gabe; donate here!) I’d be happy if I had a stress fracture so I would force myself not to run, that’s how low and depressing my thoughts got. I thought I was going to be in worse shape after; I thought I was still going to break my hip the week before. Mike and my wonderful coaching friend, Christina, was confident that I could make it to the finish line and believed in me when I didn’t want to. With many rounds of PT and slowly increasing my mileage, I peaked at 16 miles run-walk relatively pain-free and was still nervous but was still optimistic. I feel like this is exactly what needed to happen to get me mentally strong. I am so so so glad I did Chicago, it was the best, happiest marathon I have ever run! Here are some notes Mike my PT sent to me -left gluteus medius tendinopathy, posterior/ lateral hip pain. -Key objectives: poor left hamstring flexibility, poor left hip mobility, soft tissue, and flexibility restrictions of hip flexors, rectus femoris, and psoas major. Right lateral lean, anterior rotation of left innominate and left gluteus medius weakness. -treatment: manual therapy consisted of joint mobilizations to address deficits in hip mobility, soft tissue techniques to hip flexors and plantar flexor, and correction of anterior innominate. -strengthen: closed chain gluteus medius, core stabilization, dynamic balance, and heel raises -running cues: cadence increased to 165 steps per min, land forefoot under her body, minimize time with the foot on the ground, bring knees up in front. I am almost two weeks post-Chicago Marathon, and was planning on pacing Philadelphia Half Marathon but decided to give that up to make sure I am healthy by getting a follow up on Monday, October 28th. I did a 4-mile run-walk (3-mile walk and 1 mile ran) last weekend because I needed some movement, and my hip was still bothering me. I am frustrated because it wasn’t bothering barely during the marathon, but I ran a marathon, so my body needs rest! A lot of people have asked me if surgery is an option, and my doctor didn’t even suggest that. I believe the next step would be to make sure I have a labrum tear. Like I said before I am not concerned about the labrum tear, I don’t want to be a permanent injury because of the cam deformity. I might have to end up making a decent amount of time off and do PT and still if my pain subsides with that. I will keep all of you posted regarding my next steps after my follow up. I am so thankful to have so many people who have been in my position and have given me positive thoughts and vibes. Grateful for my family and Joey for listening to me cry when I thought my whole world was ending. Special shoutout and I highly recommend: - Dr. Mike Quinitians out of Physical Therapy Wellness Institute -Dr. Kate Temme from Penn Center for the Female Athlete -My fantastic coach, Christina Roberts of Enflyte Chicago Marathon
October 13th, 2019 0730 am. 4:20:59. 5th marathon. 1st World Marathon Major. I AM ACCOMPLISHED. EXHILARATED. SPEECHLESS. THANKFUL. STRONGER. EXHAUSTED. MOVED. ENERGIZED. MOTIVATED. I AM A MARATHONER. Let’s flashback a couple of months when I was in the heat of my marathon training, feeling amazing and feeling in PR power shape. I started feeling a little soreness in my hip, my hips have always caused me some pain from my scoliosis and leg length difference, but when I took off a couple of days off, and it was still bothering me, I knew I should go to the doctor and stubbornly I went. I wanted a quick relief and went to a doctor and got a steroid shot for “IT band syndrome.” After two weeks of no relief, I was disappointed. The doctor didn’t do a full workup, didn’t ask me about my history with stress fractures, amenorrhea, nutrition history, and many other things. I went for a second opinion, which I highly suggest you do if you are ever frustrated with a doctor or felt like you were not heard. I was so glad I did, I got a full workup, got asked so many questions regarding everything and anything. I had gotten an XRAY, and nothing showed up, so the next step was an MRI. When I went to my follow up, I was excited when the doctor started with “you don’t have a stress fracture…..but….you have a thing called a cam deformity which has caused what we think is a labrum tear.” I immediately answered, “so can I run the Chicago Marathon?” “I would suggest not to.” I got a referral for PT and got to work with the awesome Dr. Mike Quinitians! He was confident that I would be able to run, even when I didn’t think I would Mike (https://www.instagram.com/m_quintansdpt) and Christina (https://enflyte.com/head-in-the-game/) who coached me through this injury. Between the two of them, they got mentally and physically go to the starting line. It’s the worst feeling to switch your mind to push through pain that was initially killing me every step. I don’t suggest what I did unless you have very knowledgeable people on your team! Fast forward to Chicago Marathon week; I was honestly still terrified that my hip was going to break during the marathon. Throughout my training, for my long runs, I would do Zone 2, trying to keep my heart rate below 140BPM. I knew that wouldn’t be realistic with the adrenaline and towards the end of a marathon when you’re exhausted. I knew I was going to need to walk if I wanted to finish, pain-free (relatively speaking). I forced myself to walk during aid stations when I was taking gels, and whenever I felt like it. The energy of Chicago was AMAZING! I saw my family + Joey 5 times!!! I usually never stop to go to the bathroom but stopped twice (oops!). I didn’t even bother to look at the course map because I wanted to be surprised. It was about 44 degrees in the morning, perfect marathon conditions, there was a decent amount of wind gusts, and I threw off my gloves probably too soon, and when you weren’t in the sun, it was cold, but in the sun it felt so nice! I tried to take nutrition every 40 minutes and even had Gatorade. At 13.1, I was at 2 hours and had a glimmer of hope that I could break 4, but didn’t push myself too much- I just wanted to finish. I was trying to run more consistently, but my legs were basically shot. I hadn’t done more than 16 miles in 3 hours. I was so shocked by the number of people. There were people everywhere during the course, cheering and spectating, I was never alone, and that was so amazing. It took me 4:20:59, my slowest marathon time, but the most rewarding. I found out that I was able to be smart, patient, and mentally tough when things don’t go my way. It’s just as hard to do a sub-2-hour marathon, as it is to do a 4,5, or 6-hour marathon. It’s the same damn distance, and everyone has their own struggles and battles. I was terrified it was going to take me so much longer and was afraid I was going to hurt myself even more. I give people so much credit for being out there that long. Marathons are so hard, and everyone has their own goals they want to accomplish. “It doesn’t matter how slow you’re going as long as you don’t stop.” I AM ACCOMPLISHED. EXHILARATED. SPEECHLESS. THANKFUL. STRONGER. EXHAUSTED. MOVED. ENERGIZED. MOTIVATED. I AM A MARATHONER. The
Greatest Limitations In Life Are The Ones We Place On Ourselves. I don’t know what has sent the spark in my mind that I can’t hang tough. That I can’t be fast. That I can’t be mentally strong. That I can’t run a fast marathon time. And then I decided to switch my mindset. I can hang tough. I am fast. I am mentally strong. I can run a fucking fast marathon time. I can do fucking hard things. I chose to be strong when things can tough, I chose to be faster when I am suffering. Why did this happen? One overtrained race. One thought when I was suffering in the 18th mile that sent shockwaves through my mind and left me paralyzed with fear. Learn from the past. Learn to let go. Let’s fucking do this.
The heat (heated tent) of elite tent gets me excited to race fast. I feel lucky that I am able to be warm and get myself situated on a chair. I go to the bathroom (multiple times) throw on my five below LOVE pajamas and headphones and head to my corral. I find the 3:30 pacer and start a little bit ahead of them. I took my pjs off & quickly decided to keep them on to save energy. I felt great. Wheelchair. Go. Elite. Go. It’s my turn. It’s my time to shine. I settle into the pace. I see my parents, Lauren and Joe. They are here for me. 3:30 catches up to me quick. I look at my watch and they are going 7:50. Juli said no sub 8s in the first 10k even first 10 is fine. I get a couple miles in and think ugh really like another 23? Columbus blvd I am here. I run here all the time after work at the hospital. Washington to front street. Watch the potholes. A fellow runner is carrying a flag. Wow America. South street is a blur make it to the chestnut wow what a crowd! Look for Lauren and joe and my parents. I get excited run a 7:40 mile. Eeeekkk too soon! Hi family you’re the best. Okay Drexel time - I went to school here. DJ is playing the jams. Love it!!!!! Over 34th street I see Christine and Jonathan. You look strong they say. I second guess myself. Do I feel strong? Up the hill? Please touch museum this is cool. I had a little anxiety stricken moment. I wanna go home. Talk myself down. Gel time. I see Leigh. I’m back into it again. aw Alex is so cute. His sign is sideways. Okay almost back to art museum. I run a 8:20 panic. Shit. Get to halfway before 1:45. Okay barely made it. Hi family again. Okay look for Erin. Hi Erin. What’s your plan? Get to 20 and them gun it. I feel great I tell her. I kinda have an out of body experience. I see city fit girls. My girls YES hi. Next get to November project cheer squad. Manayunk. This feels long. Ugh. It’s hurting, my legs. No I’m fine. No I can’t. Its quick like a anxiety stricken bomb in my brain. I shut down, Erin help I say. It’s happening again. Out of body experience I don’t feel good. Oh why. Tears start to come. There is my sister. Kelly tells me how amazing I am. I’m doing great. Crying. I see people at the store, GO KRISTEN! Brodie is screaming his head off. Wow the energy here is amazing.I’m going to be okay. I will finish. F@uk this. Why did this happen. Take some water. Take some Gatorade. Beer? Why not. This is embarrassing. F@ck this. I just shut down. 6 miles to go. Look for Sarah. Go Sarah. She looks great. She is going to get sub 4. Get back to east falls. Walk. Gatorade. Go. A blur, I’m crying. Sharon and Katie look great! Sarah looks great despite being sick all week. Heather I see her. Badass. She looks great. High five! I see city fit girls on my way back. Becca yells at me. I’m sobbing. Philly Oiselle girls say smile Kristen! I sob more. Ok last half mile. Stop crying. So many people and there’s my mom. I can’t see anyone else. I crossed. I finished. Sob my way through refreshments. I sit down. A guy calls my mom for me. Are you injured? No. Okay good. Here she is. Did i even say thank you? What the f@uk just happen?   WEEK OF JANUARY 5TH-JANUARY 11th: MONDAY: Kept the City Fit Girls Streak going when I took a day off running and did active recovery with some core, stretching and yoga. TUESDAY: First run of the week was a 7 mile tempo done in 57:36 at 8:12 pace. Got a couple miles at goal marathon pace at 7:50-8. Shoes: Hoka One One Clayton. WEDNESDAY: Easy 5.5 miles with City Fit Girls! We checked out the new part of the Schuykill River Trail that extends about 1/4 mile towards Christian Street! Shoes: Hoka One One Challenger ATR 3. THURSDAY: My workout days switch according to my work schedule, working two jobs is a little hard trying to squeeze in workouts in the morning so I like to do it on my days off- usually with my long runs I'm fine with running before work (which is kinda weird haha) So my day off ended up on a Thursday! First time running in my Nike Vaporflys. holy. wow. fast. soft. responsive. (will be writing a blog on them and the Nike Zoom Fly!) workout: 1.5 mile WU 6 by 800 (3:24, 3:21, 3:18, 3:14, 3:14, 3:09) a litttttle quick 400 rest in between 1.5 mile CD 7.5 miles at 7:35 pace. Shoes: Nike Vaporfly 4% Shakeout elliptical followed by some weight lifting. FRIDAY: my legs were a little shot from the workout and did about 3.6 miles after work at 9:19 (probably faster) my watch in the city said I was running 14 minute mile pace...... it felt nice to shake out the legs and take it easy! shoes: Hoka One One Clayton SATURDAY:: 14 miles! My garmin decided to shut off at 6 miles and I didn't notice for a while- and tracked the rest on my phone. I was feeling good, but annoyed that my watch had shut off. 14 miles around 8:20 pace. Shoes: Hoka One One Clifton. SUNDAY: 5 easy recovery miles after work! Shoes: Hoka One One Clayton. Finished this week off with my most mileage after this training cycle!! OVERALL: 42.7 miles WEEK OF JANUARY 12th- JANUARY 18th: MONDAY: 3 ez miles post work. my legs felt great and ran 7:49 pace! ooops. I mostly run in neutral shoes with superfeet even though I pronate and will sometimes run in stability just for a little more support so I decided to run in my Adidas Supernova ST. The boost foam that Adidas uses is so soft and Ive ran 2 out of my 3 marathons in Adidas! TUESDAY: My workout this week fell on a Tuesday! 1.5 mile WU 5 by 1k (4:20, 4:17, 4:13, 3:58, 4;00) 400 rest 1.5 mile CD 7.3 miles at 7:44 Shoes: Nike Vaporfly 4% WENDESDAY: Woke up early for some November Project running up and down the Philadelphia Museum of Art Steps aka Rocky Steps. did rounds of sit ups, push ups and squats! My legs were pretty sore from the workout the day before but it was good weight lifting! 2.5 miles of circuits and stairs. Shoes: Adidas Supernova ST. Then at night, I ran with my favorite City Fit Girls! 4.3 miles at 8:21 pace Shoes: Hoka One One Clifton. THURSDAY: Tempo Thursday!! 1.5 mile WU 3 tempo miles: 7:35, 7:26, 7:15 1.5 mile CD 6 miles at 8:02 pace Shoes: Hoka One One Clayton. FRIDAY: 4 easy miles before work. Achieved my goal of trying to wake up early twice before work to run! Shoes: Hoka One One Clayton. SATURDAY: Beginners Mile with Team Philly- then ran down to the store! 3 miles at 8:26 pace Shoes: Hoka One One Clifton. SUNDAY: did my 10 mile long run at Valley Forge Park (holy hills!) did a little tempo in the mile. 3 miles WU 4 miles at goal marathon pace: 7:54, 7:53, 8:09, 7:50 3 miles CD 10.5 miles at 8;08 pace shoes: Hoka One One Challenger ATR3 OVERALL MILES: 40.7!!! wooooo!!!  One month of training is officially done- I have never felt so great during marathon training (well because I haven't done long long runs yet!) But overall, even with my mileage around 40 each week, I feel great. I have never been a real high mileage gal, because I would always get hurt. My body has adapted to the high mileage mostly because of lifting, stretching, and being vegan. Being vegan has helped my body recover faster than when I wasn't. For week 3 of training: Monday January 22nd: 4 miles easy in the morning at 8:32 pace and 30 minutes of lifting at night! Weight circuits; goblet squats, chest supported press, worlds greatest stretch, offset spilt squat, floor press, side plank, elbow push, eccentric bench pushup Core:Ab rollouts x 8, bird dog 6x/ side and shoulder tap plank. 3 rounds of core! Shoes: Hoka One One Clayton. Tuesday January 23rd: 6 easy miles in the Wiss at 8:37 pace Shoes: Hoka One One Clayton. Wednesday January 24th: Workout Wednesday!! 1.5 mile warm up 12 by 400 with 400 rest 1 mile CD 8.5 miles overall shoes: Nike Zoom Fly Lifting at night! Weight circuit: KBDL, DB Incline press, leg lower, PB leg curl out, Alt Bent Row, Tall Kneel ISO suitcase, SL RDL with reach ISO, Hollow Body Core: side planks, plank march, hollow body hold! 3 rounds of core. Thursday January 25th: rest day! Friday January 26th: 4 EZ post work on the SRT Shoes: ON cloudflow (realized how shot these shoes were and retired them :( ) Saturday January 27th: 12 miles at Valley Forge! I totally forgot how hilly Valley Forge was- had over 645 feet of elevation change, which is a lot for the Philadelphia Area! I felt really good during this run- it helped that it was warm and I was able to wear shorts. my overall pace ended up being 8:33 with the last mile in 7:53! aka goal marathon pace. Even though New Jersey Marathon is flat, getting some hills in during runs is helpful for the quads at the end of marathon! Shoes: Hoka One One Clifton Sunday January 28th: 6 easy miles with my boyfriend in Jersey Shoes: Hoka One One clayton OVERALL MILEAGE FOR THIS WEEK: 40.5 miles! Week 4 of NJ Marathon Training! Monday January 29th: 3.5 easy treadmill miles at 9:15 pace Shoes: Hoka One One Clayton Followed by weight lifting! Weight circuit:Weight circuits; goblet squats, chest supported press, worlds greatest stretch, offset spilt squat, floor press, side plank, elbow push, eccentric bench pushup Core:side plank, bird dog 6x/ side and shoulder tap plank. 3 rounds of core! Tuesday January 30th: OFF DAY! Wednesday January 31st: 3 ez treadmill miles! at 9 minute pace Shoes: New pair of Hoka One One Claytons (kona edition!) 5 miles in the afternoon along the tow path in Manayunk post work! 8:13 pace Shoes: Hoka One One Challenger 8 miles for the day!! February is the month of the City Fit Girls Streak! City Fit Girls is motivating you to do 30 minutes of exercise each day or run a mile on day. So for everyday in February I will be doing some exercise. check out this blog on cityfitgirls.com about the streak: cityfitgirls.com/blog//join-the-challenge-cfgstreak Thursday February 1st: Workout Thursday! 1.5 mile warm up 8 by 600 at 6:30 with 400 rest 1 mile warm down. This workout I went a little too fast on these intervals the first two were a struggle and I didn't feel good at all, I was miserable and then felt myself getting into the groove of it and getting a lot quicker! It was good that I was going that fast, but too fast too soon can lead to burning out and I don't want that to happen! 7.3 miles at 7:30 pace. Shoes: Nike Zoom Fly. 24 minutes of weight circuits at night: Weight circuit: KBDL, DB Incline press, leg lower, PB leg curl out, Alt Bent Row, Tall Kneel ISO suitcase, SL RDL with reach ISO, Hollow Body Core: side planks, plank march, hollow body hold! 4 rounds of core. Friday February 2nd: 3.5 miles at Ridley State Park post work! It was so cold out my watch shut off! The park was closing at shut down and I was nervous I would get locked in- so I did a quick 3.5 miles- I did out in back and turned around at 1.75 miles and then once my watch hit 2 miles- I guess it decided to shut off! Shoes: Hoka One One Challenger ATR Saturday February 3rd: 5 easy miles at 8:38 pace- my quads were really sore from my workout so I took it really easy! shoes: Hoka One One Kona Clayton Sunday February 4th: Finished off the week with a nice easy 10 miles at 8:27 pace. Shoes: Hoka One One Clifton! Ran in my New New Aero Capris in big blue from Oiselle which has a nice big pocket in the back that fits my phone! The capris have a beautiful pleat design and the color is beautiful as well. I wore my Oiselle Flyout Long sleeve too which has a polatrec fabric on the front that keeps my core nice and warm while it started to snow in the middle of my run! OVERALL MILEAGE FOR THE WEEK:37.3 miles! Ready for the next couple of months of training!  W2D1: started off with 4 easy miles on the Schuykill River Trail after work. I haven't ran on the SRT in a while and I miss running on it since I moved out of the city!
Shoes: Adidas energy boost W2D2: More easy miles! 5 miles easy at 8:39 pace. shoes: Hoka Clayton. W2D3: Ran out of time in the morning and overslept, so I spilt my run into two! 3 miles in the morning and 3 miles after work on Columbus Blvd. It was nice and icy so I ran in my Hoka Challengers. I usually don't run at night so I wore my reflective vest! A little over 6 miles for the day. W2D4: Workout Thursday and it was still very icy and snowy. I tried to find a place where it wasn't icy and snowy and failed. 2 miles warm up- 3 by 400 with 200 meters rest, was shooting for 1:43 but with the ice, it was impossible to get my legs moving so it ended up more like a fartlek. Then, 2 by 600 with 400 rest, 2 by 400 with 200 rest and 2 miles cool down. Ended up 7 miles at 8:11 pace. My hamstrings were so sore from this workout because of the ice! Shoes: Nike Zoom Fly. W2D5: Was really sore but the workout- crazy when you don't run that fast but just running on ice makes you sore! Ive been having car troubles so I ran 3.24 miles to get my car and then drove home. Shoes: Hoka Challengers W2D6: 4 easy miles at 8:19 pace. Shoes: Hoka Clayton. W2D7: 8.2 easy miles at 8:32 with my boyfriend in south jersey! I usually take a rest day off but didn't this week! It always nice to do long runs different places because it makes the time go by fast and running with a friend always helps, right? Shoes: Hoka Clifton Overall 38.1 miles this week. Started weight training this week from Lift Run Perform, owned by my friend Mary Johnson. (www.liftrunperform.com) Mary has running plans, lifting plans and also has a dietitian on staff to help her athletes perform at their best. For weight lifting plans, she has different lifting plans- I went with the TEAM LRP group lift. There are two workouts a week and a core workouts that should be done at least 2-3x a week. She gives you videos on how to do all the exercises and also guidelines (make sure you read! missed the guidelines sheet and finally figured out what I was doing wrong sorry mary!) Super excited for another week of training-I am feeling good already but I know once training revs up into longer runs my legs won't be feeling that great. Signed up for the Love Run Half Marathon in Philly on March 25th! This is my PR half marathon course from 2016 when I ran 1:38 and change. I am not sure what kind of shape I'll be in but will be hoping for a PR! Runitkris |
