Anyone need an extra IT band? I've got one I'd like to donate and I don't want another one!!! I am so stinkin' sick of my stupid ITB I could scream!!! Okay, now that the whinning is over I'll start the report. Things started off great, I was keeping a good 8:20-8:30 pace, getting water and powerade and keeping fluids up, took gu at 8 and I felt FABULOUS!! I could see the 3:45 coming already - then just after passing a photographer after mile 10 I felt it...that stupid pain in the side of my knee...UURRGGGHHH! So, I stoped at the next water stop to tape with the kinesio tape I'd brought just in case and my stinky leg was so sweaty it wouldn't stick. Bagged it - rethought how I could tape it with the other one I'd saved for my right IT, stopped at the next fuel station and again couldn't get it to stick. Bewildered and taking every stride with pain I carried on... the hill came (this is the best part) hardly noticed it. At the top I saw a sign that said "like the hill?" and I thought "that was the hill?" so thanks BBKers! Palisades is finally rewarding me :) At 15 after the hill asked for tape and had them tape me. The guy did a great job and FAST! However, still pain :( now it was going up the leg instead of down - hmmm, lets tape ABOVE the knee! I had a lot of time to try and think about how to resolve this! So, after the dam and at the next stop asked for tape "oh which kind? What? Oh, Will this work? Why don't you sit down and I'll look at it?" ARRGGGHH!! Stupid lady just give me some dang tape and let me outta here!!! Got some stupid tape went once around the top of the knee and it helped a little, but to no avail. It was just a couple of miles later I stopped to walk for the 3rd or 4th time (walking even fast was FINE!) and I threw my head up and started to sob "what can I do?!?" I was so frustrated but wanted to finish and didn't want to have to walk the rest of the way. I bucked up, stretched and took off with the 'peg leg' run - this is where you don't bend your left leg and use only your right basically to run, BAD form!! However, it got me through. I would walk for 50 feet or so when needed, stretch when needed and then try to catch all those people who had passed me (ESPECIALLY the 1/2 marathon walkers - I do have my pride!!) Finally, we came out of the forest and I saw the spires of the temple - oohhh, I'm almost done!! I decided no matter the pain I wasn't stopping until the finish, well I walked ONE intersection. I finished, I did!! With excruciating pain from the last 16 miles of bad running and a left knee that wouldn't bend, I finished.
Thats about the good news. I guess with this being my first I did pretty respectably, but I'm really just bummed, because cardio and muscle wise I was FINE!! If it weren't for my ITB I could've run a few more after about 10 minutes rest. So, here is my resolve: FIX my IT, I now know that cortisone shots seem to work well, and run another marathon and show it who's boss!!! My Garmin unfortunately was set on auto stop so everytime my pace was under 16 mm it stopped. So, I don't think my last 15-16 splits are very correct, but the worst was 10:15. According to the toy I finished in 4:00:45, so its like 8 mintues off - and my mileage was 26.4 so that was off too. Guess I need to learn how to use those tangents too.
Thanks to everyone who helped me through this one!! I should feel good about it, it was definately a respectable time - I just know I had more in me - just not in the ITB :) Thanks to Lori for the fun party afterward and Carolyn and Marion for the good visit as well!! I finally know what 26.2 feels like and I'm not "the virgin" anymore :) | 
