Shalane Flanagan OUT of 2017 Boston Marathon

Wise One wrote:

txRUNNERgirl wrote:

She posted "I fractured a bone in my low back training through a stretch of snowy weather in Portland, OR."

AKA, she fell flat on her ass. She should have worn spikes.

Stoopid enough already to be in Portland OR, especially this time of year.

I posted in the other thread, too. But the fracture is of her iliac crest, which is the pelvis, or the big bones that many people erroneously refer to as the hip bone. Seems like a weird place to get a fracture without trauma. I mean, there are a lot of muscles that attach on the iliac crest, so maybe an avulsion fracture from tight muscles pulling, or from an awkward stumble and righting yourself before actually falling, but still a weird injury. Does anyone know if she has a history of stress fractures?

too much yoga doing back bends

sacral or back? wrote:

Any scoop on whether it is cross training related? Crossfit? Weight Lifting?

LRC, find out more.

Shiplap wrote:

I posted in the other thread, too. But the fracture is of her iliac crest, which is the pelvis, or the big bones that many people erroneously refer to as the hip bone. Seems like a weird place to get a fracture without trauma. I mean, there are a lot of muscles that attach on the iliac crest, so maybe an avulsion fracture from tight muscles pulling, or from an awkward stumble and righting yourself before actually falling, but still a weird injury. Does anyone know if she has a history of stress fractures?

How do you know it's her iliac crest? I don't remember reading that. I believe she did have a stress fracture in her foot in months before the Olympic trials.

Heel striking

Dumbsnow wrote:

How do you know it's her iliac crest? I don't remember reading that. I believe she did have a stress fracture in her foot in months before the Olympic trials.

That break in her iliac crest was caused by logging too many miles on the treadmill and on slippery surfaces outside, she said....

It’s my iliac bone—it’s in the boney pelvis area. It’s a very rare bone to break. There aren’t a lot of cases that people break it. It was caused just by changing up the conditions in which I was running.

http://www.runnersworld.com/boston-marathon/flanagan-on-her-injury-never-take-a-ferrari-off-road

Different muscle usage on treadmill/snow means different muscles pulling in possibly unusual/unusually stressed places, back/hips. You could also have muscle imbalances (overly strong abdominal muscles, weak back muscles, weak lateral hips). Someone at her level is probably hyper-vigilant in the gym, but imbalances could still exist. I would imagine she'll be working with a PT to address issues such as this.

miaaaaaow wrote:

highhurdles wrote:

It's strange, she blames the winter weather, but they are quite mysterious about what exactly happened. Why not just say that she fell?

She might not of fallen. Colder weather = harder surfaces and tighter muscles.The back is a very strong structure, but still takes a beating when running. If she was in a heavy training period, these factors could have led to a fracture.

Don't you mean could of led to fracture?

For the sake of consistency.

Iliac crest fxs are often the result of lifting/squats combined with heavy training. Overuse, pushing the envelope and likely not the result of any imbalance.

Apparently, while on a tempo run in Portland she ran through an anti-Trump protest and was wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat. Those lefty liberal snowflakes saw her and started chasing her. She had to run an extra hour at VO2 max pace causing her form to go south and she fell on some black ice on the way home. Needless to say she is devastated but still supports Trump 110%.

My lower back is so sore I am having trouble lifting my right leg. Did a couple interval sessions on the treadmill a few days after doing a 24 mile treadmill run with 4,000 ft elevation gain. Hope I don't have a broken back.

Dang that really sucks. I always wonder why elites would train through conditions that are hard to run in (snow/ice) or prolonged treadmill when they have access to go somewhere warmer. I get it her family/training partners are there and does show her lack of selfishness by staying. but 2 weeks on a treadmill or snowy roads would make me a bit nervous with a race coming up.

Treadmill running - cheating

AlterG - cheating

Pool Running - quasi okay only if injured

Running on terra firma - Real Running

Running on "Pure Hate" - Only the brave try!

miaaaaaow wrote:

highhurdles wrote:

It's strange, she blames the winter weather, but they are quite mysterious about what exactly happened. Why not just say that she fell?

She might not of fallen. Colder weather = harder surfaces and tighter muscles.The back is a very strong structure, but still takes a beating when running. If she was in a heavy training period, these factors could have led to a fracture.

Agreed...in most places, winter is just a bad time to train, espcially for a marathon. Skinny bodies, cold, wind, ice, and tight muscles are a bad combination. I have been injured multiple times in winter, but never in summer, even though I have done many of my hardest training runs in summer or warmer weather.

Get well soon, Shalane.

She has been very lean for a very long time. Hopefully not osteopenia.

vVO2 wrote:

She has been very lean for a very long time. Hopefully not osteopenia.

I know what you mean, as I am as lean as they come, too. Winter is a bad time for training, and with all of the time required outdoors for marathon work, it can be really bad.

Fractured wrote:

too much yoga doing back bends

sacral or back? wrote:

Any scoop on whether it is cross training related? Crossfit? Weight Lifting?

LRC, find out more.

None of the above...she was shoveling snow from her driveway.

9 MONTHS wrote:

I didn't read the press release. What is the due date?

This.

Prego, and I don't mean spaghetti sauce.

Likely osteopenia. And a little overtraining never hurt anybody.