Does RAGE fuel you?

It does not for me but RAGE in the sage triathlon was yesterday. The last few races have been interesting. They have not been bad in any way but just not up to my standards. Finally, this race was different. Here is the race report Rage in the Sage Olympic Triathlon 2011:

Pre-Race: Recovering from the calf injury and building up to this race I wasnt sure what to expect. In the past I have set goals on time and did not reach them. This race I kept my goals close to me. The reason is this years course was different. The bike and the run had, in my opinion, harder courses. That with the weird buildup made for unexpected outcome. I trained with a big group and we raced together. We all experienced success and I am very proud of what has happened. My wife won her division. So proud of her. The times are unofficial. No results available at this time.

Swim: 1500m Last year: 35:24 Goal: 40:00 Actual: 37:50

All the time trials I have done this year have not been as good as before. I didnt think that I could go as fast as last year but I had a tremendous swim. I swam the whole time. I controlled my HR in the water, which in turn kept my breathing rate intact. I felt strong. I came out of the water fresh, ready to get on the bike. I feel like this swim is something to build on. I felt confident during the swim.

T1: Last year 4:45 Goal: 4:00 Actual: ??

I accidentally deleted it from my computer. I will get back on this time.

Bike: 25 miles Last year 1:38:26 Goal: 1:35 Actual 1:35:59

With the change to the new course it makes it hard to compare the last two races to this race. The consensus was that the bike course would be 5-8 min longer than last year. So I thought 1:35 would be tough. I am pleased that a harder bike course was even faster than last year. I was on point with all my time checks and I didnt trail off. My back was only tired. There wasnt pain. I think this bike course is very difficult and I cannot wait to see how training here will translate to the hawaiian highway. I was in control of my speed. I felt strong. This was a few minutes faster than any of my training rides. Perfect weather, no wind not too hot. No until the run.

T2: Last year: 4:02 Goal: under 4 Actual: ??

Run: 10K Last year: 1:08:12 Goal: 1:05 Actual: 1:05:12

The new run course is 3 miles up and 3 miles down. The heat began to be a factor. About 88 degrees. I was please to be able to use nutrition to stave off cramps. They wanted to come out but I didnt let them. I was able to run right through it. Usually I back off when they start. I wanted to turn around at less than 35 min. I turned around at 34. 4 min negative split. Improved run time on a harder course. I am pleased with that. No issues, totally healthy. I was even able to pick it up the last quarter mile. Good run.

Overall: Last year: 3:30:49 Goal: 3:29 Actual: 3:27, I think

The rest of the week:

Tuesday-Easy run in the am, swim fitness test in the pm. I read about this test. 1000 m time trial and count strokes at 500 and 100. 500 stroke rate 32, 1000 34 in a time of 25:21. 1:09 per 50m. Incidentally, the same rate per m as the race. So I maxed out my swim fitness at the race. That is cool.

Thursday-4 mile trail run. Easy run, me and sully enjoying the cool morning. Hes the best. Quote:

Your goals, minus your doubts, equal your reality.

Ralph Marston

A SOLID week

This week was the biggest week on the marathon training schedule. I knew that this was going to be the week where I got things going in the right direction. It was a make or break week. It has been interesting how my body just wouldn't go prior to this week. I wonder if stress has something to do with that. I would tell it to go and it just wouldn't go. I felt tired and my brain just wasn't having it. The move into a new house is finished besides a few odds and ends, thank god. This week I went to bed on time, ate very well, and running was better. Hmm mm, interesting.

The question was asked what about 2010 introspection or 2011 goals. Well the last month has been so strange I couldn't get past it. I was really "sweating" my 22 miler. More on that later. I have become a bit shell shocked when it comes to my goal setting. I am stuck between what the race predictors say I should be running/performing, training to get there, and the place I ACTUALLY am. I still think and dream about IM just about everyday. My 2 half Irons have been a ridiculous course and I have wondered what other race courses would be like. I know I need a fast course to see if that distance suits me. I have to remember this endurance training is very different for my body. I have to cut myself come slack. This will be my 3rd triathlon season and everyone says this is the year that things start to speed up. I am looking forward to that. With my workout room at the house now available I will have a permanent place for my bike trainer. The old house had no convenient room. I will start hitting that up now that the marathon taper begins. I am going to use the taper to start to introduce biking and swimming. So for goals? I don't know. The big picture says that in order to step up to IM, I wanted to have at least 5 half IM under my belt. So in 2011 I am hoping for 2-3 half Irons, may be one more marathon? May be a few olympic triathlons? I don't know. Money for travel and entry fees will be harder than usual. My new location is less than 1/2 a mile from the river mountain loop trail. Basically, I live on the Silverman race course. The sisters are now only 8 miles from house. My new area is very hilly. Right now it is difficult but when I ran an old familiar race course I felt stronger.

As for 2010, I am proud of the year I had. I am proud that I went the entire year with personal records. I had running race PR's, I had triathlon PR's, I had course records, and I had distance records. I lost 30 pounds total. I quadrupled the number of runners and triathletes as patients. I have built up to about 1/4 of my patient population runners. I am proud of the example I set and yet, not satisfied. My PR's are significantly better but are not as fast as I want them to be. My goals also extend over to training. My training that is. Next week I am going to cali for the USATF level 1 certification class pending a pass on the exam. I also would like to become a CSCS. Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. I am also kicking around USAT level 1. I may still try to go to my annual pilgrimage to Charlottesville Virginia. The course syllabus was just released and it looks quite compelling. I don't know if I can miss it. Here is how my week went:

Monday-Moving

Tuesday-Ran 4. Trying to find my new 4 mile loop. I like to have a 4 mile easy run route. This one was not it.

Wednesday-Ran 8 miles right after work. I ran a big loop from work that including my favorite run from Silverman run course. Very slow but getting better I can feel it.

Thursday-Ran 8 miles early from the house. Tried a new 4 mile loop and ran it twice. I felt better than wed but the course was significantly more hilly. I really have to get stronger. I need to run these hills without it bogging me down.

Friday-Rest

Saturday-22 mile long run. I ran the Johnson loop with some modifications twice and then to complete the 22, a 1.3 out and back. I felt much stronger. I ran the overwhelming amount of time. For the last month that is a big improvement. I finished faster running this 22 than last years 20 miler for LA. Today I feel sore at about a 2-3/10. We will see how that goes for tomorrow. The weather was cold at the beginning but not as cold as my fellow bloggers from the east. I have read some very, very cold posts in the last few weeks. I am not complaining about our weather anymore. Quote:

“To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path, and don't worry about the darkness, for that is when the stars shine brightest”

Saints and Sinners...

This weekend I ran in the Las Vegas Ragnar Relay mostly to add this medal to the collection. The saints and sinners medal is awarded to runners who run Wasatch back in Utah (saints) and Las Vegas (sinners) in the same year. I was runner number 12 which means I am the actual finisher. The mistake I made was comparing every little thing to Wasatch Back. Wastch Back in The Ragnar "flagship" race. There is twice the runners and twice the hype for that race. Its not fair to compare that environment with Vegas. Lets just say Id run Wasatch every single year and I am happy I got this medal, but I dont need another one.

Leg 1: Began at 5:19 pm on friday night. I received the wristband on Lake Mead blvd just outside of Lake Mead national park and ran all the way to the 1st major exchange at Loews Resort and Casino at Lake Las Vegas. Funny since this is where I train quite a bit. The swim at Silverman is at the this lake and I ride these hills all the time, but hardly ever run. After this run, I realize I should. It was a steep uphill, followed by down hill, then met with a huge up hill finish. Hills. Here are my splits: 9:58, 8:45, 8:34, 10:41, 11:06, and half mile in 4:36. Total: 5.5 miles in 53:43 for an average of 9:44. I experienced some sharp knee pain on the downhill. Did not seem serious or permanent just sore after.

Leg 2: Began at 3:55 am saturday morning. I received the wristband just outside of the small town of Jean, NV. For those who arent from around here its on the I-15 on the way from CA, where the Goldstrike Casino is. So with our rain in the last week (lots for us), the trail run I was about to do was sort of a question mark. What was this trail going to be like? Ragnar labeled it as "very hard." Lets just say they got this one right. 900 feet elevation gain over 8.02 miles. Thats not what made it hard. What made it hard was the rocks. Little ones, big ones, loose ones, hard ones, sharp ones, then there was the bumps, sand, and did I mention it was dark? Yeah 4 am dark. Bloody runners showing up at this major exchange. Runners loosing their minds when met at support areas. I did the best I could. Hopping from left to right on a 4 foot wide trail at most places while my head lamp was lighting about 10 feet in front of you and with shadows what is what? This is no exaggeration, I nearly fell 100 times or more. Very frustrating. I have a lot of room to grow as a runner in order to run this run economically. My feet were thrashed. Bruised and sore with blisters. It was a god send to have my trail shoes on. I survived it and I am a better runner for it. I hope to kick this runs ass another day. Everything hurt on this run from the bouncing side-to-side and the rocks. This run challenged my ankle, knee, hip, and lumbar stability. I also got caught up in the festivities and wrapped a glow necklace around my right ankle. It was fun while it lasted but I got some achilles tendon irritation for it. Sore walking around the rest of the morning.

Leg 3: THE LAST LEG. Began at 5:23 pm on saturday night. I received the wristband at Calico Basin, in Red Rock National Park. The last leg of the race is a gift for the 12th runner after what we experienced this am. Other runner 12's were not happy about that leg. A badge of honor as far as I am concerned. All 5.5 miles down hill. With my feet sore, an achy knee, and calf soreness what would my body do? At Wasatch, my 3rd leg was much harder then it normally would be. Would this be the same? My plan was to just go. Do not give in to the soreness and see what was what. Here are my splits: 8:04, 8:59, 9:33, 9:01, 8:44, and last mile in 1/2 mile 5:02 (includes getting teammates and finish slowly as a team). 8:56 average pace for a total of 49:26. I felt great. No issues. My fitness this race was much greater. Obviously different terrain but the overall effect of this type of race was not a challenge for me. Proud of that. 20.5 miles total in 24 hours. I am sore today but nothing hurts. More sore on my R achilles and knee but not so bad. I am not so tired. I am happy with the whole experience. Here is the rest of the week:

Monday-Swim 1500 m. Amazing how miserable the pool is. I need to swim some this next few week. May be 2 open water swims.

Tuesday-Easy 4 mile run. Ruined by stopping to poo. Our bodies are funny.

Wednesday-Quality bike. Pushed on account of the torrential down pour and serious wind. I thought it might add to my small taper for Ragnar.

Thursday-Rest. Ragnar get together.

Friday/Saturday-Ragnar

Sunday (today)-Rest. Quote:

“Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.”

Ralph Marston

And by work I mean kicking Silvermans Ass.

Las Vegas Triathlon 2010

Funny how friends and family influenced me to race today. I decided I would do a sprint. Of the 8 triathlons I have done, my second sprint. I wanted to get some speed work in on a brick anyway so why not add another discipline? So I raced. It was a blast. I didnt know how much fun sprints are. Pound, bing, bang, boom ya go home. Fun. I dont think a true race report is necessary but a breakdown is in order. The race was on a familiar course. RAGE, last years olympic at the same race, Silverman all share these highways. Why not do some speed on them? Thankfully there were really no climbs. The whole time I had a smile on my face that said "thank god I am not doing the olympic today, lol." This is the first race I am competing in my age group as opposed to clydesdale division. I cannot wait to see how I fared. All splits are unofficial according to my watch.

Swim: Goal 18 min, actual 19:45 mostly due to LOOONG run to transition. Nothing to report. Kept to my cues, no issues.

Bike: I didnt know what to expect so no goal time. Actual: 39:17. Ave 17 mph. I passed A LOT of people. I loved it. My bike is coming along. I cannot wait to see how this ranks among my peers.

Run: I wanted to be as close as I could to 25 min. I think that would have been possible except for the first 1/2 mile out of transition is steep. Actual 30:46.

Transition: No problems. T1 3:33, T2 2:47. Happy with those.

Overall: 1:35ish. We will see what the official results have. I know the winner in my division beat me by 20 min. WOW. Overall, healthy and happy about today. The swim entry/exit is very, very rocky. My bones in my feet are sore from that.

This next block will be a recovery block and then my last 2 big blocks prior to Silverman. I am happy with everything right now. I am not content though. I will continue to strive to be faster. Quote:

“Progress is not created by contented people”

Frank Tyger

Funny week...I am nuts

The week following my first marathon has been strange. Runners think I am nuts and non-runners think I am nuts. I am nuts because I ran a marathon and I have the blues. Why aren't I screaming from the roof tops? I have wondered all week how to word this post but I am just going to get it out there. I am very proud I ran a marathon, YEP the full. But I am not happy with how it went down. Runners think I shouldn't beat myself up (I am not comment chasing believe me) and non-runners think I should be proud. I don't feel gleaming like I did after the Half iron but I had the blues after that race too. I finished in 5:31. Thats what I am bummed about. REALLY? Its not very fast but it isn't too shabby for the following reasons:

-IT WAS HOT. Just about everyone was slow. The other bloggers who ran had trouble with the heat too. The only guys who weren't affected by the heat were done before it was hot.
-There was a ton of runners. I just realized a few days ago that the whole race was spent weaving. Did I actually run more miles then, since I went side-to-side? I never felt a rhythm.
-I have only been running seriously for the last 2 years. I have significantly less experience and miles underneath me than the people I am comparing myself to. From miles 13-26.2 it was a PR in distance for me. My cardiovascular system has never operated at that level for that long. OF COURSE That will be a challenge. Why do we always look up?
-I am sore of course but I did it injury free. My conditioning was good. My body composition is changing at an alarming rate. I am proud of my results. I was prepared for demand of a marathon. I am training smart and I am improving at an alarming rate. My half marathon has improved by 30 minutes since the beginning. I set my marathon PR and low enough that next time I will crush it. I did the same thing for the half IM. 2010 is going be spent making PR's. I just wish I didn't set them too low to start out with...lol
-I ran it with my wife. She had some serious tendon issues that we were able to suppress enough to have her race. She did amazing. I am lucky to have such a good running partner. We did it together. I thought for the last few months I was going to have to pull her. She pulled me. Funny how things happen. Cramping sucks.

I had foreseen a post right after the race about how I go about signing up for an IM. I now wonder if that is in my cards. I have not ruled it out, I just need more time. I need some more miles under me. Running, biking, and swimming. To see if I want to make that commitment. I need some more time. I need to get faster. May be do like Karl said. Get faster on my shorter distance type stuff and continue to build my aerobic base. My cardiovascular system will get the most attention. My musculoskeletal system needs some tweaking. I want to be stronger. The last month of running I thought was affected by trading leg strength training for recovery from running. My new bike will require more core strength. I need some time to get used to the aero position. here is how the week went:
Monday-REST
Tuesday-REST
Wednesday-A glorious 1500 meter time trial. felt good to swim fast. 37:36. I did the same time trial on this day last year, 35 and change. NICE. only2-3 min slower today than a year ago when I swam 2-3 days a week for the last few months. Today was my 3rd swim of the season. I gonna crush last years time at RAGE. I would say I swam comfortably hard. I easily could have kept going.
Thursday-bike maintenance. I fixed a flat. I am ready for my first brick on Saturday. A recovery brick, helping my wife and her sister to swim open water and ride on the highway. Good to be back in triathlon mode.
Friday (today)-REST.

I am happy, not content. I am a competitor and I will do better. When? Where? TBD. Pics still to come.

“Do everything. Love as much as you can. it may hurt but it helps us grow. Give all you have...you may be poor but you will be content. Always forgive....your heart can not afford not to. Teach what you know and learn what you don't. Stay open to all”

The LA Marathon: A Diary entry

The LA Marathon had 25,000 runners. That sounds like a lot and then you actually see them. WOW. 50,000 people at the expo at one of the my most favorite places on the planet. Dodger stadium. I walked around the stadium and walked around the concourse. Right before the race some got to "warm-up" for the marathon on the outfield grass. I didnt find that out until it was too late. I have been on the grass and I dont warm-up for a really long run like this. So I passed.

The non-race stuff:

Had an issue getting a room close to the finish line. The race started at Dodger stadium and ended at Santa Monica Pier. I found a place that was cheap and close to the finish. One word Skeeve. Yeah after my wife and I left for the race my sister found a roach in my bed. We got our money back and found a new room that ended up having ants in the bathroom. 2 rooms at half-price what a deal! Spring time in California, wohoo! Traffic did not disappoint it was LA style, but the people were a buzz with the marathon. That made it fun. Found a couple trishops where my sister got a wetsuit at 40% off and I found some jerseys half off. SCORE!

The Expo:

There must have been 50,000 people there. Lots and lots of free stuff and interesting booths. Got some answers at the garmin tent finally. I may need to get the tri watch. Lots of recovery socks and new juice products. USTF was there in force. The race poster was awesome. It is the 25th anniversary of LA Marathon and I cannot wait to frame it and put it up in my house. I will pst pics later this week.

The Race:

We parked in the participants garage and walked to a bus that took us to dodger stadium. A normally 20-30 min ride turned into an hour. REALLY LA TRAFFIC? shock. What was interesting is people running on the freeway to get to the start of the race. They actually post-poned the start of the race to allow for the people to get there who were stuck in traffic. CRAZY. I loved it. It was a bit chilly yet I was warm on the bus. people walked an extra few miles yet I was sitting on the bus. I arrived with plenty of time and no stress. A good start so far.

I was through my morning routine before a long run with no issues. This is going to be a good day, I thought. No issues. My wife and I arrived at the start line and the closest we could get was the 13 min per mile corral. OK so there is A TON of people here we are going to have to weave a bit. Lets just say that bob and weave was something I did ALL DAY LONG. Interestingly enough it was LA when sean austin is a few feet in front of us. My wifes favorite movie is RUDY and she wouldnt yell RUUUUUUUDDDDDY. He ended up finishing 15 min ahead of us.

The race begins with a lap around dodger stadium. Hilly. Actually the first 8 miles were very hilly. Ups and downs. LOTS OF PEOPLE. A sea of people in front and behind. It was crazy. My wifes ankle begins to hurt at the 3 mile mark. After some encouragement and some tweaking we are back to running. Characters along the way were awesome. Elvis, marylyn monroe, blue haired guy, banana guy, cross carrying guy, mexican flag outfit, and there were a ton of kids. The LA area used the race as a way to get kids more active and there was a lot of kids who ran. That was awesome.

It was hot. 80 degrees or so. I havent had a single run here in Las Vegas where I wore shorts or a short sleeve shirt. I wasnt ready for it. I never felt a groove. Id say 15 degrees hotter than my hottest run here. I began to cramp at 13. My first big cramp at 15. Survival mode until I finished. It was crazy. I marveled at the people on the side of the road stretching, laying, throwing up, eating, drinking, peeing, etc. I had a small cramping issue on my first 20 miler but the second was no issue. I feel strong about my nourishment plan, I just dont think I was ready for the heat. I am proud I finished. It was a battle. My wife ended up pushing me like a star. She was amazing. Cardiovascularly I felt strong, My brain was intact, my training was on point, my muscles did not cooperate.

The aftermath:

I earned every bit of that medal. I wore the HELL out of my finisher shirt on monday. It took us 45 min to get out of the garage. It took us over an hour to get to the skeeve motel once we left the garage. Absolutely frustrating. Just is what it is about LA/Santa Monica.

I do not have any injuries. Am I sore as hell, yeah. Everything is sore. My neck, scapular stabilzers, lower back, hips add/abd, gluts, quads, hamstrings, calves, and especially the 5th metatarsel on my left foot. Julie is very sore and her ankle is not any worse than usual after a long run. We pieced her back together well.

I am still processing my 1st marathon. I will post more as the week goes on and I will get some pics posted ASAP.

"The difference between the mile and the marathon is the difference between burning your fingers with a match and being slowly roasted over hot coals."

LOL. Yeah 2 days of walking like I raked over the coals!

A little training and finally: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Ok this one is going to be somewhat long. I haven't felt passionate about something to research until my buddy Karl posted on his blog his biggest pet peeve. People who think that running elicits arthritis. If that topic interests you his blog is very informative. You see him and I are on the same crusade. We have dedicated our life to health and wellness. One patient at a time educating them on the benefits of exercise and a more physical life. I often tell them that an injury usually is a wake-up call to the lifestyle they live. This post is NOT geared towards anyone in particular nor is it bash on any other professions. The goal of this post is to educate.

In my experience with endurance athletes I have found something very unorthodox. They seem to be drawn to the strangest things, to me anyway. They seem to believe that pain is normal. That training in pain is normal. The faster and the longer the event the more pain you should endure. WRONG. If the body is capable of doing the activity, the body will not hurt. Do not change the activity, CHANGE THE BODY. If you have pain on the body and it is attached to a brain that is capable of pushing beyond limits, it doesn't stop you. For the sedentary patient, they will not make the decision to do more. I give them permission to push into it and it goes away. Athletes are the opposite. We do things like foam roll, massage (various myofascial release protocols), and stretching. They learn how to maintain it. Symptom maintenance. This is my pet peeve. What would it be like to train without pain? Obviously soreness after a 20 miler or 100 mile bike you will have some pain some acute and some DOMS. I am talking about nagging injury pain. I decided to get onto PUBMED the place where all respectable literature goes to sit and wait for interested readers. I pulled up abstracts on the first articles that discuss myofacial release/foam rolling/massage. For some of you this will be a paradigm shift for you. Here is what I found (the blue is how I interpret that):

....the belief that massage has benefits for athletes, the effects of different types of massage (e.g. petrissage, effleurage, friction) or the appropriate timing of massage (pre-exercise vs post-exercise) on performance, recovery from injury, or as an injury prevention method are not clear. - Sports medicine, 2005. CANNOT PROVE IT HELPS

.....No measurable physiological effects of leg massage compared with passive recovery were observed on recovery from high intensity exercise- "British journal of sports medicine."2004 MASSAGE IS JUST AS GOOD AS LAYING THERE THE SAME TIME YOU WERE GETTING MASSAGED

.....Massage (myofascial release) may induce a transient loss of muscle strength or a change in the muscle fiber tension-length relationship, influenced by alterations of muscle function and a psychological state of relaxation.- "Journal of alternative and complementary medicine." 2008 THOSE TECHNIQUES ACTUALLY CONTRIBUTE TO LOSS OF STRENGTH

...Tradition foam roll does not produce the same force as the isolated hand held massager (the one with the little rolly things). FOAM ROLL CANNOT CHANGE TISSUE LENGTH

SO then I directed my attention to common problems we these kinds of treatment for:

IT BAND (ITB) SYNDROME. First of all did you know that the ITB is made of the kind of connective tissue that can tolerate the force of tying one end to 1 car and the other end to another car and allow for the second car to be towed. REALLY? you think you can stretch that with the weight of your body? A CAR CANT STRETCH IT! Here is some literature:

...Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) is the most common cause of lateral knee pain in runners. It is an overuse injury that results from repetitive friction of the iliotibial band (ITB) over the lateral femoral epicondyle, with biomechanics studies demonstrating a maximal zone of impingement at approximately 30 degrees of knee flexion. Training factors related to this injury include excessive running in the same direction on a track, greater-than-normal weekly mileage and downhill running. Studies have also demonstrated that weakness or inhibition of the lateral gluteal muscles is a causative factor in this injury. When these muscles do not fire properly throughout the support phase of the running cycle, there is a decreased ability to stabilize the pelvis and eccentrically control femoral abduction. As a result, other muscles must compensate, often leading to excessive soft tissue tightness and myofascial restrictions. Initial treatment should focus on activity modification, therapeutic modalities to decrease local inflammation, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication, and in severe cases, a corticosteroid injection. Stretching exercises can be started once acute inflammation is under control. Identifying and eliminating myofascial restrictions complement the therapy programme and should precede strengthening and muscle re-education. Strengthening exercises should emphasise eccentric muscle contractions, triplanar motions and integrated movement patterns. With this comprehensive treatment approach, most patients will fully recover by 6 weeks. Interestingly, biomechanics studies have shown that faster-paced running is less likely to aggravate ITBS and faster strides are initially recommended over a slower jogging pace. Over time, gradual increases in distance and frequency are permitted. In the rare refractory case, surgery may be required. The most common procedure is releasing or lengthening the posterior aspect of the ITB at the location of peak tension over the lateral femoral condyle.-- "Sports medicine." 2005 SOME MAY USE MYOFACIAL TECHNIQUES IN THE BEGINNING AS THIS POINTS OUT BUT I DO NOT. I FIND THAT IF YOU HAVING A MECHANICAL ISSUE RESULTING IN THIS PAIN, IF WE COUNTERACT THAT PROBLEM THE PAIN STOPS. BIOMECHANICS INFLUENCE EVERYTHING. WHY WOULD SHOES CAUSE A NEW PAIN? YOU CHANGE THE BIOMECHANICS.

...A long-term successful outcome and prevention of re-injury are more likely if the focus of rehabilitation is on the restoration of the functional kinetic chain, rather than on a specific injured tissue. For example, the typical treatment of "iliotibial band syndrome" is a stretching protocol that frequently is unsuccessful in the long-term improvement of symptoms. A functional biomechanics approach might identify that the injured runner has lack of calcanea eversion and a structurally rigid supinated foot. These functional biomechanics deficits would lead to inadequate internal rotation of the tibia and femur and result in inhibition or decreased recruitment of the gluteal muscles, in particular the gluteus medius. Restoring pronation throughout the lower extremity would require joint play techniques or functional joint mobilizations for the foot and ankle..................STRETCHING DOESNT WORK, STRENGTH AND STABILITY DO.........(same article)...........Exercises that integrate foot and hip function, including balance reaches, lunges and step-downs, are prescribed to stimulate the gluteus medius and other gluteals in positions that simulate running. Activities that are done in this manner activate the entire functional kinetic chain of muscles and joints. The non-operative sports medicine specialist, in particular the physiatrist and physical therapist, are in an excellent position to integrate treatment of the entire functional kinetic chain through a thorough biomechanics evaluation and comprehensive rehabilitation of the injured runner........USE STABILITY WORK TO GET THE WHOLE LEG TO DO THE JOB IN FRONT OF IT, RUN! Did you know that running requires your body to tolerate 3-5 times your body weight. So why would I do something that takes away from strength? I NEED FORCE. Strength and stability allow for injury free training AND make you faster!!!

....Our view is that ITB syndrome is related to impaired function of the hip musculature and that its resolution can only be properly achieved when the biomechanics of hip muscle function are properly addressed. SINCE THE PROPERTIES OF THE CONNECTIVE WILL NOT ALLOW IT TO STRETCH IS IT EVEN FRICTION THAT CAUSES IT? no....HIP STRENGTH AND STABILITY.

That is only ITB too. If you have heard of a common "running injury" there is a body of evidence to support biomechanics training. That training is about teaching the body to tolerate force. Build stability. If you have a chronic problem you HAVE NOT identified its mechanical problem. If you get to someone to help you with a chronic problem , if they do not address the biomechanics, it will persist. When you reach out for help. You are in the driver seat. Informed consumers get what are looking for. Show up at the clinic you have been referred to. Ask them questions. If you have a running problem, they should say we watch you run and teach you how to fix it! We have a saying in our clinic: All that palliative stuff is just as good as rubbing chicken bones over your head to fix it! LOL.

Performs syndrome. Now I didn't look at any articles but I do have some experience with this problem. ITS ALWAYS BACK PAIN. I have never delegated a performs stretch. When you feel pain in that area it is almost always referred pain from the lumbar spine. MOVE THE BACK and the pain stops. Then you never have to stretch the muscle! IT IS ALWAYS JOINT PROBLEMS NOT MUSCLE PROBLEMS. If the muscle cannot overcome the stiffness in the joint then the muscle will be in dysfunction and spasm. JOINT STRETCH GOOD, muscle stretch=CHICKEN BONES!

Even this month running times has an article on static stretching. IT HINDERS PERFORMANCE WHILE MAKING YOU PRONE TO INJURY. Stretching can be a whole other post. Tendon "priming" (or dynamic stretching) is better than static stretching. Now I would never take something away that a person 'Needs.' But every single one of them gets education and what they decide to do with it, is up to them!

Monday-rest

Tuesday-Softball

Wednesday-5 mile run. My legs still don't belong to me.

Tonight-3 mile run. Felt very good.

Was his helpful? QUOTE:

“If you don't create change, change will create you”

please don't let that change be to quit. Its not the activity, its the body. Lets fix the body.

Marathon has my attention

As this progression continues to the LA marathon I am completing my longest runs ever. This weekend is no different. I was able to run 20 miles yesterday. Not fast, not pretty, but happy and healthy (sort of). Does anyone run 20 miles for the first time and not be in pain or soreness? I was wondering if the half Iron distance triathlon would be harder than the marathon. If the last 6.2 were anything like the last 2 yesterday, MARATHON will have my attention. As hard as this run was yesterday the HIM was harder. The training volume is certainly more. The last 2 miles were tough though. I had a bit of cramping and my feet were very sore. As the day went on the rest of the muscles below my mid-back were very sore. Today my heal is pretty sore and everything else is feeling a lot better. I think having lots of life this week didn't help. I wasn't able to get my mid week run is so I didn't feel recovered from sunday. Monday we rested, tuesday small run of 4 then nothing until saturday. I missed a medium length run. My wife was able to get 16 in despite continuing to battle foot/ankle issues. This week I am hoping to start to incorporate some swimming and may be a bike or two back into my training. When this marathon is over immediately I have an olympic distance triathlon to be ready for. I will recover from marathon running with swimming and biking. I gotta get back into the weight lifting too. I need to be more diligent with my strength training.

"If you feel bad at 10 miles, you're in trouble. If you feel bad at 20 miles, you're normal. If you don't feel bad at 26 miles, you're abnormal."

Rob de Castella, winner 1983 World Marathon Championships

OK GOOD, Im normal.