There Is Always Hope

On April 6 I ran my first race since injuring my foot last November.  It was the Allerton Trails 10k held at Allerton Park near Monticello, Illinois.  We chose this race for my wife--the half marathon--as a substitute for Quivering Quads which filled so quickly.  I decided to run the 10k to pass the time as I waited for Pat to finish and to test my legs and foot.

This was a "B" race for me; I trained right through it without tapering.  Of course, I had goals for the race, but I was not looking for a great finish time.  It was a test to see how my training had progressed, having taken so much time off to recover and rehabilitate.

I have been frustrated by the training setback.  2012 was my fastest year ever and I was hoping to continue to improve and complete my first marathon.  That all has been postponed.  While I am not at the level I would like to be, I am improving.  My speed and endurance are progressing consistently.  As far as my foot is concerned: I can run and complete my workouts without limitation, but I need more time to recover.  The foot has been sore consistently for 24-36 hours after each run.  At least it does not bother me much while running.

So, on race day, I was fairly confident I would do okay.  I was going to push the pace if possible, but I would mostly be evaluating myself.  The race started with about one mile on pavement before we entered the mostly double-track trails.  I started off quickly to bank a little time, thinking the road would be easier than the trails.  We also started downhill, so it was easy to go fast.  I settled into a slower pace on the trails. They were dry and mostly clear of debris, roots, rocks, etc.  There was one section on grass that was soft and uneven and scattered with mole runs that was a bit tricky.  Otherwise, the course was not very technical.  About halfway through, I tried to pick up the pace, but I was red lined; I was at my limit.  However, my foot felt fine. This was very encouraging since my injury occurred on a trail run.  The final mile was back on the road, uphill this time.  I was still able to push the pace a bit.

I finished under 8-minute mile pace which was my goal and my foot felt fine immediately after.  I was actually fast enough to earn third place in my age group (I was also in the top 7% overall.)  I was hopeful, but not optimistic about placing.  Hopeful because of the cool Foo Dog awards they were giving.

As I recovered and waited at the finish line for Pat and our friends, my foot started to hurt again.  In fact, I limped around the rest of the day which was upsetting.  However, I woke up the next day feeling fine.  So, overall, the experience was enjoyable and encouraging.

In the weeks since the race, my foot has continued to feel better thanks to the Graston treatments from one of my colleagues (possibly more on that later.)  I continue to go farther and faster with less pain.  I will be running a half marathon in Champaign this weekend (it was supposed to be my first marathon...) and I am starting to set goals for later this year.  I am feeling nearly normal again, thanks to smart training and my sports medicine team.


Race summary and review:

1. Beautiful park, probably more so later in the spring and summer because of all the gardens.
2. Challenging, but doable course.  The easiest trail run course I have done thus far.  Rolling hills, but a few flat sections too. I was told the half marathon course was a little tougher due in part to a long section of uneven ground in an open meadow.
3. Nice medal.  I liked it because it was gold instead of silver or bronze in color.
4. Unique age group awards.
5. Good food after the race: Great Harvest Bread Co cinnamon rolls.  LOVE them.  These rolls may be the reason I returned to run Quivering Quads the second year.  As a fund raiser, a group was grilling hot dogs and salmon burgers too.
6. Inexpensive: the half was only $40 and the 10k was cheaper.  That's the price with tech t-shirt.  I think it may have been even cheaper for early registration.
7. One complaint: I had difficulty finding trash bins.
8. Maybe two: chip timing would have been nice, but that is just been picky.

Conclusion: I and everyone I talked to would return to race.

Allerton will also host a 5k and 10k on May 11.  A third race will also be held there, but I cannot seem to find any information on it.

Giving Back

I have been thinking for quite some time that I do not volunteer enough, that I may not do my share of charity work or donating.  I see what many of my friends do and, in comparison, I seem lazy or selfish.  I have also seen many of my fellow athletes training and racing for a particular charity or cause.  I have done a little of that when it has been required, but no more.  Of course, the majority of the races I enter are held to raise money for some charitable cause, so I have helped some.  Overall, I just do not feel that I have made an impact.

When I started thinking about training and racing for a cause, my goal was to choose something that was important to me and would thus motivate me.  I considered cancer, diabetes, heart disease, etc.  All good causes, but which organization?  Also, how much money actually goes to the patient?  Then, I started thinking about my role in health care and my philosophy.  I thought: my approach is to educate, using prevention as the primary treatment.  So...perhaps I should focus my fund raising efforts there.  But, how?  Anyway...after more thought, I decided to look to my alma mater, University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.  Specifically, I graduated from the Kinesiology department in what is now called the College of Applied Health Sciences.

After sharing several emails with Olympian Jean Driscoll, I decided to raise funds for the Kinesiology and Communtiy Health Annual Fund.  My goal will be to help fund education for students who can help prevent disease; create educators of those people who need to learn to take care of themselves, to stay healthy by being proactive and preventing disease with the near-panaceas of good nutrition and physical activity.

So, at this time, I will be accepting donations for U of I AHS students as payment for my bike fitting services.  (To learn more about bike fitting, read this and this.)  I will, of course accept donations without a bike fitting.  Any amount is appreciated.  You may also donate online if you wish.  Help me improve the quality of education for our future fitness, health, and wellness professionals.

Bike Fitting, Part 2: My Approach

In my last post I discussed the importance of a good bike fit.  Let me expand on that by stating that all cyclists can benefit from a professional bike fit for the reasons I mentioned.  At the very least, a fit can decrease a cyclist's injury risk.  Also, getting fit is imperative to eliminate any bad habits the cyclist may have learned and may be perpetuating.  That is, a good fit must come before good form.

My approach to fitting is driven by the basic principle of focusing on the rider, not the bike, coming from a perspective emphasizing basic physics, biomechanics, and physiology.  The process applies the available scientific evidence to create a rider position that will take advantage of the optimum joint angles and muscle length and tension to allow the most efficient pedal stroke.

Yeah.  Great!  What does all that mean?  I do not use some slick, high-tech device or lasers or anything like that.  I take simple measurements of the rider and the bike and create a position that has been proven effective by current research, common sense, and the application of basic principles of science, fitting the bike to the rider.

Right!  But, what do I actually do?  I will have the rider fill out a questionnaire while I look at their bike
and gear, taking preliminary measurements.  Then, the rider will warm up on a stationary trainer while I confirm information from the questionnaire, possibly asking further questions, and begin a preliminary observation of their pedal stroke.  I will also record video of their pedaling for later viewing and analysis with respect to fit and efficiency.  We will review the video together and I will also take post-fit video for comparison, giving instruction for improvement as necessary.  Next, the actual fit begins.  I start with the shoe and cleat moving up to the saddle--the "power plant."  Once this is set, I move on to the "cockpit," the upper body and its relation to the handlebar.  That's the gist of the fit.  However, new parts may be necessary, thus postponing the completion of the fit.  This is the expected norm; most fits will be completed over two sessions.

Special thanks to Jeff and Jacqui Lockwood of Life Sport Inc. of Chandler, Arizona for your tutelage. 

Bike Fitting, Part 1: The Importance of a Good Fit

A bicycle is an extension of its rider, the interface between the rider and the riding surface.  As such, it needs to fit the rider appropriately, not the other way around.  Just like a runner needs the appropriate type and size of shoe and may require a specific insert or lacing pattern to individualize the fit, so a cyclist needs correctly sized equipment, finely tuned to his body.  Without that good fit to the bicycle, the cyclist risks being unsafe and uncomfortable which could lead to injury.  A poor fit could also be limiting performance.

With any good fitting system, a hierarchy of priorities exists and is related directly to the priorities of the rider on the bike.

Safety first.  Trite perhaps, but true nonetheless.  A rider must have adequate control of the bike.  If, for example, the handlebar is too far forward or too narrow, steering may be compromised.  Or, if the bar is too low, causing the rider to bend more at the waist, they may not be able to see a safe distance ahead without hyperextending the neck, which could lead to injury.  Commonly, casual riders have their saddle too low which will likely lead to knee pain.

Second, a good fit will allow for effective power production by permitting the appropriate range of motion at each joint of the body and thus the proper balance of muscle length and tension around each of those joints. This optimizes the rider's ability to transfer power from the body to the pedal.

Third, the rider's comfort should be considered to avoid inappropriate fatigue, so he may maintain control and power over potentially long periods on the bike.

Fourth, aerodynamics may be addressed, if appropriate.  An aero' position should only be considered after safety, power, and comfort are established and should not take priority over any of those aspects
of the fit.  Otherwise, overall function may be compromised.

In Bike Fitting, Part 2, I will share my approach to bike fitting.


Special thanks to Jeff and Jacqui Lockwood of Life Sport Inc. of Chandler, Arizona for your tutelage.

Never Too Old To Learn; Hopefully Not Too Old To Go Faster And Farther

This post has changed focus and content both in my head and on my computer countless times in the last nearly four months.  Initially, it was going to be about how I trained for my first marathon and perhaps qualified for Boston.  Then, it was going tell the story of my experience managing plantar fasciitis, then a calcaneal stress fracture, then plantar fasciitis, still training for my first marathon.  I was going to talk about overcoming winter weather and seasonal illness and how I (mostly) took my own professional advice, but may have made a few errors in judgement. I put it off for several reasons, primarily because I did not have an ending.  Now, I'm running again, but still dealing with plantar fasciitis and I changed my marathon registration to the half, so...

Life happens.  Challenges and barriers get in our way.  Goals change.  Life continues.  Hopefully, we learn, gain wisdom and strength.

The last few months have been an enriching experience which, upon reflection, was the point.  After realizing that I had never run a full marathon, a friend and fellow trainer, said "oh, you'll do one one day so you will be able to share the experience with other runners that you coach."  That was all it took.  She was right.  I needed that experience to grow as a running coach.  I have not experienced a marathon yet, but I am learning for sure.  Learning things like:

I saw a similar sign in SA that made me chuckle.

Running can be fun!  I am usually quite competitive when I run, mostly against myself and the clock.  I do not race to finish; I race for a fast time.  However, last fall as I increased my base mileage, I visited my best friend in Texas to run the San Antonio Rock and Roll half marathon with him.  The point of the race was to just hang out--a novel idea for me.  Other than having the "buddy time" I also enjoyed seeing parts of the city I had never seen before and I was able to actually enjoy the festivity of the event and the crowds.  While I will continue to race for speed, I would certainly consider doing another "fun" race too.

Fifty percent of all runners this year will have a running-related injury.  Statistics repeatedly show this. So, I consider myself lucky that this is the first time in over twelve years of consistent running that I have needed to take a break from running for longer than a week.  For those who don't know me: I have worked in physical therapy and sports medicine for over twelve years too.  Usually, I am pretty good at taking my own professional advice.  This time, I did okay.  However, I think I should have sought help sooner.  As much as I know, I do not know everything.  An earlier fresh look from an objective set of eyes might have made the difference between four and eight weeks off running.

As I have shared before, I have been running in minimalist shoes for a while.  Having a foot injury has changed my approach a little.  Currently, I am running in a more traditional stability shoe and I plan to continue with this shoe as long as I struggle with plantar fasciitis.  After that--hopefully soon--I will continue to run long with these shoes, but return to my minimalist shoes for shorter runs.  I think my body just cannot handle running high mileage on hard surfaces with minimalist shoes.  Consider that for what it is worth.  Running shoes are as individual as the feet that fill them.

As a coach and trainer, this experience has forced me to be more thoughtful in my own training program design.  I have to focus on quality first and design a comprehensive regimen to include appropriate running workouts, complementary cross training, and focused strength training.  I ask questions like: where am I weak?  Strong?  What led to the injury?  How do I manage it and continue to train?  What are my goals?  A particular race?  Longevity?  After I choose a race, what performance can I realistically expect?  And, how will I get there?  I have really had to think analytically which is only going to help me to improve as a coach.  Before the injury, it was just do a little more of this, a little less of that, ignore the other thing.  Now, I have had to start over.  That was a significant blow coming off my fastest year ever, setting PRs in the 5k, 10k, and half marathon. Patience, patience...

...which leads me to my overall outlook.  "Everything happens for a reason."  "When one door closes, another opens."  "Every dark cloud has a silver lining."  Phrase it however you like.  Whatever.  The point is: adversity must be accepted, then overcome.  Learn from the experience, but keep moving forward.  Change plans.  Modify goals.  There will always be another race.  It actually gets easier to qualify for Boston when you get older, right?  Just do. Not. Quit.

One final thing I learned: the treadmill is even worse than water running. ;)

Strength Training For Runners

Road running is a sport. As such it places specific demands on the body, different even than sprinting and walking. As a consequence, running has a number of specific injuries associated with it. Focused strengthening is important to prevent these injuries.  Running-specific strengthening can also improve performance.  Strength training  is part of any comprehensive fitness or sport training regimen. But, you need to train thoughtfully and purposefully.

General strength training can be helpful to runners by improving overall strength and muscular endurance.  It may improve performance by affecting the power to weight ratio; that is, building strength and decreasing body weight.  It can also improve body composition, making runners leaner.  So, strengthening exercises that work the major muscle groups of the body, emphasizing the legs and core are helpful.  Applying the principle of specificity will make strength workouts even more effective.

The most commonly injured body part in runners is the knee.  One might think that the knee should be strengthened to prevent injury.  However, frequently the knee is not the culprit, but the victim.  Therefore, my approach is to focus on the hips and core which can be weak or, at least, weak relative to the other muscle groups.  As runners age (50 years and over) the most commonly injured area moves from the knee to the foot and ankle.  So, that will need to be addressed as well.

When running, our muscles are active while one foot is on the ground, so strength training like that is one way to get specific.  Basically, any type of strengthening on one leg should be helpful.  These activities will activate the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus muscles which are commonly weak.  The gluteus maximus will also be trained to work better in rotation, a movement where it may not generally be strong.   Also anything that closely mimics the running gait should be helpful, walking lunges for example.  For comparison, some common exercises that are not specific to running and thus are less helpful include: knee extension, leg curl, and seated hip abduction/adduction.  In these examples the muscles are working with the feet are off the ground (unlike running) and the muscles are isolated (unlike running.)

Here are a few of my favorite exercises for runners.  All of them can be performed, at least initially with no equipment.  

Hopping on one leg: forward/backward, side, angles, combination

One-leg toe touch or stiff leg deadlift

One-leg squat

Lunge at a 45 degree angle

Forward lunge: stationary or walking

Side plank or bridge

Supine one-leg bridge

Heel raise

With the exception of the forward lunge and heel raise, all will activate those gluteal muscles as I described.  The forward lunge may or may not, but it mimics the running gait closely enough to be helpful.  The heel raise is important especially for the older runners to prevent foot and ankle injuries.  

A few tips:  1. Do these exercises with bare feet to strengthen the intrinsic muscles of your feet.  2.  Go to fatigue on each exercise.   3.  Do both legs.  4. With the heel raises, lower slowly emphasizing the eccentric part of the movement.

This is not a complete workout and some of you may be doing some of these already.  Just pick a few and incorporate them into your current routine.

To be thorough, some runners may need to address flexibility issues to prevent injuries as well.  First, if you have low back pain, stretch your hamstrings.  Second, all runners need to stretch their calves.  Third, older runners need to maintain flexibility at their big toe--it should be able to bend up.

Stretching: When and How

Stretching can be an important component of a comprehensive fitness or sport training regimen.  Sometimes it can actually be detrimental.  Incorporating stretching into your program can be as complicated as adding any other component to your plan.  Here is my approach based on my years of experience and education in physical therapy, sports medicine, and fitness.

First, stretching before a workout is not a good idea.  You are actually weaker immediately after stretching due to the reflexive relaxation caused by a sustained stretch.  This weakness may last for up to an hour.  You do not want to start a workout or a race in a weakened state.  Before a workout you need a dynamic warm up that may incorporate functional flexibility movements.  So, if you are going to stretch, do it at the end of the workout.

While the research supporting the efficacy of stretching is lacking, I feel there are appropriate times to stretch.  One good time is after a workout to relax "tight" muscles.  This will not prevent muscle soreness, but it may make you more comfortable immediately following the workout.  Hold stretches for at least ten seconds to overcome the stretch reflex and achieve that reflexive relaxation.  Holding a stretch for less than six to ten seconds will have little to no effect.  Stretch intuitively: focus on the muscles that are tight or have tension or fullness.  If you are unsure how to stretch, consult a professional: physical therapist, athletic trainer, personal trainer.

There are also specific groups of people who may benefit from focused stretching.  People with low back pain frequently have tight hamstrings and thus, should stretch regularly.  Runners, especially those over forty or so, can benefit from stretching their calves and (although it sounds funny) their big toes.  Tightness in these two areas have been associated with running-specific injuries.  Of course, stretching is frequently used in the rehabilitation setting as well--trust your therapist.

In these cases, the goal is to improve range of motion or flexibility.  Stretches for these purposes should be held for thirty to sixty seconds and repeated up to three times per session.  Recent research has concluded that benefits from a stretching session like this may only last a few hours.  So, stretch often.  You may also be able to maintain this improved flexibility by emphasizing full range of motion in those problem areas during your other training, for example doing lunges with the back leg straight to work on the flexibility of your hip flexors.

Again, if you are unsure how to stretch, consult a professional.  Perhaps now, utilizing these tips and information you may stretch more thoughtfully.