Some running tips gearing up for the LA Marathon #BetterYourBest #running

So, runners and triathletes alike have all been there...

Injured.  It sucks.  It's a pain, literally.  It's a derailleur for training.  But, it can be avoided or overcame!

When you're in the final stretch for long distance endurance events, the volume and intensity can be high, resulting in common foot injuries.  I'm no different.  The LA Marathon sent out a head ups for the most common foot injuries and how to get over them or prevent them from getting worse.

I'll share what they listed, and sadly I've pretty much had every injury at one point in time.

Tendinothapy : This may occur on the Achilles tendon near the heel and the peroneal tendon that runs on the outside of the ankle and ends at the level of the foot. Both result in tenderness and are difficult to treat but icing to reduce inflammation and decreasing the amount of mileage can help.

Plantar fasciitis : Runners suffering from plantar fasciitis feel tenderness on the bottom of the foot. Classic symptoms are pain in the first step of the day. Treatments include ice, anti-inflammatory treatment and a night splint, which can initially be difficult to get used to when sleeping, but is very effective.

Over-pronation : Runners with over-pronation will feel tenderness on the inside of the ankle. The key is correcting the alignment of the foot. Control running shoes and soft athletic orthotic inserts can help solve this problem.

Blisters and toenail loss : Runners may notice toenails with blood underneath. The toenail will probably fall off and may be tender and slightly painful. Avoid running until the tenderness stops. Protect blisters from further friction with a special blister bandage and keep the area clean to avoid infection.

If you experience troubling or serious pain, see your physician. Take good care of your feet and you stand a good chance of recovering well after the race.

what to expect at your first Chiropractor visit

So, I wrote about checking out a Chiropractor for back pain I have on the bike...
And I described my condition and also forgot to mention, I have had my bike professionally set up and adjusted several times to find a better position, but it doesn't really change much with my back pain after an hour or so on the Tri bike.

It's been a few weeks now going 2 days a week for adjustments and trying to keep up with the exercises I have to do on my own.  It's a good mixture of adjustments and physical therapy movements.

But, I thought I would describe my initial visit with Heritage Family Chiropractic.

Dr. Gary and his wife, Christa, run the office.  It's a Maximized Living franchise, and they run this branch in Olathe.  As far as I could find, they are the only Maximized Living in Kansas City.

Initially I was brought in by an online coupon to cut the initial consultation cost below 50% and thought, it couldn't hurt to check it out and get a few adjustments.  Normally, the first consultation is $125 and initial visits are around $75.  Unfortunately a lot of insurances aren't on the Chiropractor bandwagon, so they don't help much up front, but they will deduct the "medical necessity" portion from your deductible while you pay it all out of pocket.  So score if you your family makes frequent trips to the hospital and maxes out your co-pays for the year.  You families with little kids know what I mean.

For my first visit, I didn't really know what to expect.  Was it going to be shady?  Was it going to be a little shack with a table?  I was pleased to see that the space is very well maintained, modern and kept up.  This particular Max Living office is newer, so the digs are more fresh as in paint and appeal.

There is ample seating, spaces to "warm up", x-ray room, consult room and two tables for adjustments.

Also notice the sweet kids area!  That has come in handy as I have had to come over with my kids and Christa and Dr. Gary have been great at adapting to having toddlers running around causing chaos.  Dr. Gary even performs pediatric chiropractic services.

The initial visit required around an hours and consisted of;

• Discussion of past injuries.
• Discussion of goals.
• Assessment of outward appearance by Dr. Gary that was him feeling the spine and neck to see if he felt any abnormalities.
• Back stress analyzing using a tool that roles along your spine.  Some dispute the effectiveness of the tool, but without me indicating any issues, it accurately depicted where my issues were and confirmed it.
• We then took about 4 x-rays.  Dr. Gary uses these as his main tool to really see what your spine is doing.

In that initial assessment, Dr. Gary cannot really adjust you yet since he doesn't know what he is dealing with.  He needs to develop the x-rays and see what he has.

But, plan on spending at least an hour for the initial appointment and better to not have kids with you if possible.  Another tip would be to try and hit the office before 5pm.  The bulk of the patients come in after work and the office starts buzzing after 5.

When you go in for adjustments, it won't take nearly as much time and it's pretty efficient once you get on board with the process.

Have a good Wednesday and stay tuned for more reports of my time at Heritage Chiropractic.

Achilles Injury Update 9/24/12

I can’t tell you how much Blogger sucks at times… 
I had this post written and ready to go only to try to edit a small section. The whole post disappeared and before I could go back, it was gone. Normally I write them in word and copy them over, but not this time. Damnit.


So, the summary… 
Achilles is still down. Running and cycling are out. Pool running and swimming are in. The Kansas City Marathon may be in jeopardy. Time will tell. So far I’m running up a tab at the sports clinic for rehab and Graston on the back of the legs. Look it up, like torture. Good times.

If you have ever ran in the pool… 
You know it’s not exactly exciting. The scenery doesn’t change and the only real variety is changing your tempo. Try running for 2 hours in there and not going insane. BUT, I still want to run the KC marathon, so Coach Bob swears by the pool run and I’m putting my eggs in the pool.


But, I’ll share my top 10 tips for pool running.

1. Bring something to listen to. Grab your H2O audio and bring the iPod. It’s going to be a long day and if your pool is anything like the normal gym warm therapy pool, kids and inappropriate adults will be aplenty. If H2O is a little high priced for you, consider a plastic baggie taped around your iPod and stuck in a swim cap. Don’t submerge it, but it will work in a pink if you keep your head above water.
2. Wear something to protect your toes. Water shoes; bring them if you have them. Old tennis shoes, wash them off and bring them. Nothing is worse than being injured than being injured with tore up toes from scraping the pool floor.
3. Find a deep pool. The deeper the better. It will help simulate running if you can barely touch to use the pool floor to help and reduces impact, which is the main reason of doing pool runs while injured.
4. Have patience. You will probably see obnoxious kids, adults with questionable decorum and depending on the time, a generally full pool. Find your inner peace and work it.
5. Keep your form. Don’t think just because you are in the pool that you can just let your arm movements go to pot. Keep your form, even though you will have to work harder to do it under water. It defeats the purpose if you’re nursing an injury and ruin your form.
6. Don’t float. Don’t bring floaties unless you are heading to the kiddie pool. If you’re going to go through the agony of a pool run, come to work. Don’t rob yourself of the full benefit of the workout by making it easier.
7. Unless you have a polar heart rate strap with the proper software, you won’t be getting much heart rate data as most straps don’t work in water. Learn to read your perceived rate of exertion to gage how hard you are working. If you’re not getting the heart rate up, it may not be as effective keeping your fitness up while you are off of your feet.
8. Jammers work in a pink. Running in water causes less friction, so your ordinary jammers will work for a pool run. You might wear them out faster, but don’t fret that you need to go out and buy more gear to get your pool run in.
9. Stretch like you mean it. Just because a water run might have less impact doesn’t mean you get a vacation from stretching. You older triathletes out there can attest that stretching becomes more and more important after years of beating on the body. Allow for the 10 to 15 pre and post-workout stretch.
10. Don’t be fooled, it’s still a workout. If you bring it, fitness will come. If you put the work in, you won’t come out feeling the pounding from a 2 run on pavement, but your legs should feel like lead. You will be fatigued in places you didn’t think about while your joints recover. You will work your arms harder, your uplift effort on the legs will be harder and you will get worked.

So, if you have a sickness and the only prescription is pool running, heed these tips to avoid going insane in the pool.

Injuries are a part of the game...

Are you hurt, or are you injured?
If you have ever seen The Program, you know what I'm talking about.

Last weekend was a normal planned 2 hour run for the upcoming KC Marathon.  While out there, it became apparent that I had strained my right achilles tendon... or at least done enough damage to the calf areas over time that the flare ups are becoming a bigger deal.

I have kept achilles flare ups at bay over the past 7 to 8 years with sports massage, rollers and ice.  That addressed the symptoms, but never the cause.  I thought I just had tight calves.

As I found out this week, there's a reason other than just "that's the way my body is".

Paid a visit (and you will pay) to a sports clinic and the chiropractor performed some analysis and shot video of me running.  I lean at the hips and pronate badly, especially with the right foot.  It was painful to watch the straight line shot of me running and watch the right foot twist inward sharply at the bottom of planting to push off.

I'll be hitting some PT and therapy to correct some scarring damage and build some strength in the lower calves to help alleviate the pronation and leaning.

In the mean time, I'll be hitting the pool for water running and avoiding the bike and real running for the remainder of the week.  I'm injured and can still play, but I need to take some action to avoid becoming injured with a severe tear or complete tear of the achilles.

That sucks, especially since the fall weather is AWESOME around here and it's perfect running weather.

Ear Pluggage!

Bailiff: I found him like this in the bathroom, your honor. Somebody beat the hell out of him!
Judge: Who did this?
Fletcher: A mad man, your honor, a desperate fool at the end of his pitiful rope.
Judge: What did he look like?
Fletcher: About 6'2", 180lbs. big teeth, kinda gangly.

This is what dialogue goes through my head as I deal with a STILL plugged ear from swimmer's ear to ear infection to now who knows what... A PITIFUL FOOL AT THE END OF HIS ROPE!

Hope the ENT has something for me even it's a hot poker to the ear drum!