Final Form Check

Since the start of the year, I've been working with Casey at Therapydia Denver. He's analyzed my running form, given me enough exercises to keep me busy, had me run keeping time with a metronome, and forced me out of my comfort zone. And I am extremely grateful for all of it.

I’ve posted about our sessions a few times - here, here, and here (if you want to catch up). After a few years dealing with a recurring and nagging shin situation - which, full disclosure, is not completely gone but is dissipating - and knowing that my natural running posture is extremely inefficient, when Therapydia offered a run assessment and a handful of follow-up sessions in return for sharing the experience, I couldn’t turn it down.

After my sessions with Casey, my form is more efficient and I’m running a bit faster. When he first watched me run and we looked at the video during the assessment, I almost wanted to hide. As he described it, I was actually leaning back a little. And clearly, backwards is not where a runner wants to go. 

Check out these before and after photos. I'm not falling forward (even though that's how I felt when I started trying this!), but there is a difference in both my upper body posture and my leg drive.

 

I still have to work on building strength in my glutes, but that does take time and it has gotten better, as you can see in the before and after photos below. For a lot of us runners, the last thing we want to spend time on is strength work, but it's incredibly important. And not just when we're in PT, but for forever and a day!

What I hadn’t expected was that by leaning forward, I’m also running a tad bit faster; it's harder to slow down and run at an easy pace. Which can make my sluggish runs feel even more difficult.

One time this didn't bother me was when I ran the Tenacious Ten 10M in Seattle in April and finished with a much faster time than I expected. Although, running at sea level also likely played a role in that finish time.

I’ve enjoyed working with Casey, and it’s been great to see improvements along the way and have a solid plan moving forward (aka: stick with the exercises!). When I told him I had registered for a 10 mile race he was fully supportive and confident that I could do it, which definitely helped me feel more confident in my decision to go after my longest race in years. And it turned out great!

There are 11 clinics around the country and based on my experience - and the feedback of my two friends who’ve now also visited Therapydia - I absolutely recommend them if you’re feeling a little twinge, need help coming back from an injury or just want to get your running form analyzed.

Thanks for coming along with me on this journey. I'd love to hear about yours or answer any questions you have about the experience! Happy running, friends!

This post is sponsored by Therapydia. All opinions are my own.

Form Check, Part 3

It's time for another check in!

I've been working on my running form since the start of the year with the help of a Physical Therapist, Casey, from Therapydia Denver, (full transparency: this is part of a series of blog posts sponsored by Therpydia) with the goal of becoming a more efficient, and less injury-prone running. What this means in real life, is that I'll be able to run more and hurt less!

What all of us runners want, right?

Over the last several weeks I've focused on exercises and relaxed running. I still have work to do, since it's never really over, but watching the video during my last session it was clear I'm making good improvements. 

Each session at Therapydia begins with a warm-up, followed by a run on the treadmill while Casey captures video to get a closer (and slower) look at my gait, and then we go through a series of exercises, typically a mix of old and new.

The mix of exercises to build core, glute, and hamstring muscles coupled with retraining my mind and body to run more relaxed, is how I'm really going to improve my form.

I have two groups of exercises to do, three times a week each: floor and standing. Depending on the day and how much time I have at home or at the gym to get them done, I may just do one group or I'll do both. If I'm being real, it also depends on how much energy I have.

Standing exercises

• Monster walks with a band around ankles
• Speed skaters with a band around ankles (make it tougher standing on a balance/cushy mat so it's not so stable)
• Single leg dead lifts with a kettlebell (if you're new to these, try the first few days without any weights, or very light ones and don't worry about reaching the ground, keep your hips parallel to the ground and back straight)

Floor exercises

• Hamstring curls with a exercise ball and band just above knees (or not)
• Bridges on a Bosu and band just above knees (to make it a bit harder: "march" by lifting one foot up - leg straight out, then the other)
• Side plank/clamshell combo with or without the band just above knees
• Alternating planks - alternate between standard forearm plank and side planks
• Kneeling band push is a bit awkward, so the photo below helps illustrate it. Tie a knot at the end of a band and secure it in a door, the pull it taught and kneel on the knee closest the door. Push the band forward so arms are straight, then pull it close to the body, and repeat. This core exercise requires some good balance.

These exercises along with some drills on the treadmill and stretching have been my routine. Oh, and a nice 30-minute yoga break we've been doing at work once a week, courtesy of a colleague who is also a yoga teacher. I cannot say enough good things about the ability to take 30 minutes out of our fast-paced, busy weeks to stretch and clear our heads.  

I have another session coming up soon where we'll do another check of my running form, see if these exercises are actually turning into something, and maybe I'll get more to add to the routine. I feel like things are improving and with my sights set on a race now, that provides extra motivation to keep doing the work. 

If you're looking for the other posts in this series, you can catch up here:

• Getting Started on the Right Foot
• Becoming a Stronger Runner, Part 2

What is one of your favorite exercises that keeps you running strong?

This post is sponsored by Therapydia. All opinions are my own.

Becoming a Stronger Runner, Part 2

This is the second in a series of posts sharing my experience working with Therapydia Denver, as we fix my running form. If you want to know how this started, I suggest you check out this post.

After a few weeks of shuffling on the treadmill at the gym, monster walking through our kitchen, and reminding myself to relax (my feet) while I run, I was back at Therapydia for another session with Casey.

Coming straight from a long day at work, I spent a few minutes on the treadmill to get my legs moving and warm up a bit. Since the point of these sessions is to improve my running form, it's important to see if I've made any progress from visit to visit, so that was first on the agenda.

Casey took some videos as I ran on the treadmill from the same angles as the first time so we could see if anything improved. Running forms don't typically change overnight, so I fully expect that this process to take a while, but I do hope to see a bit of improvement with each session.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the new video (below right) next to the original, showed some improvement! I'm leaning forward more and while both feet are hitting the ground at a better angle, my left foot is looking better than the right.

You can see by the green lines below that my left leg was stretching out farther during the first session than this time. The more out stretched the leg, the more likely the heel is going to take the brunt of the landing. Improvement!

My hips are still dropping, which is the sign of weak glutes, but that's going to take a lot of time (and monster walks) to see a real difference, so he wasn't surprised to see this and encouraged me not to get discouraged.

This is definitely a process that requires dedication and patience. Even with all the great help, direction and exercises that I'm getting from Casey at Therapydia, I'm the only one who can actually do the work. If I don't do it, nothing will change.

I've learned I need to do my exercises at the gym or just after I get home each morning because I'm usually so mentally exhausted after work that the last thing I want to do is my exercises. Even spending 5 minutes rolling out before bed it tough enough.

After the treadmill test, I was given a few more exercises to work on. This week: core.

The first exercise he gave me works the deep core muscles, the transverse abdominus. It's not like a plank where you can tell without much trouble if you're doing it correctly or not. This one is pretty subtle so it took a few tries to get it right, and then I had to do it a few more times to try and ingrain how it felt in my memory so I could do it at home on my own.

The other exercise for the week was the standard bridge - with two feet on the floor and also lifting one foot off - with an exercise band just above my knees to provide resistance. There's a reason why some exercises are so common, because they work. The bridge is one of them - great for strengthening abs, low back and glutes.

Like monster walks, I've done bridges for years, but it's a good reminder that I need to do them regularly. In fact, Casey instructed me to do these exercises - along with the ones from the first session - three days a week, advising against doing them just before a long or hard run.

Beyond the exercises and keeping my feet relaxed while I run, he also gave me a cadence goal - 170 steps per minute. With a quicker cadence I'll keep my strides shorter and in turn, should land more mid-foot. The trouble I'm still having with this though is running a faster cadence without running faster, because my legs and lungs can't keep up with it for long.

For this, Casey recommended breaking down each mile. Start by running the faster cadence for a quarter mile, then back to my regular cadence for the rest; over time skewing more of the mile towards 170 steps for minute. This is what I've spent the least amount of time on, but I'll get there.

More work is ahead. I have another session this week so stayed tuned for more about how this is going. I'm curious, if you've successfully increased your cadence, what's the secret?

This post is sponsored by Therapydia. All opinions are my own.

Getting Started on the Right Foot

You may know that the last few months of 2017 were not great running months for me. In fact, I wasn’t running at all. First, another shin/calf “injury” popped up that made running uncomfortable, then a random and very painful back injury took me out completely. While frequent visits to my chiropractor and acupuncturist, and rest, got me back to running, I knew that for sustained health, I needed to fix the underlying problem: my running form.

Recently, I’ve been lucky enough to partner with Therapydia Denver to do just that. Never heard of them? Therapydia is a national network of physical therapy clinics, but they actually do a lot more than just physical therapy.

Over the next few months I’ll be posting about my experience working with Therapydia Denver to fix my running form and (hopefully) stave off more injuries. Since the goal is to keeping running as long as I can.

We'll start with my first session, the Run Assessment:

I met with Casey McNitt, the clinic director, for my run assessment. It's an hour long session that starts off like most first sessions with a PT or other medical practitioner - I shared my medical history, experience with running, goals, and the issues I'd recently been dealing with. If you know me, you know that'll take a while. Thankfully, he wasn't deterred. 

His goal is to help me be the best runner I can be, by identifying issues with my running form and determining a plan to get me on the right path. 

After talking through my history, we went to the treadmill. I warmed up for a few minutes walking at a brisk pace before I was instructed to bump up the pace a bit to a comfortable run. While running, he took videos of my form, from the back and side, then focused on my feet.

We then looked at the videos together and he walked me through what he saw. And what we saw, wasn't pretty.

From the Back

• The video showed - and you can see in the screenshots below - that I need to strengthen my glutes. Rather than staying even, my hips drop with each foot fall. As Casey explained, the right hip drop shows weakness in my left side gluteus medius. To compensate, I lean left with my upper body. While it takes the load off my weak glute, it can create other problems with my hips, low back, neck and more. 
• My arms swing front to back in a straight line, rather than crossing over my body. Did you know they were supposed to? I guess I didn't. By crossing in front, your core has to do more work, taking the pressure off your lower body a little. 

From the Side

• I run straight up, almost leaning backward. I think this is a holdover from my years in dance and marching band. Good for marching band, not good for running. Alternatively, by leaning forward, I can naturally propel myself forward and it'll help address how my feet land, because...
• I am a heel striker. A quiet one, but a heel striker nonetheless. The way my heel hits, all the force is going straight up the chain, which is also likely playing a big role in my injuries. 

After looking at these videos and breaking it all down, Casey put me to work. Back on the treadmill, he had me shuffle with a fast walk to get the feeling of my full foot hitting the ground. Then, leaning forward (so far that it felt like I was going to go head over heels), pick up the pace.

Immediately, we saw a little improvement. See how I'm leaning a bit forward in the image below and a bit more of my left foot is hitting the treadmill? It's not a huge difference, but it was a good start. (And isn't it so cool to be able to see the improvements in video?!)

Before wrapping up, we headed out to the gym where he showed me a few exercises to strengthen my glutes (hint: keep up those monster walks) and a drill to help me get the feeling of leaning forward and striking the floor with a flatter foot.

Since this first session, I've been incorporating the exercises into my workouts a few times a week and using the tips and drills. One thing Casey mentioned while watching a video of another runner with a similar issue, is that she kept her feet relaxed. That idea really stuck with me and has become a sort of mantra for me.

I'm excited to see how my running improves over the next sessions with Therapydia. If you found this post interesting, I hope you'll come back to hear how it goes!

This post is sponsored by Therapydia. All opinions are my own.

What We Do For Health, Part 1: The Salt Cave

In a turn of luck, I've recently had the opportunity to try a few different non-traditional care treatments. While runners can certainly benefit from a range of treatments, the same can be said for everyone. Life is stressful and can be hard on the body, and since it's the only one we get, we should be good to it.

Try something for me. Get up out of your chair and try to touch your toes. How does that feel?

Now, stand up straight, put your right hand over your head and reach as far to the left as you can and count to 15. Now switch arms and bend to your right. How did that feel?

Chances are you felt some tugging and tightness. Maybe you couldn't touch your toes. Maybe your back cracked or your neck felt heavy. Maybe it was the easiest thing you've done all day.

We tend to carry a lot of stress in our bodies, I know I certainly do, but we don't have to live in pain or feel mildly uncomfortable all the time. 

Fact: as I write this I have a tight knot in my neck that's making my head feel like a million pounds.

I'm always looking ways to lower stress, relax, stop my shoulder from hurting, and support my running, that will work consistently and hopefully last longer than a few hours.

When a local bike shop turned into a place called 5 Star Salt Caves, we were curious what it was all about. And then the Groupon offers started. So needless to say, we decided to give it a try.

Several different services are offered, but we went for the main attraction - the salt cave.

In addition to stimulating deep relaxation, Halotherapy (or sitting in salt) is the use of salt vapor to treat or prevent respiratory ailments and skin irritations, and to help combat headaches, dizziness, nausea, indigestion, and more.

What it's like:

In reality the cave is a room with several inches of pink Himalayan salt covering the floor, blocks of the salt covering the walls, several salt lamps placed throughout the room and the dark ceiling has strategically placed twinkle lights to resemble stars in the sky.

When we were led into the room we were directed to one of eight or so lounge chairs - more of the outdoor type than the lay-zee boy type - with a blanket and a small basket for personal items.

This is not a private treatment, nor does it involve any strenuous movement, so comfortable clothing is recommended and clean, white socks are required. All I can assume is that dirty, colored socks can change the color of the salt. But that's just a guess.

After everyone was settled in the lights were dimmed. Since phones aren't allowed and it's not a place to catch up on the latest gossip (silence is golden), the only option is to just lay there for 50 minutes and take a little nap if you'd like.

My take:
It takes a lot for my mind to slow down and for me to stop obsessing over my to-do list, so the music and twinkling "stars" were welcomed distractions. After a while I was able to switch my focus and relax a bit. While I may have fallen asleep for only a flash, the fifty minutes did go by more quickly than I expected, which I was thankful for, but also not quite ready to get back to my day.

I was really hoping that it would help clear my sinuses and relieve congestion, and while I was able to breathe freely after a few minutes, the effects quickly dissipated once we left.

Will I go back?
I think so. It seems like a type of experience that you have to experience a few times to get the full benefits of. If nothing else, it helped me relax and I was in a pretty good mood the rest of the day (although, the fact that it was also my birthday may have had something to do with that!). Five Star Salt Caves in Denver often has Groupon offers, so I'll try and take advantage of that again, as $35 for 50 minutes would be a bit expensive on a regular basis.

Sound off: If you've tried Halotherapy before, what did you think? * What's the oddest treatment you've tried to cure or prevent an illness or injury?

Knowing When to Take a Break (And Being Okay with It)

If you happen to follow me on social media, you've already heard the news that my running streak came to an end at 115 days. I have a lot to be thankful for. Running every day got my body moving, cleared my mind or allowed me to focus, encouraged me to explore new places and new ideas, and realize that my body is capable of more than I thought.

I didn't hadn't planned out when I was going to stop. It had been in the back of my mind for a few days but it wasn't until sometime between 4:40am when the alarm went off on Friday and we arrived at the gym 20 minutes later, that I made the decision not to get on the treadmill that morning.

It was surprisingly easy, but still a difficult decision. My weekly mileage hasn't been extraordinary, but for me it's been really solid the last few months. Long runs have been a bit longer and logging 80+ miles per month in my Compete journal on a consistent basis has come with a sense of pride and accomplishment. Not to mention the faster times on my watch.

The reason I'm taking a few days off is because I've had a nagging ache in my right shin for a little over a week, which I'm pretty convinced is actually connected to tightness in my right calf, an issue I dealt with last year. It took me out of the BolderBOULDER and resulted in downgrading from the 10 miler to the 10k during the Garden of the Gods race. With two races coming up in May - including the Colfax Marathon relay with my Oiselle teammates - it was clear a few days off was necessary.

I did what's often so hard for us as runners to do. I listened to my body.

With the end of my running streak I don't feel like I've failed. I'm not ashamed. And I don't feel like any less of a runner. In fact, after this experience I feel more like a real runner than ever before. (Let me be clear here: in no way, do I think it's necessary to run every day to be a 'real runner'. If you run, you're a runner!)

It does sting a little to know that I'll log less than 10 miles this week, and maybe next week too, but I'll get over it. I've seen it before and I'll see it again.

I prefer to focus on the longterm. My goals for this year (as nebulous as they are right now) and healthy running in the years ahead.

The intention I set last week in my journal was "Do what feels right." So in making this decision, I don't feel badly or like a failure in calling it quits. I did what felt right.

What I'm focusing on during my little break:

• Cross training (bike, elliptical, hiking)
• Strength training
• Core work
• Rolling out and stretching
• Resting 

Whether you're pursuing a run streak or only running a few days a week, it's important to listen to your body and take a break if you need one. In my experience, pushing through rarely works in my favor. Usually, it ends in a stress fracture or other overuse injury. And usually at the worst time.

A group hike at South Table Mesa near Golden was the perfect diversion from running on Sunday. Photo courtesy of Amanda Brooks (of Run to the Finish)

Five reasons why you might need a break from running:

• You have a nagging ache or pain that doesn't go away after a few days of extra rolling out, stretching, or ice
• Running has become a cause of stress or anxiety
• You've had several unusually difficult workouts in a row
• Fatigue and a lack of energy is an every day occurrence
• You're nursing an upper respiratory illness

With our Type A personalities, always going after goals and not wanting to divert from training plans, focusing on the long-term and setting new, short-term goals (like getting healthy and stronger) and leaning on your support system can help get you through your break.

When have you had to take a break (of any time period) from running? * What goals are you focused on right now?

Reminder: I am in no way a professional, all of my advice, ideas, and recommendations are rooted in my experience as a runner and through research. 

Running Injury: Inflamation of the Popliteus Muscle

It really is true that every day we learn something new. One thing I've learned recently is that we have this little muscle in the back of our knee called the popliteus. Even though it's small, hidden, and usually just hangs out and does its thing, when it gets upset, it screams.

I wrote a bit about my injury in my first post on our vacation in Vancouver, but at that point I didn't know what was causing all the pain. Turns out my popliteus muscle is inflamed.

This is a common case of an overuse injury which I can pinpoint exactly to the week I ran way to many miles in an effort to make sure I was ready for the Colfax Marathon Relay after being out sick for 15 days. And running another race a week later. The trouble is my legs were feeling good that first week back so I thought I was in the clear until I started feeling a little nagging behind my knee after the race.

Along with overuse, this muscle can become inflamed or strained from running on a road or trail camber (a sloped surface) can have a big impact on how our muscles work. Worn down shoes (guilty) and over pronation (also guilty) could have also played a factor.

What Is The Popliteus Muscle?
From my Doc and through a bit of research, I found the popliteus muscle is a small, triangular shaped muscle that originates at the inside of the femur near the knee and connects into the outside of the tibia just above the calf muscle. The purpose of this muscle is to allow the tibia to rotate internally in relation to the femur and "unlock" the knee. In other words, it's pretty crucial to movement and standing requires very little of this muscle.

What It Feels Like When It's Mad
In my case, this has meant that I'm unable to completely straighten my right leg, and when I do involuntarily - for example when walking quickly, if I just step strangely, or unconsciously stretch out my legs while sleeping - it sends pain down my calf muscle and up to my glute. Sometimes its been a stabbing pain that takes my breath away, while at other times its been a dull nagging pain. To make it things even more exciting, I've favored my right side so much that it's caused issues on the left side and my hips are now even more asymmetrical than usual! 

Laying it all out there, the pain has been so intense at times that I've been nervous to walk down a busy sidewalk because afraid that a runaway kid or an excited dog would require me to move quickly and the muscle will kick back at me, hard. It's really not fun to be nervous about a walk to the coffee shop - or to avoid it altogether. Fun times.

While this is what I've experienced, I'm just one person and I'm sure that an inflamed popliteus results in a wide range of aches and pains. That said, hopefully I can help someone out by describing what I'm going through who might also have this unusual injury.

Before I saw the Doc at the CU Sports Med Clinic in Denver - who specializes in runners and said this is pretty uncommon - I first went to Google and tried to self-diagnose, which we all know is not the best way to go about things. The popliteus muscle didn't show up in any of my searches and led me to think the worst (I think I have a blood clot and I'm going to die!). ITBS, runner's knee, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, achilles tendinitis, and stress fractures seem to get most of the attention when it comes to running injuries. 

Treatment
I'm massaging with ice - dixie cup style, using a topical anti-inflammatory - it's easier on the stomach, not running, and trying to get a few sessions with a physical therapist. From what I understand, the PT will massage the hard-to-reach muscle and assist with specific stretches which will help relax all the muscles on my right side. Hopefully all of this will work together to make my popliteus muscle happy again so I can get back to running. From what I understand it should only be another couple weeks and I'm definitely feeling much better already. 

I highly suggest that if you feel anything like what I've described above, ice immediately and often, and get in to see a doctor as soon as possible. You don't want to miss a race like I'm going to on the 4th.

Have you had a popliteus flare-up or some other strange running-related injury? * Will you be running a Fourth of July race?

Accepting a DNS

This email landed in my inbox the other day.

Unfortunately though, I won’t be lining up on Sunday rather I’ll be taking a DNS (did not start). I love this race because it really sets a great tone for Marathon Week and for those of us not running the marathon it’s a great way to get into the action and enjoy some of the excitement. The finish line of this 5 mile race is also the same as the finish line for the marathon, which is pretty cool.

The fact is, for the last several weeks my left leg has been feeling a little off. I’m pretty sure it’s mostly due to an extremely tight ITB that causes all sorts of problems. I haven’t been running much since I ran with Grace a few weeks ago. My hope is that a combination of low-impact cardio, strength training and lots of quality time stretching and with the foam roller is all I need. I get pretty paranoid about niggles like this with my history of stress fractures. I haven’t had one in almost a year (knock on wood) and I’m hoping to get through 2012 without needing crutches. Always a good goal to set, right? Even my endocrinologist, who I saw last week, agreed it is a good idea for me to keep my miles low for a while still. So as not to stress my bones so much.

So…that’s how I’ve come to accept the DNS I’m going to take this Sunday. My leg is feeling pretty good today and I do really wish I could run on Sunday, but I’ve come to terms with the fact that my body isn’t always up for what I really want to do and I’m not going to risk it this weekend. Plus, I have another race coming up in November, Race to Deliver, which I am now setting my sights on.

Hopefully the race this Sunday in Central Park, along with the Marine Corps Marathon in D.C. and all the other races in the North East, won’t be affected by Sandy. Apparently a late fall hurricane/tropical storm/nor'easter/frankenstorm is coming this way. Irene was not fun last year, hoping this one either turns right instead of left or somehow weakens quite a bit before it gets close!

• Have you ever had to take a DNS for a race?
  • Last year I had to take a DNS for the Broad Street Run 10 Miler in Philly because I wasn’t in shape after a stress fracture
• What are your plans for the weekend?
  • The norm: Gym, chores, prepping for Sandy and finalizing details for a Oiselle meet-up next week!
• Will you be running in or spectating MCM or INGNYCM?
  • Spectating INGNYCM!! Can’t wait to cheer for Grace, my Oiselle teammates and thousands of others!

************

Today’s workout -

• 40min elliptical
• 3x10 tricep kickback
• 3x10 bent row
• 3x10 hammer curl
• ab exercises
• 2x40sec plank on exercise ball
• stretching
• foam roller

Five for Friday

I am not very prepared for this week's Five for Friday post because today has snuck up on me! This week has flown by!

1. There is a Greenmarket near Woody's office every Wednesday and this week he found these beautiful things.

I added them to a delicious salad (which I made even better by topping with some avocado and quinoa). Nice, easy summer dinner on a hot day.

2. I found out about this really interesting film that's screening in New York through July 14th and looks like another must see in the genre of food documentaries. "Farmageddon tells the story of small, family farms that were providing safe, healthy foods to their communities and were forced to stop, sometimes through violent action, by agents of misguided government bureaucracies, and seeks to figure out why." The trailer is very moving previewing interviews with farmers, authors and others who are intimately involved in this, including Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface Farms (you'll recognize him from his appearance in Food, Inc. and involvement in Michael Pollan's best seller, The Omnivore's Dilemma. I hope to find myself comfortably in a seat in the movie theater come Saturday night.

3. Last time I saw my Sports Doc to check up on my stress fracture she recommended that I purchase a book called Run Metrics since I wouldn't be going to physical therapy. I've now heard both authors, Dr Robert Maschi and Dr Heather Williams, speak at various running events in the city and their method sounded really interesting. The book arrived the other day and I'm looking forward to incorporating their exercises into my routine to gain strength, stability and power while I run, while reducing my risk of injuries!

4. A week from today we're flying to Seattle! I can't wait and have been spending quite a lot of time reading about the city, neighborhoods, running routes, and opportunities to kayak. This weekend we'll start working out what to do when, so we have some sort of structure when we get there. Two things are for sure: 1) we're going to the Seattle Mariner's game Friday night, 2) I'm running the See Jane Run 5k Sunday morning and will be meeting fantastic bloggers including Mel, Kerrie, Chelsea, Zoe and Jill. It sounds like they're a pretty tight knit group, but I'm excited to meet them!


5. I'm thinking about joining a local running team, but I'm not quite convinced because I'm still running pretty slow right now. Ironically, that's both a reason why I am nervous to join but also why I want to join. Also, I didn't start running until a few years out of college and do most of my runs solo, so it would be a whole new world for me. Decisions, decisions.

• How do you feel about running with a team or local club?
• Have you ever gone out of your way to support local farmers or dairies?
• What exciting things are you doing this weekend?
• Do you use Blogger? What do you think of the new Blogger in Draft? I think it's going to take a few days for me to figure it all out.

************

Today's workout -

35min elliptical
3x10 clam shells
100 crunches
2x15 resistance band woodchops
2x15 squats
2x15 cable-pull push-downs
stretching

My Secret Weapon

Last night I attended the "Runner's Health and Marathon Training" event at Hospital for Special Surgery where several doctors and a nutritionist spoke to a room full of runners (and about 350 runners around the world via webcast) about training and nutrition. While we all know I'm not training for a marathon, I still took away quite a few tips from the evening and the best quote of the evening was this one from Dr. Jordan Metzl:
"A strong butt is key to a happy life."


As athletes, many of us deal with stiff muscles and stretch quite a lot. I can't tell you how many stories I've heard about experiences taking a stick through security at an airport (I've done it myself). We have quirky little 'tools' to stay limber and recover quickly from runs. I even have a trigger wheel. And now, I have another secret weapon!


This is a running blog, so when I find little tricks or tips, I'm going to share them. And I have a great one for you today!!! A few times since increasing my cardio since my latest injury I've mentioned that my leg muscles are extremely tight. Like seriously tight. I touch my toes and feel like a rubber band being pulled to it's extreme from heel to hip. My quads are tight. My hips are tight. My obliques are tight. My glutes are tight. Oh, and my shoulders have always been tight, but that's not news.


I don't have a foam roller at home but our gym has a few so I routinely use it for a few minutes both at the start and the end of my workouts there. I had to figure out something because nothing was loosening me up and I don't want to get another injury due to tight muscles. That is not ideal.


When my shoulders were really bad in college and just after, I often used a tennis ball for self-massage. Putting a tennis ball between my scapula and a wall was the only way I could get enough pressure to relief some of the tightness without the help of a professional. So, thinking back to this time I dug out a tennis ball and decided to see if it would help my glute muscles. (Woody was not home at the time, I did not want to incur strange looks until I knew it worked).


Now, the glute muscles are incredible things. Because of them, we are able to stand, walk, run, crawl. We would have a pretty difficult time getting around without working glute muscles. Because of this, quite a few doctors and athletes believe that weak or strained glute muscles can cause injuries in other areas of the lower body. As runners, we all know that a pain in one place can easily mean an injury somewhere else. This all means it's super important to make sure glute muscles are working properly and loose.


I found a bare space on the wall and grabbed my tennis ball and tried to work out the tight muscles. (I'll spare you a photo). Turns out it works really well. And not just for the glute muscles, but also for the hips, quads, and back. So, now first thing in the morning before the gym and then before I go to bed, I use my trusty tennis ball to loosen up my muscles. I've been doing this for a few weeks now and I have definitely noticed a difference in my workouts and runs. For example, on the day of the Mini 10k I woke up very stiff. While I was drinking tea and watching the weather reports, I alternated between massage and stretching and within minutes I was feeling more loose! 


So, enter into the books my secret weapon:

I guess it's not so "secret" any more!!

• Do you have a secret weapon that helps you with your running or working out?

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Today's workout -

35min elliptical
2x20sec bridges
100 crunches
2x15 hanging reverse curls
2x20 leg press
2x15 upright row
2x18 cable push-down
2x15 squats
stretching