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Electronic
Newsletter - March 2006
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Table
of Contents
Select an Item
to Read the Following Articles
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Thank
You
| It’s that time of the year when I extend
my gratitude to all those who have contributed to this newsletter; thus
making my job so much easier, and infinitely more enjoyable.
Richard Tenbarge, Don Nichols and Ray
Pritchett submitted bi-monthly ‘Messages’
Joe Whelan kept us abreast with
the scholarship awards.
Tom and Carol Anderson informed
us about the ‘Step Up Club’.
Don Nichols reported on the picnic
and on the ‘Y(not)2K’ event.
| These others have shared with us their
running/walking/healthful experiences:
Tom Anderson, Lisa Bell, Barbara Cox, Chad
& Kristy Hartmann, Kenji Heilman, Ced Hustace, Becky Kiesel, Don Nichols,
Paul Norberg, Elaine Ward, and Angie Wooten. (Some of these folks contributed
multiple articles.) |
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I would also like to thank both “Runners’
World” and “Trail Runners Magazine” from whom I’ve stolen so much, so often.
I apologize to anyone who was inadvertently
omitted from this list. Each of us needs to thank these folks for helping
to make our newsletter both informative and entertaining. No one is more
appreciative than I for the extra distance these members have gone in participating
in their clubs’ activities. |
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AnswerPerson
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What are some of the advantages of regular
exercise? Baffled in Bloomington
Sorry, can’t think of a single one. My
philosophy is: No Pain – Good!
Answerperson |
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Things
I Think I Think
| If, during the early stages of a race,
runners push by you; then you are lining up too close to the ‘start line’.
Move back when congregating before the start of the race and you won’t
have this problem. |
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Medical
Corner
| Has this happened to you?
You're 12 weeks
into your marathon-training program; while out on a long run, you develop
a sharp pain in your buttocks. As you continue to run, the pain persists.
Your hamstrings feel tight and even a little sore, though by slowing the
pace the symptoms subside somewhat, and you finish the run. While sitting
at your favorite post-run hangout, there is a tingling sensation in the
back of your thigh and calf. You’ve just been introduced to your piriformis
muscle. This muscle arises from the sacrum, passes through the sciatic
notch (an opening in the pelvic bone) and attaches to the bony prominence
on the side of the thigh (greater trochanter). The piriformis plays a role
in the outward rotation of the hip.
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The sciatic nerve is formed by five nerves
that exit the spinal cord; it typically passes through the notch in front
of the piriformis. In approximately 15 percent of the population, the nerve
passes through the muscle. |
Problems occur when
the piriformis becomes inflamed. This may be due to direct trauma (falling
on your butt), overuse, or a sudden, forced rotation of the hip, which
may occur when running on an uneven surface. The inflamed muscle may cause
pain in the center of the buttock or may compress the sciatic nerve causing
pain, aching or tingling in the leg. Pain may increase by sitting, squatting,
or climbing stairs. Deep palpation of the center of the buttocks will cause
pain, as will sudden stretches of these muscles. Initially you can run
through the pain, but in many cases, symptoms become severe enough to restrict
activity. The muscle tightens and may even spasm during activities, which
can cause an alteration in gait. The affected side of the pelvis is pulled
upward, creating a functional leg length difference; stride on the affected
side is shortened. These alterations in gait can cause a number of overuse
injuries due to poor biomechanics.
How did you develop
this problem? A common finding is tight hip adductor muscles (these are
the muscles along the inner aspect of the thigh that pull the leg inward),
which override the hip abductors (muscles along the outside of the thigh
that pull the leg outward); the piriformis acts as a hip abductor. If your
foot excessively pronates when pushing off, your leg rotates inward; the
piriformis acts as an external rotator of the hip (turns outward) and contracts
in reaction to each push-off.
If you are avoiding
the doctor, you will need to work on stretching your piriformis muscle.
One method of doing so is to lie on your back, bend the affected knee and
hip. Grasp your knee with the right hand and push toward your left shoulder.
Grasp your right ankle with your left hand and rotate the leg inward.
To stretch the
hip adductor muscles, sit on the floor and put the soles of your feet together,
holding your feet with your hands. Very gently pull yourself forward until
you feel a stretch, not pain, in the groin muscles. Make sure to lean from
the hips and lower back, not the upper back and neck. Hold this stretch
for 20 to 30 seconds. Work on stretching all of the muscles of the hip,
as they will have been affected by the alteration in gait. Strengthening
the hip abductors is also very important. Lie on your side and lift the
upper leg 25 to 30 inches, making sure that your pelvis remains perpendicular
to the floor. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Perform 10 repetitions
at the start and gradually increase the number over time. As you become
stronger, you may wear an ankle weight while performing this exercise.
You can work other major hip muscles in a similar manner, lying on your
back for the flexors, on your abdomen for the extensors (upper hamstrings)
and on your side with the upper (non-exercise) leg moved back for the adductors. |
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BellBodies
Corner
By Lisa
Bell
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Combine exercise
and diet to lose weight
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A client I had not seen in several years called
me recently. With urgency in her voice she said, "I need to lose 10 pounds
quickly!" She went on to explain that the holidays had taken quite a toll,
and she had stopped exercising due to a million other commitments. She
was now focused on a weight loss goal she wanted to achieve rapidly. "Cut
off your right arm," I told her in jest. "That's the only way I know to
lose 10 pounds quickly."
One of my biggest
pet peeves as a trainer is when exercise gets a bad rap for failing to
deliver miraculous aesthetic results overnight. The energy equation that
determines our net body weight, energy intake versus energy output, is
supremely designed to sustain life during scarce food supply. As we get
older, we need less energy (in the form of food) to maintain life. However,
the eating habits we learned during our younger years continue into adulthood
with a corresponding decline in physical activity (energy output). After
many years, this positive energy balance results in excess body weight.
People often feel it is time to give exercise a try when they realize that
they are significantly heavier versions of their younger selves. They start
an exercise program, and they stick with it for a few weeks. But the changes
they imagined would happen in their body don't materialize. The problem
is that most people underestimate what it takes to lose weight through
exercise. There are a whopping 3,500 calories stored in one pound of body
fat! The average beginner-level 45-minute exercise session expends a mere
250 calories. For the couch potato, that 45-minute exercise session may
seem like an eternity. He may give up before he can see and feel the regular
effects of his exercise program.
Studies show
that the most effective way to lose weight is to focus on both sides of
the energy equation, output and intake. Diet can be the number one obstacle
for weight loss, even with generous amounts of exercise. Consider that
a 450-calorie deficit from spending an hour in intense exercise with a
personal trainer can be completely erased by super-sizing a drive-through
order at 900 calories. Exercise does have its limitations. Weight loss
through exercise will happen much more rapidly when accompanied by a modest
calorie restriction. A diet that emphasizes fruits and vegetables, whole
grains and low-fat protein sources while minimizing high-fat and processed
foods will amplify the positive effects of a balanced exercise program.
In any case, the maximum amount of body fat loss that can be achieved safely
is 1 to 2 pounds a week.
So why exercise
if it does not create overnight transformation? Exercise is a critically
important part of any weight loss or maintenance program. Cardiovascular
exercise burns calories during activity to the tune of 5 to 12 calories
per minute. Strength training also burns calories during exercise. But
it additionally builds muscle and thereby increases metabolism for maximum
calorie burn at rest (one pound of muscle burns 30 to 50 calories a day,
while one pound of fat burns nothing). Studies have shown that heavy people
who exercise live longer than thin people who do not exercise. Therefore
the documented health benefits of exercise still exist for those who are
not at their ultimate weight goal.
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Chili
Hilly: Trails, Endurance and Co-ed Showers
By: Plantar
Fasciitis
The Chili Hilly, a stage race held the
third week in January at beautiful Bradford Woods, near Martinsville, IN,
was exactly that: the chili was great; the course was hilly; and at times,
the weather was chilly. The 5-race event, held over a 20-hour period,
was a taste of ultra running, but in increments the typical road runner
could endure. Like a marathon, the event was as much mental as physical.
It was a test of will to complete the event, but maybe more so to mentally
prepare for a race while still recovering from the affects of a race just
completed.
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Chili Hilly is the creation of Jason and
Jamie Feagans, founders of the Hoosier 200 (see their website), the non-stop
relay race from Evansville to Bloomington held each July. The Feagans’
creativity in developing challenging, new events is unsurpassed in this
part of the country. They not only dream up unique events, they put
them on admirably with a close network of volunteers, all while raising
kids and even running a bit themselves. |
The series of races began at 3pm on Saturday
with a 10K on a trail course, moderately hilly on trails with good footing.
That night at 8pm, a 4-mile night race was held on blacktop roads, with
each participant wearing a headlamp for visibility. From the front
of the pack (though this writer wouldn’t know), it had to look like a lighted
caterpillar snaking down the hill in the crisp night air. The next
morning at 7:30 am, the first race was a 5K, held on the same trail as
the 10K race the prior afternoon. There’s nothing quite like a quick
5K for breakfast after two races the day before! At 9 am, the cornerstone
race of the event, a 10-miler, was run on the trail system. It crossed
an icy stream, the width of a highway, twice. It made for a few interesting
stream crossing techniques, some very loud squeals and a great video that
was later shown at the awards ceremony. At 11:30 am, the final race
of the event, a 1-mile run, was held on blacktop and paved trails.
Though very short, the mile was sharply downhill for the first third of
the race and then steadily uphill for the last half of the race, ending
at the start/finish line. Each of the races were challenging in its
own unique way, with none of them being easy. Combined, they resulted
in a running event that was challenging, both mentally and physically.
More importantly, it was also a lot of fun!
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The stage event is scored not by combining
finish times, but by adding an individual’s overall finishing place in
each event. A running watch doesn’t have much value in this event,
but everyone wanted the tongue depressor with the lowest number on it at
the finish line. Like high school cross-country scoring, the individual
in each category with the lowest total was the winner. So, it was
important to beat everyone within reach, not just those in the same category.
That made for some interesting competition, though in the end, the camaraderie
between runners far outweighed the competitive juices. In fact, there
was an obvious respect between runners who finished near each other in
the respective categories. There was team scoring for those who chose
not to complete all five races. Final results can be found
at Evansville’s tristaterunner.com. |
Strategy was a key element of Chili Hilly,
which made it uniquely different from road racing. In road racing,
though strategy may come into play at various points during a race, it’s
essentially to run as hard as one can for the full distance of the race.
In the stage event, the next races must always be in mind, as the scoring
system weighs each race exactly the same. A runner who goes all out
in the early races and then bonks in the 10-miler or 1-miler at the end
of the end of the event stands to lose many places in the final standings.
Likewise, holding back too much in the early races builds a larger deficit
to overcome in the final races. This added an element of planning,
pacing, and knowing how far the next person was behind. It was a
weird running sensation to approach the finish line conserving energy,
only possible because of a safe lead over the next runner.
| Housing for the event was
in the comfortable cabins of Bradford Woods, a neat experience in itself.
The cabins were divided in male, female, and co-ed units. Scrumptious
homemade meals, served in the dining hall, consisted of pasta, waffles,
and salads. Of course, chili was served after the last race and during
the awards ceremony. The Feagans enlist the help of their families
and their involvement adds dramatically to the quality of their events.
The Bradford Woods volunteers where outstanding in keeping the runners
on the courses and also providing high-energy encouragement at strategic
locations. Free goodies included a synthetic, long-sleeve shirt,
a nice sock cap, a water bottle and an assortment of energy bars, drink
mix and Red Bull. There were two outstanding seminars, one on trail
running and one on participating in ultra events, both conducted by renowned
participants with experience in those respective areas. |
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This event, apparently intimidating for very
many runners to enter, was definitely an enjoyable experience and well
worth the effort required to complete it. Chili Hilly offered a unique
running experience, outstanding camaraderie with fellow runners, the opportunity
to make new running acquaintances, and a brief sense of what ultra runners
experience. The entry fee is a bargain, when lodging, meals, entry
fees and all the freebies are taken into consideration. As for the
co-ed showers, what happens at Bradford Woods stays at Bradford Woods.
However, it definitely was a highlight of the event and a key reason that
I’m already registered for next year’s event. |
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Jerry's
Journals
Myrtle
Beach, South Carolina
Feb. 18,
2006
The weekend at Myrtle
Beach is about much more than just my marathon; there’s also a relay division,
a wheel chair division, and a crank chair division. Additionally, there’s
a half marathon, a 5K, and a 1-mile family fun run. For bikers, one has
the option of a 10-miler, 30-miler and a 63-miler.
What a bargain, it cost just
$50.00 to enter the marathon and that includes a choice between 2 post
race parties, and the ever present long sleeve t-shirt. Also, I’ve secured
a room, with a complete kitchen, for the off-season rate of $42.00/night.
Weather: For 2 weeks prior to the
18th, the forecast called for 38 degree temps and an all day rain: but,
I awoke to 55 degree temps and the rain never made an appearance.
Course: One couldn’t ask for an
easier (flat) course, there was just enough undulation to break up the
monotony of ‘repetitious strides’.
Volunteers: There was a multitude
of cheerful, helpful volunteers.
Organization: I can’t speak to the
other events, but the marathon went off like a well-oiled machine. I’m
guessing one can chalk this up to experience. (8th annual) I couldn’t help
but notice the many police officers that served as traffic control.
According to the posted
race results (chip) there were 1602 marathon finishers and 2311 half marathon
finishers. With 4000 of us at the start line, I felt we runners did a good
job of lining up in the ‘projected pace’ area. The start went off without
a hitch.
Don’t you agree that
running a marathon is a grand way to spend the weekend? |
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