Top Female Runner “Kara Goucher” praises Active Release Treatments
There is a great article about Kara Goucher (Runners World - May 2009) discussing what makes her excel! She is an amazing runner, and had the opportunity to watch her run last year at the Olympic Time Trials in Eugene, Oregon. I liked the article because it hit home on a few areas that runners tend to neglect.
It’s easy to get stuck running the same route, at the same intensity and speed, week after week. This is a top culprit of overuse injuries, and the easiest ways to reduce them are to change things up. Here are a few things that Kara Goucher adds to her training program:
- Mile Repeats
- Long Runs
- Plyometrics
- Strength Training
Variety breaks up the monotony of doing the same thing over and over, reduces overuse injuries, and keeps runners motivated and energized to stick with it and not burnout or breakdown.
Goucher also mentioned how Active Release Treatments are part of her “Entourage” that helps her continue to run injury and pain free. When we train, muscles have a tendency to become short and tight, adhesions can accumulate and impede normal movement patterns causing pain and discomfort.
ART/Myofascial Release Treatments are designed to release tight muscles, for more info please go to www.coleellis.com.
In addition, here are a few ideas that will help with variety and reduce overuse injuries…
1. Trail running: find a few trails nearby and run them at least once a week. Check out trail runner magazine, they are dedicated to off-road running and inspire people of all ages and abilities to achieve a healthier lifestyle in the outdoors and on the trails!
“Trails are easier on the body, not just because dirt is softer than pavement, but on uneven terrain every step is different, requiring you to use stabilizing muscles in the lower legs and hips,” explains Denver, Colorado-based trail-running coach Adam Feerst. “In a flat road marathon you repeat the same muscle movement and stress the same ligaments over and over.” So You Want to Be a Trail Runner -July 2007
2. Hill sprints - 20-30 seconds, 6-8 repeats. Warm-up for 5-10 minutes then start the workout, cool down and you are done. Short, simple and to the point.
3. Have a coach write a personalized program. Jim Vance is a triathlon coach in San Diego; he just designed a 4 month training program to get me ready for an Xterra - late August. My swim time has improved dramatically, especially after the swim analysis and my workouts continue to progress each week. Go to www.jimvanceracing.com for more information.
4. Read a book for ideas. Personally, I just finished “Born to Run,” I give it 2 thumbs up! If you are a runner, have ever had a desire to run, or need motivation then this book is for you. Even if you don’t run, it’s still a great read.
5. Cross train (lift weights, cross-fit, swim, mountain bike) on your non-running days.
6. Incorporate rest days into schedule, if you are going to train hard, make sure and give your body an appropriate amount of time to heal and recover.
Hope this helps, have a great week…
Best,
Cole
Boost Performance with Interval Training
It’s a common misconception that spending countless hours every week working out is the best way to get in shape, lose weight and improve health. For example, running, cycling, and swimming 3-4 days a week at the same low intensity, and duration. Often, most of these workouts are relatively slower than an interval pace.
Many are unaware that continuing to work out at the same pace every day (or most days of the week) can actually lead to more injuries than performing a variety of exercises at a more elevated intensity once or twice a week. This breaks up the monotony of doing the same routine over and over, and allows other muscles to get involved and reduces overuse injuries.
Fortunately there is a more advanced form of exercise that is showing improved performance and weight loss results, but with decreased injury and less time spent actually working out by performing short, intense intervals, rather than your typical long slow run, bike or swim session.
Injury Prevention and Performance Enhancement
Most injuries are a combination of overuse coupled with bad form over a relative period of time. For example, sitting at a computer for 8 hrs a day in a flexed position, or running with improper mechanics and even the repetition of lifting weights without proper stabilization. Over taxing a certain body part in excess will damage soft tissue structures - muscles become tight, restricted and even weak.
Not good right. I’m a big proponent of soft tissue work (Active Release Techniques), mobility/stability exercises, and joint manipulation when the body breaks down and tissues becomes short and tight. These techniques are able to restore normal soft tissue and joint motion.
To help support these treatments, with proper technique training - 6 principles of injury free running - we can learn to reduce the amount of wear and tear to the body, prevent injuries from re-occurring and even increase performance.
If you play golf, any expert will explain that technique is crucial, well, the same holds true for running. There are certain universal principles that every runner should know…
This article from the “Triathlon Jones” blog has some very helpful hints to improve your running technique and overall form with just a few simple modifications.
He suggests the “Chi Running” and “Pose Method” techniques that each possess three specific alterations that you can easily make to improve your running form. These alterations include
- Leaning slightly forward while running.
- Making sure your entire foot hits the ground at contact - mid-foot strike.
- Increasing the number of times your feet hit the ground during a run.
Each of these tips are said to decrease the amount of pressure on knees and joints, decrease injury, as well as lower your heart rate, which are all common problems associated with runners. He gives some equipment and book suggestions, as well, to help you get started on improving the way you run.
Improving running technique has been a valuable tool when treating running injuries. There are 3 areas that are imperative to address when dealing with overuse/repetitive strain injuries; the first is to restore normal joint and soft-tissue motion, the second is to correct muscular imbalances, and the third is to improve bio-mechanics. To read more about an integrative approach, check out my previous blog, Improve knee Healh.
When these 3 strategies are implemented, we get quick results, happy patients, and long term solutions.
Hope this helps…
Best,
Cole Ellis
Tight - Weak - Injured - Is Stretching the Best Approach?
Releasing Tight Hamstring
If muscles are tight, should you stretch them?
If you are weak, is it because of a lack of strength?
The answer to these questions depends on what is causing your muscle tightness or weakness. Many people have misconceptions about how muscles work. “Tight” muscles are viewed as being strong, while “loose” muscles are viewed as weak or out of shape. However, if a muscle remains tight for an extended amount of time, it grows weaker, leading to a reduction in performance - and ultimately, an injury. It is important to be aware of your injury type so that the best treatment can be administered Learning more about soft tissue damage is the best place to start.
What causes soft tissue damage?
- Acute conditions: such as pulls, tears, and collisions. (Acute Injury)
- Micro-trauma: overuse conditions, performing repetitive actions over and over again. (Repetitive Strain Injury)
- Repeated or sustained contraction of soft tissue resulting in a hypoxic environment. (Hypoxic fibrous adhesion pathway)
Hypoxic fibrous adhesion pathway - okay, sounds complex, but it’s really an important concept to grasp when treating chronic musculo-skeletal injuries. Dr. William Brady D.C., CSCS, founder of Integrative Diagnosis, explains this concept in an easy to understand style. For a more complete picture, click here to view article.
Damaging soft tissue can cause your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected areas. When you accumulate these unhealthy tissues-adhesions, scar tissue, fuzz, knots-normal movements are restricted and the muscle’s natural ability to contract is weakened. In addition, these injuries can reduce range of motion, and cause pain, loss of strength, and early fatigue.
Improve Knee Health
Knee pain is a common injury that sidelines runners and impacts overall health. To resolve knee pain, it is critical to understand that the knee is sort of a biological “fall guy” because it is located between two mobile joints: the ankles and the hips. If there is a lack of mobility within these joints, then greater demand is placed on the knee and problems can arise.
To keep knee pain from becoming a problem or to resolve ongoing knee complaints, here are 5 proven suggestions that will make a difference:
- Improve posterior chain strength
- Fire up the glutes
- Improve your running technique
- Increase mobility of the ankle and hip joint
- Release chronic myofascial tension
Suggestion 1: Improve Posterior Chain Strength!
Combo move targeting core, glutes (glute medius), and the hamstrings.
Force producers-the glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors, and quadriceps-stabilize the knee by working together. Over-dominance in the quads, tight hip flexors, or weakness in the posterior chain can result in knee instability.
Action step: incorporate exercises that improve posterior chain strength, for example bridges to improve hamstring strength.
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