Now that I've had a little more time to settle in at the Runners Roost in Boulder, I am planning to share weekly segments from the store that are related to running. Whether it be new shoes, nutrition products, or different clients I see, I'm going to try this out for the next few weeks and see how things land.
Meet "Homey" - one of my new officemates. Check out the room changes this week!
In the past few days, I've seen two employees from the store - each with a separate foot problem. Both are training for marathons, both had pain along the outside of their left 5th metatarsals, both had different reasons for their symptoms.
The young lady has a LOT of mobility in her foot, and not enough strength.
Notice the difference between left and right?
She was very concerned that she had a stress fracture, but after her assessment (and a negative jump test) I felt her discomfort was due to her foot crying for help:) I gave her several "homework" assignments for strengthening, and to run a 5k the next day.
She sent me a text the following morning: "Howdy! So far so good. Ran 3 miles! No pain" Both of us were thrilled, and she is back in training for her first marathon this December.
Next, the gentleman I saw had pain in a similar location (5th metatarsal) but let me know that he has had at least 6 ankle sprains to his left foot - most recent was a few weeks ago, when he was out trail running. He said he has been strengthening and lifting heavy in the gym, and the extra strength seems to make it better.
I asked him what types of strengthening things he was doing, and everything he listed was great, but all of the activities were in the sagittal plane (forward/backward).
After seeing this when he was on the table, I had him stand up, and do some lunges to his left/right. When I first asked him to perform the movements, he looked at me almost as if to say "are you sure?"
When he went to each side, he was apprehensive, and then unsteady. Both of us got a smile, because we knew that was the source of his issues - he has not incorporated strengthening/movement in different planes of motion besides forward/backward.
Besides a runner, this guy is a mechanical engineer, and he has a very detailed understanding of his body, and running mechanics. However, he was unaware that he needed to add multidirectional strengthening, but now he is looking forward to it.
This was NOT part of his treatment!
I saw him today, and he said his foot wasn't sore at all, and he is planning to run tomorrow for a "test". He is VERY happy to not have to return to the pool where he was staying off his foot in the event he had a stress fracture!
He told me that he has "a lot of friends who are PT's" and that he will often go in for quick treatments such as dry needling (to decrease inflammation) or soft tissue work. I let him know there is a time and and a reason for those treatments, but until we get to the source of the problem, ankle sprain #7 was in his future. I told him that I can't guarantee it will never happen again, but I definitely guaranteed that his body would have more balance/symmetry with multidirectional modifications to his strength work and stability.
Every client's body tells a different story - what's YOUR story? Let me help you figure out the root cause! Virtual sessions available anytime - hit reply and let me know if you have any questions.
Keep moving forward my friends, one step at a time.
This was an interesting talk, as he examined several different physiological factors comparing men and women. I'll share his findings with you regarding the gastrointestinal differences:
women have smaller stomachs and slower gastric emptying compared to men
women that are taking hormone therapy have an even slower gastric emptying rate
women reported higher gastrointestinal distress vs. men after a race - no matter if it was 5k or a marathon
TAKEAWAYS:
The presenter acknowledged that "women are not small men" which is how the traditional recommendations have been made with regard to endurance athletes and nutritional recommendations.
More research is needed to understand the exact needs for women
Women may need less carbohydrate vs. men
Most fuel packs/"gels" for races do not have less than 25 grams of carbohydrates - this might be too much for some women
Less carb, increased frequency of fueling may need to be explored
SIDE NOTE FROM ME:
At the Boston Run Show last year, I met some women who knew all of this information, and decided to start their own fueling company that is specific for women. I think we will see more female-specific fuel products in the future (if any of you scientists want to get started on this, now would be a great time!) https://www.levellenutrition.com
TREADMILL TUESDAY
The expression on my face is telling...added two more miles since last week, and I felt BOTH of them!
$2871/$5000 target raised, 57% attained, 16 days to go!
We are getting to the hardest part of the training AND the fundraising - knowing that every bit helps to get us across the finish line.
Thank you to so many of you who have been able to help me get this far! If you didn't see this week's Treadmill Tuesday, just know that when I am thinking of ALL of you who have been kind and so supportive of me during this journey.
Let's keep those donations coming in!!!
Every time I receive a notification regarding a donation, my spirits are lifted and I realize how lucky I am for this opportunity. Thank you for your kindness and generosity.
If you (or someone you know) are interested in learning more about JSR Coaching/Injury or Performance Consult - hit reply, and we'll have a chat!
Let me know if you have any questions or requests for topics in these emails. Thank you so much for reading, and forward to your running friends as well!
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