Greetings Winter/Spring Runners; Week #9
I hope everyone is getting up close and familiar with their treadmill. I ventured out a couple of times – great high knee lift workout. The main roads and some of the side roads are getting cleared but have little or no shoulder for a runner to avoid any traffic. With the expected 10inches or so coming tomorrow, there will not be anywhere to put Water Stops out this weekend; and I know AHS track has 24 inches of snow on it.
If you want to be adventurous in your neighborhood you want to minimize the slip/slide factor. Here is a description of how to add traction to your running shoes by adding screws: http://www.skyrunner.com/screwshoe.htm. Another option is Yak-trax’s. I got a pair for Christmas and have used them at AHS Trails with ice and snow on the ground. They worked great! Here is what they look like: http://www.greatoutdoorsdepot.com/yaktrax.html
Just In – CANCELLED:The George Washington’s Birthday Marathon and Half Marathon will be this Sunday 14 February in Greenbelt. This is another great early season ‘test’. You can register race day, and join Rene, Jim LeClare, Paula, and I for the three loop marathon.
Mark the Date: The Rosaryville 10k, 15k, 25k, and 50k Trail Runs will be Sunday 18 July
***Remember to do your part to maintain the Port A Pot at the Truman Park N Ride by making a contribution. We get a discounted rate of $46 per month for the unit. Contributions can be made directly to me or via PayPal.
Wednesday Track Session - START 6:00pm .If you have a place to do intervals, do: 4 x 400 at 80% w/ ½ lap jog recovery + 4 x 100 (All out w/20 sec recovery). Otherwise plan on doing your speed session on the treadmill or on a clear residential road. It may be easier to use time instead of distance as the measure. Do 4 x 3:30 min (i.e. 60 sec faster than marathon target time, e.g. 4 hrs = 4min 800’s = 3:00 min/.25 miles) Z4(80%)with 1:30 min recovery, then 4 x 100 at Z5 with :20 sec recovery.
Saturday Run – ***START AT 7:00am. **** This Saturday is a “back-down” 12 mile easy run with 4 miles at :15/:30 sec faster than marathon pace. For Half Marathoners do 4 miles with 2 miles at race pace.
Sunday Trail Run –Start at 9:30 am for one loop of the AHS trail for those with ‘Cabin Fever’.
What a Pain or Myofascial trigger points, and what they mean to you!
This was one of the more interesting of the seminars I attended for USAT Certification. When we get injured, all of us want (or should want to) to know WHY we got injured and EXACTLY what is causing the pain. For the most part, we pride ourselves on being able to push our bodies and minds to new heights. The motivation and drive to improve can come with a price. Believe me, I have been guilty of trying to turn pain off during hill repeats, intervals, or the end of a race. What I was really doing was ignoring a pain response. Can there be long term repercussions?
Injury in any form of exercise can be devastating. Whether you are participating for general health or working toward a podium spot, injury slows, or even stops activity. This can rapidly lead to deconditioning and, once back on the proverbial horse, the athlete needs to play catch up. A vast majority of pain syndromes that are experienced by athletes are muscular (more precisely, neuromuscular) in origin. The pain patterns are often a result of what are known as myofascial trigger points –MTrP’s
A MTrP is described as a tender spot within a shortended band of muscle and can now be ‘observed’ using magnetic resonance elastorgraphy (MRE). When the trigger point is compressed, it may illicit local discomfort, referred pain, or both. Through careful examination of signs, symptoms, pain patterns, and manual palpation, you (by “listening to your body” J ) or a practitioner (Kiniesiologist, Neuromuscular Massage Therapist) can isolate trigger points that may be causing neuromuscular dysfunction and pain, which ultimately increases the risk of injury. The pain generated from MTrP’s is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that they are not usually the result of frank trauma, inflammation, degeneration, neoplasm, or infection, Further to this, the pain should not be as a result of neurological pain. With this said, it becomes evident that a proper screening exam is necessary to ensure that diagnosies other than neuromuscular dysfunction are excluded.
One of the larger mysteries is why and how these MTrP’s form in the first place, The most accepted theory is that there is a local dysfunction of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). It is the job of the SR to release calcium ions during muscular contraction and absorb them in muscular relaxation. When dysfunctional it is believed that there is a prolonged release of calcium ion leading to prolonged contracture of the local muscle. This in turn leads to increased metabolic demand and functionally localized compression of capillaries. Capillary compression causes local restriction of blood circulation. An ‘energy crisis’ results which up regulates the release of certain chemicals from local tissue which are neuroactive substances and inflammatory mediators that will augment pain.
Reseach has shown that dry needling, using acupuncture needles, is an effective means of resolving MTrp’s. In fact this form of resolution may be as effective as some alternatives such as local anesthetics, and steroids. Acupuncture needles inserted directly to the MTrP inhibits pain receptors, releases endorphins, and affects spinal-cord pathways that promote healing. A good session with a neuromuscular therapist can also ‘break up’ those pesky ‘trigger points’ and get you back on the road. Of course, if you pay attention, you can “feel” those trigger points developing and take proactive action to release them with proper, focused stretching and self-massage – and stay injury-free.
Dr John Jennings performs dry needling in the state of Maryland. “We have had very good results in breaking muscle spasms and muscle congestion. Many case studies have been performed with wonderful results. Our office has clients who walked in an antalgic posture out in 2 4 hours, elbow pain for 2 years resolved in 2 visits and many sciatic/ disc cases helped. Thanks, Dr. J”
Tom Nelson has constructed a site to show our routes and water stop locations for the long run coming up each week. You can indicate your intention to run and see who else is planning on showing up – one more incentive for getting there. Check back to the following website later in the week for the latest info on water support: http://www.runningahead.com/groups/truman/Forum
"That which we achieve too easily, we esteem too lightly" - thomas Paine