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Knee Pain Secrets Revealed

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:14:56 +0100

Knee Pain affects every runner at some time. We tend to believe it is running that causes it, but the truth is that any activity can cause knee pain - skiers, soccer players and windsurfers all suffer from knee pain. As runners, we ten to notice it more, because we practice our sport pretty much on a daily basis.

I have been fortunate enough to avoid knee pain almost entirely, except for occasions when I have suffered from a knee injury. Towards the end of this post, I'll reveal what I believe to be my secret, but meanwhile I would like to give you the benefit of a newsletter I just received from my physical therapist, Dallas Williams. Here it is in its entirety:

"Dallas, sometimes when I am running sprints or even long distance I feel this overwhelming pain around my knee cap. What is this pain, and do you have any solutions to remedy my pain?"

"Common causes of runner's knee are pain, overuse, muscle imbalance, and tight hamstrings, but there are several other factors. Initially, rest is a good treatment choice for runner's knee. Following rest; the RICE principle (rest, ice, compression and elevation), gentle stretching to all the tight muscles around the knee, and a treatment program that incorporates strengthening of the muscles that stabilize the knee joint. Make sure you pay attention to what your body is saying and don't get back to the track before your body is ready!"

Assuming that you are experiencing the pain as described, Dallas' recommendations are perfect, but of course, if you have a serious knee injury, such as a meniscus or anterior cruciform ligament tear, more work may be required. Ruling out serious injuries, then, following these recommendations will rehabilitate the knee. The question remains how to avoid the problem in future.

The strengthening exercises help, especially if you continue them for the rest of your running life. My experience, though, is that most runners quit doing additional exercises soon after the pain has gone. We want to get on with the run - even stretching before and after a run is a chore for many of us!

This is where I believe supplementation can help. Supplements can never compensate for weak muscles or tight hamstrings, but they can help our cartilages remain young and pliant. I attribute my own freedom from knee pain to taking a glucosamine supplement daily. Very occasionally, I will start to feel pain in my knees or other joints, and when that happens I switch to a different formula. You see, the problem with glucosamine is that it takes months to be really effective.

So, if you already have knee pain, here is the protocol I recommend, based on my own experience:

1. Take a fast acting formula until the pain disappears. This will normally occur within a week or two. If it's not gone after a month, you might want to seek a medical opinion: more drastic measures may be necessary. The product I use is Fast Acting Joint Formula. ( Fast-Acting Joint Formula, 30 capsules)

2. Now take a good glucosamine-based supplement daily. Do not quit taking it because your knees aren't hurting: this is a supplement that will benefit your joints for the rest of your life if you continue to take it. If you can't tolerate it, or don't like taking supplements all the time, go back to the previous step every time you have knee problems, but recognize that your running life (and your active life) may be limited due to your joints aging. The product I use is Procosa, which you can get from USANA.

Disclaimers;
1. I have absolutely no medical training and nothing I say should ever be taken as medical advice: only your doctor can provide that. I take no responsibility at all for what might happen to you from following my advice, and you should assume I don't know what I'm talking about. What works for me and thousands of other runners may not work for you.
2. There is a distinct possibility that I might one day get a small commission if you ever buy enough of the Joint Formula. I have never received one so far, but when I found out that the company I use has an affiliate program, I joined it in case one day someone bought some of their products on my recommendation.
3. I am associated with the company that manufactures and sells the glucosamine supplement I recommend. If you are not already associated with them, there is a distinct possibility that I might receive some compensation for your purchase.
4. There - now you know!

Play With a Purpose – Ride the Wave

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:05:53 +0100

Sometimes a surfer will wait for half an hour, just paddling around, hanging out and waiting for the right wave. When it finally comes, everything feels right, and that's the time to go for it, and ride the wave. Hang in for as long as you can and ride the wave: don't let the wave ride you!

The closest we come to that in running is fartlek. I'm told this means “speed play” in Swedish, and it's the nearest we get to playing when running. But we are playing with a purpose – to improve our running.

The beauty of fartlek is it's like interval training but without the drudgery. The idea is to make it fun and to ride the wave, and there are various ways of doing this. Sometimes you can catch a downhill stretch, sometimes a flat stretch, but always it's about speeding up when it feels good.

On my fartlek run today, I ran the Ravines course. I started out from my home at a warmup pace, staggering as always through the first five minutes. After that I started to feel better, and at around eight minutes I slipped into the zone just as a downhill stretch appeared – time to ride the wave!

Back to an easy pace as I entered an uphill stretch, and soon I was ready to turn around at 15 minutes. Another burst of speed downhill, then back to the easy pace. I rode one more wave before slowing down again for the last few minutes of the run.

The idea is to get used to faster running in whatever way you can, but to enjoy the process. Intervals are hard work, and this is not a substitute for them: you are not pushing yourself to complete a speed play like you do in an interval.

In fartlek, you hold the speed for as long as it feels right and then back off. You run at a speed that feels good rather than push to the limit. It's all about playing with speed, not working at it.

As runners we tend to obsess over times, distances, number of repeats, pace, turnover. None of these has a place in fartlek. Fartlek is about play, and play does not follow rules.

How many speed breaks? Whatever feels right! How fast? Whatever feels good! How long? as long as it feels good! Play is just that – play, not work.

If you have not yet tried fartlek, I hope this article will inspire you to do so. If you already use fartlek, it might give you a new way of looking at it. For me, one of the biggest benefits is that fartlek reminds me that running doesn't have to be hard work: we obtain the best results through enjoying it, not working hard at it.

Play with a purpose – ride the wave and enjoy the experience!

Disclaimer: I am not a surfer, just a wannabe! So if my description of surfing is bad, I apologize.

How I Am Getting Ready For My First Run by Jack Igan

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:40:27 +0100

in Outdoors / Running (submitted 2010-06-02)

I want to start exercising again and try to get back into shape. I'm in my 70 's now so I am starting to be more conscious of my health and salvage what I can. When you get to 70 years of age, you tend to take a better look at your general health and stop thinking that you will be around forever.

I'm looking to get back into shape by exercising. At 76 years of age, you tend to take a better look at your general health and stop thinking that you are invulnerable. I have always stayed pretty much in good shape but after 12 years of military service I fell into a sedentary civilian lifestyle that included drudge work in an office and a two hour commute, both ways. This didn't leave much time for leisure, much less exercise.

Add a combination of a reasonablly healthy diet, junk food, and a few beers after work every day and it all adds up to about being at least 20 pounds overweight. So, with great determination I have decided to resume my exercise regimen and include some running within the schedule.

Let's be clear. I was not completely sedentary. Up until aboout three years ago I did a daily regimen of calesthenics with 10 pound dumbells that lasted about one half hour per day and included a minimum of 25 to 50 reps of each different exercise. By the end of the half hour I was working up a good sweat. I don't recommend this for everyone. I am not a professional and I don't know much about exercise but it worked for me and i felt good after my workouts.

We All Need To Exercise

I guess that is the point of all this, to move your butt enough so you can feel the strain. If you want to maintain mobility you exercise as I did. If you want to look like Charles Atlas or Arnold Schwarzenager you really drive yourself and do much more. And sweat much more.

You should also know up front that it doesn't take much to get me sweating. I have a bad case of emphysima and I had a thoracotomy of my right lung 12 years ago. Not only do I sweat, but I very quickly develop shortness of breath and my nose starts running whenever I move at anything above my normal pace.

But I try to be realistic about it. I stopped exercising because my wrists and elbow joints were starting to ache. I thought I would lay off for a while that turned into a very long hiatus of two years. I got lazy. However, being lazy did nothing for my waistline and I gained at least another inch when I should have been taking inches off.

So far, my running consists of long walks of up to one half hour checking out the neighborhood. Besides the exercise it has its own rewards. You get to see what changes are taking place and you get the opportunity to meet a lot of people you would not otherwise have visited.

A couple of weeks walking coupled with my exercise regimen should get me ready for a real run. Maybe even, all the way around the block.

About the Author

In real life, Jack is editor of the Netstew Press and often writes about family health, pet training, recipes, dieting, and good eating. He has a long and successful record of providing informative and entertaining articles for the web publishing community. Check out his most recent website on running shoes that reviews many of the most popular and favored items of interest.

Why Do You Run?

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 15:33:34 +0100

I have missed a few days running lately, for various reasons, but went for a pleasant, easy run this morning. As I was running, I found myself reflecting on a fascinating video I watched the other evening. In this video, Frank Kern was talking to a group of network marketers about Core Influence.

Now I had never heard this concept before, so it was all new to me, but when I listened to what he had to say I found that it struck a number of chords for me. What he is looking at is why we do what we do.

Why do I run? Why do I have a home based business? What are my real motivations and where do I want to go?

The point is that unless you can answer these questions for yourself, you are doomed to failure. Here is a man who had all the trappings of success – he had the Ferrari, the mansion, the private jet! And his life was empty: the more he had the more miserable he became.

This is a two hour video, so it is really not practical to give you more than a flavor of it in a short article, but I believe that if you watch it, and do the exercise he recommends, you will find your Core Identity and your life will improve. We hear so often these days “This will change your life” that I hesitate to use those words. It really depends where you are on your journey how much benefit you will get from it, but it certainly should help you decide where you want to go and give you some of the tools to get there.

So what has this to do with running?

Well, I recognized that when I am running my purpose is to be fit and healthy. I'm not out to break any records, but to rejoice in the fact that I run while others either cannot or choose not to! I'm out in the sunshine and fresh air enjoying all that life has to offer while others are either asleep or commuting to work!

Goals don't work for most people. Most of us set goals and then beat ourselves up because we don't meet them, so that in the end we decide not to set goals. It's not setting goals that is wrong – it's the nature of the goals and the reason we are setting them.

I hope this article has whetted your appetite to set two hours aside and watch this video. I can't promise it will change your life: that's up to you. But there is always that chance.

Here is the link:

http://getcoreinfluence.com/?ref=yHSpTUPA9oQNzCxm

You will be asked to sign up, but there is no cost and you can always opt out later if you choose to.

Here's to your future running!

How to Lengthen Your Stride

Fri, 28 May 2010 22:05:50 +0100

In an earlier post (Keep it Simple) I mentioned that for some of us the way to run faster is to lengthen our stride.

There are only two ways to run faster: increase turnover or lengthen stride. Most coaches recommend increasing turnover, but this tends to lead to a shorter stride. If you naturally have a fairly long stride (like the Kenyans) it may be better to add an inch or two to your stride rather than increase your turnover.

How do you do this? The natural and instinctive thing to do is to reach out further in front. This is absolutely the worst thing: it will slow you down, not speed you up.

You see, when you reach out further, your foot lands ahead of your body (see the picture above). If you think about this, you will see that the impact of your footfall will push you backwards. So each stride starts by overcoming the resistance of the previous footfall.

The secret is to avoid thinking of the goal (lengthening your stride) and get back to thinking of the purpose (run faster). When you do this, you will understand that to run faster you need to pull back with your rear foot, not push forward with your front foot. With this mindset, you will find that your stride automatically lengthens!

The exciting thing to me is that this principle applies everywhere in life – not just in running. It is easy to get hung up on meeting a short term goal and to just work harder and harder to get there. Too often, when we do that, the goal just seems to move further and further away.

So next time you find that you're working harder and getting farther behind, step back for a moment and see what you're doing wrong. In pursuing your short-term goal have you lost sight of your long-term purpose? If so, just try doing things a little differently, keeping your purpose in mind, and your goal will suddenly become easy.

Keep It Simple

Sun, 16 May 2010 20:48:38 +0100

I believe it is in our nature to over-complicate!

As a runner, I suffer from the desire to go faster, as does every runner I know. Consequently, I read all sorts of advice on how to go faster and put it all into practice. The result?

Generally, I go slower!

So what is the problem? Is the advice bad? Am I misusing it? Or is it something else?

I believe that we are all different, and what works for one person can be disastrous for another. We each have strengths and weaknesses; most of the advice we receive purports to overcome our weaknesses. It is seldom geared towards consolidating our strengths.

Understand that I am writing this for the average person, not the would-be Olympic champion. For them the rules are different – it's all about pushing to the limit in a competitive world. For most runners, though, we are concerned with just doing what we already do, but doing it as well as we can without destroying the rest of our life.

For example, I read that to improve my speed I must increase my turnover (or cadence) – the frequency with which my feet hit the ground. The problem is that it means shortening my stride, otherwise I cannot sustain the increased effort. I practiced this for a while, recognizing that at first my overall pace would be slower.

The more I did it the more I hated it and the slower I ran! Clearly something was wrong. My gait became uncomfortable and I found I was not enjoying my running.

Running is the simplest sport there is – all you need to do is put one foot in front of the other and repeat! So why do we complicate it? It's also the most natural sport. If you don't believe me, watch children: the only time they walk is when they're too tired to run or when an adult has told them to quit running and walk!

You have a natural running style, and it is the best style for you! In my case, I run with a slow, long stride, not a short, choppy one. Admittedly, it's slower and shorter than it used to be, but I can improve my pace and enjoy my runs much more by easing into a longer stride than by speeding up my turnover.

In the words of the old song, it's “Doin' What Comes Naturally” that gets results!

Sure, it doesn't hurt to experiment: trying new things is always good, even if only to find out what doesn't work. But in the end, you know what your natural style is: that's where your strength lies. It's good to stretch yourself by moving out of your comfort zone, but don't abandon your natural strength to do so.

Consolidate your strengths, work on your weaknesses, and enjoy the journey!

Country Music Half Marathon, 2010

Sun, 02 May 2010 17:14:06 +0100

What is it about Nashville weather?

Last year, I ran the Country Music Half Marathon on the hottest April day on record! It was 95 degrees when I finished. According to one runner, he had to dodge the fallen runners lying over the road at one point - they had all been moved on by the time I got there!

This year, the weather had another surprise for us.

At the start, it was cloudy and mlld. The forecast was threatening rain, and I was concerned that I would be rained on while awaiting the start. Since I'm in one of the last corrals, starting about an hour after the elite runners, this could mean standing around wet and cold for an hour or more before the run - not a good way to start!

Fortunately, though, the weather held up, and it actually got quite warm during the first few miles of the run. I started too fast, but was excited to see my time was looking better than last year. It wasn't too long, though, before I knew that I would need to ease off a bit if I was going to finish the race.

The next few miles went by easily, with music by country and rock 'n roll bands and lots of cheerleaders egging us on! After a while, though, I noticed that there didn't seem to be any more music, and the crowds were thinning out. The weather looked threatening.

Then we saw the buses coming by and heard an announcement that they would be picking up the slower runners and taking them to the finish. Bad weather was coming, they said ... But the buses later returned, apparently empty - just as I was thinking a ride back might be nice!

About mile 8 it started to rain - just a light drizzle that felt refreshing. "This is OK", I thought, and hoped it would not get worse. A mile or two later, though, the temperature dropped, the wind got up and the police were warning us that we should think about taking shelter, as a tornado was on the way!

Some people chose to shelter, but the valiant (or stupid?) continued to battle on. Of course, I was one of them - by now I just wanted to get it over with. Only another three or four miles to go ...

Soon after, they announced that they were cutting the marathon short. I felt really sorry for the runners that had gone out for 26.2 miles and were only allowed 15 or 20 - what a disappointment. At least they let us finish the half.

It was around mile ten that the weather really hit. Strong, gusty winds and rain that was so hard it stung my arms. I splashed on through water that was several inches deep. and finally arrived at the finish feeling like a drowned rat!

I scrounged a space blanket from the Medical Center, which was packed with runners who were worse off than me. If you have never seen a space blanket, it's a thin sheet of plastic with reflecting foil on the inside. On a cold, wet body it feels quite warm, and it keeps the rain off, too.

So, Nashville, what do you have planned for next year's weather? When I'm over the cold I caught this year, I'll think about training for next year ...

Changing Plans

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:47:06 +0100

Today was the Capitol 10K race in Austin. I had intended to run it, but changed my plans in order to get in one more long run before the Nashville Half Marathon in less than two weeks from now. I planned to run 13 miles this weekend and then drop to 8 next weekend.

My running partner, Jennie Lou, picked up my packet for me Friday and asked if she could use my chip as well as hers – that way I could “run with” her! They told her that was OK as long as I didn't get an award for my age group. When she told them her estimated time, they advised her against “running with” me.

Just as well – she estimated 1:30 and finished in 1:28:59 – way to go Jennie Lou! It was cloudy with light drizzle throughout the race. Here it was cloudy early, but sunny and hot later.

I finally decided to run just 10 miles today, and used the run to practice “being in the moment” by focusing on my breathing and footfalls. If you have meditated before, you'll know that being in the moment is more difficult than it sounds - I find my mind drifting off into thinking about the next hill, the next race, or anything except the present moment! The overall result was worth it, though: I managed to stay focused most of the time, and the run seemed much easier than last time.

I would like to say I ran twice fast as normal, but when I looked back at my log for the previous 10 miler I found I had actually shaved a half minute per mile off my pace. If I can do that in the race, I'll be excited! I won't be fast enough to catch Jennie Lou, but at least I'll beat my own last year's time!

And that's the whole point of running, really. We don't do it to compete with other runners, but to stretch our own limits. I find my satisfaction comes from two things – being the best I can be, and just doing it!

What a metaphor for life!

Motivation

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:53:55 +0100

Motivation

Just as my running motivation was really fading, I came across a great article by Kristin Armstrong in Runner's World. She wrote about the challenges of being a busy working mom (is there any other kind?) and a runner. The article is called “Feeling Lucky?”

“If you view your run as an opportunity, your attitude will get an adjustment”, she says. Bless you, Kristin, that was just what I needed! Shifting from “I've got to run” to “I get to run” made all the difference to my run this morning! I ran the Ravines, my favorite course (pictured above) and thought about her article.

The cool thing about running in the morning, which I'm doing again now that our weather has warmed up, is that I find it a great time to reflect. My creative juices seem to be at their best before breakfast! Not that breakfast has anything to do with it – it's just that the busy part of the day hasn't happened yet: rather than looking for a time to fit my run in during the day I'm doing it before I've committed to anything else.

How often do you find yourself thinking “I've got to ...”, “I need to ...”, “I must ...”, “I should ...”? Most of us spend our days in this mindset - I know I do! Kristin's point was that we can shift our attitude to one of gratitude.

When there is something you really don't feel much like doing but you've “got to”, look for the gift in it. Right now, for example, many of us are sweating over getting our taxes worked out and filed on time. Instead of thinking “I've got to figure out my taxes”, we can choose to think “I get to figure out my taxes”.

What is the difference? Well, think of the people who don't get to figure out their taxes. People who are homeless, mentally incompetent, terminally ill, imprisoned, whose wages are garnished – the list goes on! Then you can be grateful that you”get” to figure out your taxes!

It's amazing the difference a shift in attitude can make to the way we view even the most depressing events of our lives. There is a gift in everything if we can only find it. I remember talking to a runner who was complaining to another runner about the humidity as they started off in the dark running the Hawaii marathon.

The other runner commented that it was not too bad, really. When the sun came up, my friend noticed that the other runner had an artificial leg.

Enjoy every run – be grateful that you get to run!

For an interview with Kristin, go here.

Running Motivation

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 21:23:19 +0100

This week I suddenly found myself totally demotivated. I ran 11 miles last weekend, working up to my half marathon later this month, and found I felt tired and dispirited afterward. Then, when I started off again this week, even the short, easy runs seemed a huge effort, and worst of all I found I was just hating running, rather than enjoying it.

So what happened?

So starts my newsletter due out tomorrow (Friday) for all members of this site. It will be published soon after midnight tonight (like a newspaper!), so if you want to catch this advice on motivation for running, SIGN UP NOW!

You'll learn how to recognize and resolve the problem of getting demotivated!

Happy running!