Bring on the beautiful fall weather! The crisp Autumn air, the golds, reds, and oranges of changing leaves, the cool weather perfect for running.
Fall seems to have it all when you’re a runner, but as the days shorten and the temperature drops, it’s important to keep these healthy and safety tips in mind: Continue Reading →
Pain in the hip flexor or front of the hip/leg can be associated with several possible causes. When you experience pain in the front of the hip, and it doesn’t have an obvious mechanism of injury (such as tripping in a hole when running), then it’s almost always a repetitive motion injury or related to poor posture and/or biomechanics.
The location of pain in the hip flexor region can range from mid-thigh to the groin area to the lower stomach (from the belly button to the PSIS, which is the posterior superior iliac spine) or the front of the pelvic bone just up and lateral to the groin area where the primary hip flexor (psoas) originates. Continue Reading →
Anyone training for a marathon knows that running is much more than just a hobby. From getting the right nutrients to building up your mental stamina (and keeping up with laundry!) it’s a total lifestyle commitment.
While we can’t yet download a “real” live personal trainer, we can get some assistance from the latest digital tools. Google’s Assistant, which ships with the Google Home speaker, and Amazon’s Alexa, which comes standard with the Amazon Echo speaker, are both leading examples of the newest voice-controlled technology.
And the best part is, they’re prepared to assist you with a few different aspects of fitness. Here’s a quick list of tech steps to consider: Continue Reading →
You may have heard the term cross-training (also referred to as XT) loosely thrown around the running world, often as runners schedule out cross-training days on their training calendars as a way to stay active and give their joints a break.
If you’re thinking about updating your cross-training routine, don’t miss these important tips and ideas: Continue Reading →
While some runners say stretching is vital to performance and muscle health, others conclude that more dynamic warmups benefit a good run over stretching.
Taking a look at how muscles work together, what stretching really does for the body, and when it is best performed, this quick guide can help answer some of your most pressing stretching questions: Continue Reading →
Want a non-stop stream of advice? Mention to your (marathoner) husband and (marathoner) brother that you need a training plan for your first marathon. Then sit back and listen to the contradictions roll in:
Run slow to go fast.
You need to up your pace if you’re going to finish in that time.
Your easy runs should be REALLY easy.
If I were coaching you, I would definitely push you more on your long runs.
Pain in the lateral (outside) of the hip or leg can be associated with a condition known as hip bursitis or trochanteric bursitis. This condition is almost always a repetitive motion injury, but it could also be initially caused by direct trauma. In the case of a runner, the condition is most likely a repetitive overuse injury.
As an overuse injury, hip bursitis is caused by repetitive friction over the greater trochanter of the hip bone (which ultimately leads to pain). This excessive friction is almost always due to faulty biomechanics. In this case, it’s faulty running mechanics.
Continue Reading →
Pounding the pavement can quickly come to a halt when you start to feel sharp pangs radiating through your heel.
Heel pain is a common complaint of many runners and it is largely caused by injuries including plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis. Continue Reading →
I’ve always thought of myself as a pretty reasonable person. Turns out I’m not. Go figure!
Other than occasional (failed) attempts to add jogging to my (then non-existent) exercise routine, I started running in 2013.
On a whim, my husband signed up for the Vermont City Marathon and in the spirit of spousal support (and perhaps a little co-dependence), I recruited friends to join me in a five-person relay. I trudged through hours on a treadmill at the gym that winter, slowly building up to what –at the time – seemed like the ungodly distance of 6.2 miles. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t easy. But I did it. Continue Reading →
Have you ever wondered why some runners seem to always get injured while others are resilient and seemingly bullet proof?
Injury can be the biggest obstacle you face when trying to be healthy. Acknowledging that you’re injury prone is the first step. Instead of letting the fear of getting hurt stop you from achieving your goals, learn how to take precautions and become a resilient runner. Continue Reading →
Here’s a great question that came in for the recent MTA podcast episode on Injury.
In this Q & A, I discuss Active Release Therapy (ART) and the importance of getting to the root cause of Piriformis Pain.
The Piriformis is a very important muscle in the buttock region. It helps to stabilize the pelvis and femur (the long leg bone) and rotates the leg outward.
It is also a common location for pain! Continue Reading →
We were standing in a parking lot, bibs pinned to our shirts, warming up, making final trips to the porta-potties, contemplating if we wanted to drop any last-minute layers off in our checked bags.
It was race morning of our latest greatest half marathon and there were about 12 of us, all Crossfit athletes, all in great shape. We were chatting race strategy, trying to take the edge off the pre-race nerves. “Ugh.” Said one of the guys, “It’s gonna be a slow day for me.”
“Oh yea? How slow?” I asked, thinking that maybe we could run together. Continue Reading →
