It was surprisingly fresh when a group of eager runners assembled at the bottom of (the trail section) of Mountain Highway for the spring Mountain Highway Madness. A few keen souls had signed up for 2 loops at 15km each, but most were more modest and happily aimed for 1 loop up the gravel road to the quarry and back. "Would there be snow?" was the big questions. After the the torrential rains and warmth of several Pineapple Express weather systems, the only one believing we would encounter snow was Mike, our event host.
Athletes are always at an increased risk of suffering from an injury. This is where massage therapy comes to the rescue of the sports persons. Massage therapist and their various movements and techniques are used, in order to manipulate the tissues of the body, such as, stroking, kneading, stretching, pumping, creating a pressure on the trigger points so it can create more blood flow to the area of need. These sports massage techniques are known to have many advantages for the athletes and aid in improving upon their performance as well.
Imbalance of the muscles, misalignment of the knee cap and the other bones of the knee, excessive use and stress leading to wear and tear of the cartilage of the knee joint, trauma caused to the knee joint and problems of the feet along with weak thigh muscles are among the causes of the runner’s knee. Runner’s knee is also referred to as chondromalacia of the knee cap. If the knee is over-pronated or there is imbalance in the muscles, one may suffer from this condition.
One of the common injuries during running or hiking is plantar Fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the connective tissue in the bottom of the foot. Symptoms in acute stage would be a constant pain and pain by weight bearing on the effected foot.
No, I am not planning to run naked for the next 90 days...
Something has to budge. I refuse to acknowledge that the wear and tear of 105 ultramarathons is why my knees hurt. It has to be my shoes. It looks like the one extreme of running barefoot has moved far enough toward the other extreme of running in climbing boots for me to try something a bit different.
"Natural running" is the term that is gaining ground on "barefoot running". This mostly because "natural running" accepts that shoes are not our enemies.
But simply putting something different on your feet doesn’t make you a gliding Tarahumara. The “one best way” isn’t about footwear. It’s about form. Learn to run gently, and you can wear anything. Fail to do so, and no shoe — or lack of shoe — will make a difference.
This really is the whole point: Be gentle, soft (and quiet), no matter what you wear on your feet.
The bond between a person and his big toenail can be a beautiful thing, offering warmth, protection, and companionship. But all things must pass. If the time arises to part with one’s toenail, here are some tips on how to make the parting less painful. I caution that I am not a medical doctor; nor do I play one on television.
1. After the race, gently insert a sterilized needle under the toenail, to pop and drain the blisters under the nail. This will relieve pressure on the nail, and restore considerable sensation to the big toe underneath.
2. Wait two or three weeks.
3. The new nail will bud under the nail, and the old nail will gradually loosen.
Sorry I've been out of touch for a while; I've been busy with clinics and updating the website. If it's been a while since you've seen it check out the new look of www.corerunning.com.
I was at a lecture last night presented by Dr. Jack Taunton, one of Canada's premier sports medicine doctors and a runner himself.
The bond between a person and his big toenail can be a beautiful thing, offering warmth, protection, and companionship. But all things must pass. If the time arises to part with one’s toenail, here are some tips on how to make the parting less painful. I caution that I am not a medical doctor; nor do I play one on television.
