Run Forrest-Run!

Thanks to http://mywilderhope.tumblr.com/post/41896939787  this is all you need for some motivation!  

Achilles Tendon Injury

*This blog can also be found on our Bills Bike and Run website

Achilles Tendon

The largest, thickest, and strongest tendon in the body that connects the two major calf muscles-the gastrocnemius and soleus-to the back of the heel bone is the achilles.  When there is enough force and under too much stress, the “tendon tightens and is forced to work too hard.  This causes it to become inflamed, and, over time, can produce a covering of scar tissue, which is less flexible than the tendon” (Runner’s world, Achilles Tendinitis).  When this happens, and the achilles continues to be stressed, it can tear or rupture.  

Causes

• Tight or fatigued calf muscles from not stretching the calves properly. 
• Increasing milage too quickly. 
• Overtraining. 
• Excessive hill running or speedwork
• Inflexible running shoes which can force the Achilles to twist.  
• Runners who overpronate are more common to Achilles tendinitis.  

Symptoms

• Swelling
• Tenderness
• Stiffness
• Pain along the back of your foot and above your heel
• Hearing a snap or pop noise during the injury
• Difficulty flexing foot or pointing toes 

Treatments

 When you first start to experience any pain in the achilles, stop running.  You can take aspirin or ibuprofen, and ice the area between 20-30 minutes.  

• Rest your leg
• Compress and elevate your leg
• Practice stretching and strengthening exercises  

Prevention

The best prevention that you can do is to stretch the calf muscles.  Make sure that you don’t start running again until you do toe raises without any pain.  Strength training is also important.  You can do eccentric heel drops, ankle strengthening and mobility exercises.    

Yoga for Runners

 Running and Yoga

I know that I am no expert in the running field.  I run because it’s something that I love to do and it makes me feel good.  This past week I got an email from my Daily Fit Tip.  It was titled: "Yes, Runners, You Need to Do Yoga".  I was curious on what this article had to say, so I opened it up to read.  Me and Yoga pretty much equals none existence.  For me when I think of yoga, I feel inpatient.  I have a hard time "sitting" for a period of time for exercise.  BUT, I do realize the importance of stretching and how crucial it is.  
As I said, I read that email and than decided I should do some more reading and more research on the benefits of yoga for runners.  And like I said, I’m definitely not a yoga expert, nor have I ever tried it, but after the things that I have read and how yoga and running contemplate each other, I’m ready to try them hand in hand.  Many of us have experienced being sore and tight after a run.  I know that I have; with those tight hamstrings and tight hip flexors and burning calf muscles.  Yoga has the potential to help improve strength, flexibility, and mental focus.  It also eases aches and pains, and helps recover from long runs and races faster.  The combination of yoga poses can help stretch out and loosen up after your runs, which in return will keep your muscles and joints healthy and preventing tightness.  

Check out these websites for more information and for yoga poses:

http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/192

http://www.self.com/body/fitness/2013/08/yoga-poses-for-runners-slideshow/1

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1578

http://www.runnersworld.com/runners-world-yoga-center

http://www.active.com/fitness/articles/yoga-for-runners-3-poses-you-should-practice

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/yoga/poses/yoga-for-runners/

Weekend Races

Local Idaho Falls, Idaho races this weekend.  You don't want to miss out!  Come out, support, and have fun!

Cady Tucker 5k/5m/13.1 run

Friday, August 15, 2014 at 4:00 PM

Freeman Park in Idaho Falls, Idaho

More info can be found at:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1463469807223237/?ref=3&ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular

Seize the Day 5K

August 16, 2014 at 8:00 AM

Community Park in Idaho Falls, Idaho

More info can be found at:

https://www.facebook.com/events/247758268748132/?ref=br_tf

Rush Triathlon (Swim, Bike, Run)

Olympic and Sprint race

August 16, 2014 

Rexburg, Idaho

More info can be found at:

http://rexburg.org/pages/rush-triathlon

Night Running 101

I’m an occasional night runner.  Sometimes I feel like that’s the only time that I can go for a run.  And I will admit, when I go running at night, I don’t always wear the best reflective gear.  I also don’t run in the best areas that may not have street lamps.  It’s just me, the dark night, and the flash light on my phone.  I don’t know how many of you are like me, but this is definitely not smart or safe to do.  

Here are some tips for running at night (let’s be a little smarter): 

• Run against traffic.  It’s easier to avoid cars if you can see them coming.  Also avoid busy roads and roads with no shoulders or sidewalks.  

• Make sure that you are visible.  Do not wear dark colored clothing.  Make sure you are wearing clothing that is white or bright, like yellow and orange colors.  You can also think about wearing reflective gear like a vest or a headlamp.  More the better.  Also, make sure you choose a well-lit road.  

• Incase of an emergency, always have some kind of identification on you.  Wear your driver’s license in your pocket or in your shoe.

• Run with a buddy.  If you can, run with a partner so your not alone.  If you are running alone, let someone know the route you’re running and how long you think you will be out.

• Change your running routes and times up.  Don’t make yourself an easy target.

• Luckily, many of us do this, but carry your cell phone with you.

• Beware of other runners and cyclist on the roads.  

• Leave the music at home.  You want to make sure you can hear everything that is around you.  Listening to music at night can just be too dangerous.  

Shin Splints

Shin Splints

One of the most common and preventable injuries that we here often from runners is that they are experiencing shin splints.  From Mayoclinic, “shin splints refers to the pain along shinbone (tibia)-the large bone in the front of your lower leg.”  You are more prone to getting shin splints when you’re a runner, play or run on hard surfaces, run on uneven terrain, or have flat feet or high arches.  

Causes

Shin splints often occur in athletes who recently intensified or change their training routines.  Runners adding too much milage or switching from running on flat surfaces to hills.  The muscles, tendons, and bone tissue become overworked by the increased activity. 

Other factors that cause shin splints:

• overpronation
• inadequate stretching
• worn shoes
• excessive stress placed on one leg or hip from running

Symptoms

Although you most likely have shin splints, sometimes that is not always the case.  You could possible have a stress fracture or compartment syndrome-a swelling of muscles within a closed compartment which creates pressure.  Stress fractures in incomplete crack in the bone.  If you run your finger along your shin and find a definite spot of sharp pain, it is a sign of a stress fracture.  

For shin splints: 

• Tenderness, soreness or pain along the inner part of your lower leg
• Mild swelling in your lower leg
• Often feel worse in the morning 
• Most painful when you forcibly try to lift your foot up at the ankle and flex your foot.  

Treatments

The best treatment is rest: avoiding activities that cause the pain, swelling or discomfort.  Don’t give up on activity, just try low-impact exercises.  Ice the affected area.  Applying ice to the shin for 15-20 minutes up to several times a day.  If needed, take a ibuprofen such as Advil or Motrin to help reduce the pain.  Stretch your achilles if you have medial shin splints and calves if you have anterior shin splints.  

Prevention

• Choose the right shoes.  As a runner replace your shoes every 350 to 500 miles.
• Choose an arch support to help prevent the pain of shin splints especially if you have flat feet or high arches.
• If you have changed your training routine, try to lessen the impact on your shins.  Start new activities slowly and increase the time and intensity gradually.
• Add strength training to your workout.  The most important thing to do is to strengthen your calf muscles.  You can do toe raises or leg presses and other exercises for your lower legs can be helpful.  

http://www.runnersworld.com/tag/shin-splints

Hoka One One

There is no other shoe like the Hoka One One.  And last Thursday, July 31st, during our group run, runners were able to test run in the Hoka.  If you have never tried one on or ran in one, you should definitely do it at some point.  They are kind of "big" looking and you may give them a weird look, but they are one of the most comfortable shoes.  The Hoka One One will give you a totally new running experience.

Straight from Hoka One One, "HOKA ONE ONE has engineered a unique performance midsole geometry that features a higher volume, softer density, and greater rebounding foam than standard running shoes. Along with maximal cushioning, this provides runners of all types with an energizing, stable ride. HOKA ONE ONE understood from the beginning that natural foot motion was extremely important for uniformity of stride. HOKA ONE ONE incorporated minimum drop geometry along with a rolling rocker design to promote consistent rhythm in the runner's foot strike" http://www.hokaoneone.com/meet-hoka.html

The Hoka technology has:

• 50% more cushioning
• helps with shock absorption
• Meta-Rocker 
• low heel-toe differential and a sculpted outsole in the heel and toe
• supports a runners form
• encourages a guided foot gait cycle
• Active Foot Frame 
• allows the foot to sink deeply into the shoe's midsole
• adaptable to a wide range of feet and running styles

Wear and Tear

Is it time for you to get a new pair of shoes?  One way to find out is from the wear and tear on a shoe.  The wear and tear can tell us a lot about how you run and it can tell you if your shoes are worn out or not.  There are many factors that help determine the shoe.  Shoe life depends on the surface you run on, your size and weight, running speed, biomechanics, weather conditions, and even the durability of the model of the shoe; which consist of the material and construction of the shoe.  Is the runner a heavy heel striker?  Do they drag their feet or scuffle during their run?

Let's take a look at the bottom of your shoe.  Turn your running shoe over.  You can first start to tell the wear of the shoe by the outside of the shoe before the midsole.  But, the midsole usually wears out first.  The impact of the run will wear down the cushioning of the shoe no matter if you are running on a treadmill, trail, or road.  The impact is the same with each stride you take.

Mizunousa blog says it best:  "To determine if the midsole is worn out, flip the shoe over and press a thumb on the outsole and upward to the midsole. It should be relatively easy to see the midsole compress into the compression lines. But as the midsole breaks down with wear, the midsole will compress less into these compression lines with the same amount of pressure. When the midsole shows distinctive compression lines, it appears brittle which is indicative that the midsole is shot to the point where there’s not much cushioning left. Time to buy another pair.  Two other ways to determine shoe life are even simpler. All of a sudden, a normal run results in post run aches or soreness that ordinarily wouldn’t be present. Also, if the shoe feels much firmer than it did a month ago, that’s a sure sign it’s losing its ability to cushion".  

• http://www.mizunousa.com/running/blog/running-shoe-durability-how-many-miles-can-you-expect-and-how-to-extend-the-life-of-your-running-shoes/

Luckily there are many different ways to extend the life of a shoe.  A shoe life (depending on the runner and how much you run) can last between 350-500 miles.  Just remember that running shoes are meant for running.  If you are wearing them to go work out at the gym, run errands, playing basketball, soccer, or any other sport in them will only run down your shoes faster.  Another idea is to rotate your running shoes, especially if you are running more than 3x/week.  If you can extend the life of the shoe or know when it's time to get a new running shoe you will save your body from any injury and your shoes will last longer.

http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/content/content.jsp?contentId=content1344

Yikes!  It's been a few days...or a week or so since the last time I blogged.  My apologizes.  I've been coming up with a list of blog ideas to write about.  I have quite the list and the most exciting one that we will be doing is a profile interview(s) on runners in the Eastern Idaho region.  Our first interviews that we will have on soon is from our main guy, boss, who started the running side of things at Bill's Bike and Run, one of the fastest runners I know, Gray Augustus.  Our other interview, which I am really excited for is from our AMAZING Saucony rep, Andrija Barker.  You won't want to miss it!