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Injury-proof your body: Thighs & Hips (Preview)
By Ted Spiker
Yesterday went for a mini-fartlek session as per physio’s advice (knee not taped as was only twinging whilst in Prague when tape was on):
20m walking (40 paces)
20m jogging (30 paces)
20m running (20 paces)
for 15 mins
Did it in the churchyard over grass, and only the very slightest hint of a twinge in the right knee for a couple of strides at around 5mins :DDDD
Recommend I up it to 20mins on Friday, 25mins on Sunday etc, hopefully will be fit enough for Santa Run 6K in 10days time! Physio suggested that I try to vary my pace for the race, should be ok in a santa suit :)
2 new exercises to add to the so-called ‘Turkish Dances’ and Lunges, and 90/90s and 45/45s:
1) with back to wall (preferably facing mirror) slide down gently with one knee bent and the other raised, like a slow motion running stride, making sure pelvic is very straight only go down a little to start with and do 6 x each side and increase slowly the amount I bend and the no of reps
2) with 2 x resistance bands, one over the top of the door, one under attached to my ankle, standing very straight, belly button pulled in, back NOT arched, pull the ankle backwards, keeping leg straight and opposite hand pull back with elbow bent at 90 deg, hold for a couple of seconds, repeat 6 x each side
Physio noted that my left hip had a tendency to be jamming up, and needed popping out. Thinks it’ll be a long term issue which may lead to long-term on-going knee problems, but hopefully core-stability class (1hr at college) should keep it in bay. Could need looking at infrequently as training is increasing for marathon.
Some more information on how to start training again after a marathon (what does one do when using a half-marathon as a mid-schedule race?)
After the Marathon:
Generally, it takes a minimum of two to three weeks for the body to recover from the strain of running 26 miles 385 yards. Return too quickly and you increase your risk of injury. Some experts suggest resting one day for every mile you run in the marathon, thus 26 days of no hard running or racing! Others suggest one day for every kilometer, thus 42 days rest. Often the determining factor is not how quickly your body recovers, but how quickly your mind recovers, since you temporarily will have lost your main training goal. Olympic champion Frank Shorter says: “You’re not ready to run another marathon until you’ve forgotten the last one.”
The training you do in the three weeks following a marathon should be a near mirror of what you did the last three weeks before: in other words, a reverse taper. Your eating after also should mirror your eating before, since a diet high in carbohydrates can help refuel your muscles as well as fuel them. Here is what to do during Zero Week, the week after your marathon.
Zero Week
Sunday: Recovery begins the minute you step into the finishing chute. Keep moving and start drinking, preferably a replacement drink such as Gatorade. Research suggests that refueling works best if done immediately after exercise, when the body is eager to absorb energy. As soon as your stomach can tolerate food, start eating. Most marathons provide bananas, yogurt and other easily digested high-carbohydrate foods. These are good for you. A long walk to your car or hotel room won’t hurt you. After that, get off your feet and rest an hour or two. By then, you should be ready for more solid food. It too should be high in carbohydrates. (For a more detailed discussion on post-marathon recovery, read Chapter 18, “Mile 27″ in my book: Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide.)
Monday: Assuming you followed one of my 18-week training programs, Monday was always a day of rest to help your body recuperate from weekend workouts. The same principle applies. No running today! No exercise of any kind! Take it easy.
Tuesday: No running! Today’s a good day for a massage. (Schedule one before the marathon.) Although getting a quick rubdown at the finish-line massage tent may have felt good, a massage 24 to 48 hours after the marathon works best. If you have any post-race blisters, or foot problems, have a podiatrist treat them.
Wednesday: No running! And don’t substitute cross-training in a mistaken belief that it will help you maintain fitness. You may be able to swim or cycle more easily than run because you’ll be using somewhat different muscles, but you still need rest-rest-rest to allow all your muscles to recover. Starting to train too soon can delay that recovery. You earned this period of rest. Take it!
Thursday: Okay, you’re cleared to run again, but don’t overdo it. The Thursday workout for Novice runners the week before the marathon (Week 18 in my program) was 2 miles of gentle jogging. That sounds about right for Zero Week too. Intermediate and advanced runners might do a bit more, but see how your body feels.
Friday: Now is the time to cross-train. Swim or bike if that is your pleasure, but it’s probably not a good idea to start some new exercise you haven’t been doing the previous 18 weeks. The best cross-training discipline for a recovering marathoner is simple walking. Don’t underestimate the value of this activity. Go at most 2-3 miles.
Saturday: By now, most of the muscle soreness should be gone. You’re probably ready to resume your regular training routine, but don’t rush things. Stick with the 2- to 3-mile routine today. Or maybe take today off entirely.
Sunday: Quite often marathoners who did their long runs together in the months leading up to a marathon like to get together to rehash how they did. So call your friends and schedule a run of about an hour, 6 to 8 miles max. But don’t get competitive and push the pace too hard. Your body may feel better again, but it’s still in recovery mode.
Now that you’re through Zero Week (the toughest week involved in running the marathon), where do you go from here? Here is a 4-week recovery program to get you back up to speed. I’ve included a 5-K or 10-K race at the end of the tunnel to help you with motivation. After that, you’re free to pick your next training or racing goal.
Novice Wk 1: http://www.halhigdon.com/postmarathon/postnov1.htm
TIP OF THE WEEK: There is no exact formula for marathon recovery. Too many factors are involved, from the condition of the athlete going into the race to the conditions of the race itself. Hill courses, particularly those with downhills near the end such as Boston, do more muscle damage than flat courses like Chicago. Extremes of heat or cold slow the recovery process. And runners who go out too fast and crash usually have more difficulty recovering than those who run an even pace. “Nature takes care of us,” says David L. Costill, Ph.D. of the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University. “Time heals most of the damage done in the marathon.” Through careful attention to recovery, most of us will be back on the road again, looking forward to our next trip to the starting line.
4th trip to the physio, knee is still twinging now and again even though glutes and other pelvis muscles stronger.
Knee taped over firmly again (tubigrip helps to stop it peeling off) and ‘enjoyed’ yet another deep tissue massage *grimaces at bruising*
Exercises to do:
1) ‘90/90s’: brace against wall with leg closest to wall at 90deg and press with leg as if to push wall away. Hold for 2 secs x 10 each leg, feeling muslces of standing leg work
2) ‘45/45s’: brace against wall with leg closest to wall at 45deg and move pelvis muscles as if to ‘open’ the pelvic slightly, very subtle. x 20 per side
With resistance band around ankles (so-called ‘Turkish Dances’):
a) Internal Rotation: walking forwards bring up foot quite fast and hard and tap my hand with the internal ankle bone / arch of foot, feeling the muscle in the bum of my standing leg working hard. Walk forwards for 30secs then repeat walking backwards.
b) External Rotation: walking forwards bring the foot back (so heel nearly hits bum) and then swing out and tap hand. Walk forwards for 20 secs and then repeat backwards.
c) Lunge Walking: Lunge forwards making sure that the leading leg is at 90deg at the knee and no more and the back leg is also bent. concentrate on hips being stable, and on form making sure that butt muscles are used to stabalise
Stiffness in left pelvic region so another exercise to cross left foot on right knee and press left knee out and down to stretch muscles.
Next week; more knee taping and then my first fartlek session! wooo!!
Third visit to physio, who was pleased I was making some progress.
Can now complete a single leg squat [http://sparkpeople.com/assets/exercises/81.gif ] without zooming off sideways so some strengthening going on. Physio said no running until single-leg squat is nice and stable so I’m hoping Santa Run won’t be written off just yet.
Other two exercises he suggested are:
90/90s: Stand perpendicular against a wall with one leg lifted at 90deg bend at the knee and press hard against the wall (as if to push it over), feel glutes working hard: 6 x 10sec hold for each leg
45/45s: Again stand perpendicular against a wall with one leg lifted at 45deg bend at the knee and subtly try and flex the pelvis so that it is bending outwards. The physio suggested thinking of two lasers firing out in parallel lines at first and then arcing away as I push out. 2 x 20 reps.
Continue single leg bridge 6 x 10sec hold each leg
Photos from Hellrunner look hilarious:
http://www.sleepmonsters.co.uk/photoshop.php?event_id=5464&gallery_id=5750&lower=1100&photo_id=2#
Sad that a friend O I met up with was empathising with muscle imbalance / knee issue; he’s run marathons and completed triathlons and has seen 3 different physios who can’t mend his legs. Now he can only run on grass :(
Podiatrist assessed my gait video taken on Monday and e-mailed me to say I definitely needed new ’stability’ shoes, I might need more support but they should be enough to ‘unload’ me.
Recommended shoes:
Asics 2120 for 2007
http://www.sweatshop.co.uk/Details.cfm?ProdID=2559&category=0
{review at RunnersWorld – not so good: http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/review/reviewProductReviews.asp?rgn=1&rcn=17&rpn=27134&sp=&v=5&p=2]
or 2130 new for 2008 (gah – its got pink bits!)
http://www.sweatshop.co.uk/Details.cfm?ProdID=2971&category=0
(review at RW: http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/review/reviewProductReviews.asp?rpn=37684∏=Asics-Gel-2130&rcn=17&rgn=1&v=5&sp=#4675)
Difference between 2120 and 2130s: http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?dt=&UTN=113367&last=1&V=5&SP=
This thread is similar to my situation:
http://forums.runnersworld.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/687106477/m/6131042463
When my local running store videotaped me running, my right foot overpronated moderately and my left foot was neutral. Oddly enough, I have been having some PF in my left foot. The running store said it was compensating for my right. As I said earlier, I was running in cushion shoes (Saucony Trigon Ride) and they put me in the Brooks Adrenaline.
Aside from my quest to find a moderate stability shoe with good cushioning (and thanks for all of the responses on that issue), is there anything that I could/should do about the difference in my feet? I know I can’t wear two different shoes. Is this normal? If so, how have others dealt with this issue? Thanks.
You have an imbalance in your hips. Could be one psoas is tighter than the other, could be weakness in your glute medius/minimus.
What you have is called a functional leg length discrepancy. Your left leg is functionally longer that the right, so it pronates more – hence the PF in the left foot.
A functional leg length discrepancy is the result of the pelvis being tilted, due to muscular imbalances.
You might find that your psoas is a little tighter on the right, and your glutes are weaker on the right. You might be feeling mid/low back tightness or pain on the left (tight quadratus lumborum). You could look up exercises for these muscles or find a PT that can help you. I’d suggest the latter.
I have the same problem. I can’t remember which foot does what, but one foot overpronates and the other is more neutral.
I have been told at my local specialty running store that it is best to address the foot that overpronates since it more risky for an overpronator to run in a cushioned/neutral shoe than for a neutral runner to run in a stability shoe. This is most likely why they lead you to the Adrenaline over the more neutral Ride. By the way… they lead me to the Adrenaline (or the Saucony Grid Omnis) as well, so it sounds like a good choice for you. Good luck!
so other potential stability shoes could be
Brooks Adrenaline GT series – better reivews on RW than Asics
http://www.sweatshop.co.uk/brooks/Details.cfm?ProdID=2250&category=0
(RW: http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/review/reviewproduct.asp?RPN=28221∏=Brooks-Adrenaline-GTS-7&RCN=17&rgn=1&v=5&sp=)
Saucony Grid Omnis – better reivews on RW than Asics
http://www.sweatshop.co.uk/Details.cfm?ProdID=2286
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/review/reviewProductReviews.asp?rgn=1&rcn=17&rpn=28216&sp=&v=5&p=2
