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Overpronation: is it up to you, or up to the shoe?

In Cardio-Running on July 7th, 2010 by Mark

Excerpted from FoCo Runner Blog (originally published 6/25/2010)

When I started running, my left foot seemed to overpronate a little, such that the recommendation of the running store experts was “mild stability shoes.”

“Okay,” I said. “Show me your mild stability shoes and I’ll pick some out and be on my way.”

Since I wanted lightweight trainers, I ended up in Asics Gel DS Trainers. Nice lightweight shoes, really, but soon I developed ITBS, and then the outsoles wore through to the midsole of the Trainers in less than 300 miles, and I was looking for other options.
read more…

Title: Overpronation: is it up to you, or up to the shoe?

Technorati Tags: biomechanics, fitness, health, injury, injury-prevention, overpronation, overuse, running

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Biomechanics note: gait retraining effective in patellofemoral syndrome

In Cardio-Running,Patellofemoral Pain on July 1st, 2010 by Mark

Patellofemoral syndrome causes pain at the behind or around the kneecap that can be aggravated by running. It’s cause is unknown, but it is correlated with certain problematic features of running gait, such as amount of hip adduction and inward rotation of the knee during stance phase, and what is called “contralateral pelvic drop,” which essentially refers to the the amount the hip opposite the load bearing hip drops when the load bearing hip is under load. These same features correlate to other pain/overuse syndromes in runners as well, such as iliotibial band syndrome, and also contribute to overpronation of the foot.

The link below is to the abstract (short summary) of an article published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine which demonstrates that learned changes in gait to reduce the severity of the problematic features of running gait is associated with reduction and pain and improvements in function of the knee of people affected by patellofemoral syndrome. An additional benefit fo the retraining was a noted 18% reduction in the instantaneous and 20% reduction in average load rates at the knee. Load rate is the speed at which a load is presented to the the knee, in this case – or a measure of impact force transmitted to the knee due to the foot striking the ground under load.

The results support the assertion by many that learned improvements in biomechanics of the hips, where many of the problems that underlie patellofemoral and other pain or overuse syndromes experienced by runners, not only result in reduced patellofemoral pain, but also in improved function (shock absorption) along the entire kinetic chain involved in running gait.

I can provide the link to the publication’s abstract here, but in order to see the full article, you will likely need to visit a University library or purchase a full-text version from the publisher (sorry).

The effect of real-time gait retraining on hip kin… [Br J Sports Med. 2010] – PubMed result.

Title: Biomechanics note: gait retraining effective in patellofemoral syndrome

Technorati Tags: biomechanics, health, injury-prevention, running, training

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Aerobic and anaerobic intensity and interval training

In Training Methods on June 8th, 2010 by Mark

Or… Should I walk or run between intervals and why?

Although heart rate is a decent overall indicator of our level of physical exertion or exercise intensity, it’s not perfect. Exercises that require a larger proportion of our skeletal muscles will yield a higher cardiac response than those that require less. I can work my pinky finger aerobically and have it barely register in my heart rate at all. That is, unless I perhaps I have done some form of maximal exercise testing for pinky flexing so I can put what small cardiac response there is in proper perspective. My general point is that over time we have come to view metabolism as a whole body thing, as if there is some power plant somewhere in the body that sends energy out to the muscles and organs, but the reality is that “metabolism” refers to a process that happens in each cell.

Prevent side stitches when running

In Cardio-Running on March 29th, 2010 by Mark

A side stitch is a cramping in the diaphragm muscles, which separates the thoracic cavity (chest cavity), where you heart and lungs reside, from the abdomenal cavity where the liver, stomach, kidneys and other organs used for digesting and processing energy and nutrients reside.

The interesting thing about the thoracid cavity (chest cavity) is that it is sealed so that the lungs are in a vacuum. You inhale (fill your lungs), not bo pushing air into them, but by expanding the chest, which pulls the lungs open, so that air has to flow into your mouth and/or nose to fill the space. Exhaling is as simple as relaxing the muscles you just used to expand your thoracic cavity, although you can also apply force to push the air back out more quickly, in case your body requires faster breathing to provide a greater supply of oxygen to tissues that are working harder.

The diaphragm is one of the primary muscles used when we inhale. Relaxed, it stretches out and has an upward bow to it, so that when contracted it pulls down and become more flat, expanding the interior volume of the thoracic cavity. By pulling down to expand the thoracic cavity, which is fairly rigid due to the support of our ribs, the diaphragm also compresses the abdominal cavity, and you might notice that when you inhale your stomach expands, although no air should be entering your abdomen.

Some of the abdominal organs (like the liver and stomach) are suspended from the diaphragm by connective tissues called ligaments, too, so when you’re walking around, your guts aren’t all just coiled down into your pelvis like it’s some kind of bucket. So, you can imagine that when you run, your liver and stomach bounce up and down, applying their own forces to the diaphragm. read more…

Title: Prevent side stitches when running

Technorati Tags: health, nutrition, running

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For ITBS try improved biomechanics

In Cardio-Running,Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS),Strength Training on February 15th, 2010 by Mark

Figure 1. Lateral movement of knee and lower leg causing roational force (torque) in the planted leg (from behind runner).

Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) sucks. I’ve suffered from it recently, and despite lots (weeks) of rest, diligent stretching and strengthening, found that I just could not shake the problem. That is, until I started to work on improving my running biomechanics. Although there are numerous schools of biomechanics for efficient and injury-free running, from what I have seen they all have several key features in common. As for me, I chose to study ChiRunning to improve my biomechanics, partly because it encourages runners to be mindful of the body when running. Basically, this means taking stock of what is going on in each muscle and joint of your body as you run, to identify where the unnecessary stresses are occurring and to check your form, so you can make corrections as needed. In effect, it allows you to experiment.

Figure 2. knees and lower legs moving inline with direction of running with no lateral drift or torque in the planted leg (from behind runner).

ITBS generally comes on gradually as the sufferer runs until the pain forces them to stop. The somewhat gradual onset provides a window of time in which a mindful runner can experiment with slight variations in their form to see what aggravates the condition and what relieves it. For me, the experimentation has taken place over several weeks, because there are many aspects of running biomechanics that can be varied in subtle ways, and even subtle changes in form and focus can result in big changes in stress and strain on particular joints and muscles. Plus, it can take awhile to develop the sensitivity in your focus to isolate sesnations in specific joints or muscles that can range from none at all, to slight stress or strain, to outright discomfort or pain, so you can identify the differences that result from making changes or corrections in your form.

As I improved aspects of my form, I noticed that I was able to run longer and longer distances. When my ITBS started, I could run little more than a mile, and then I was done due to intense stabbing pain that then got worse for a couple of hours after I ran, before subsiding. Keeping my hips level while running helped a lot, and focusing on just that enabled me to run up to about 3 miles before I started to feel the ITB “twinges.” At first, I would just stop at the first onset of twinges, stretch and then walk or jog lightly back home, but then I began practicing ChiRunning and sensing what was going on in my body and through experimentation made some discoveries. read more…

Title: For ITBS try improved biomechanics

Technorati Tags: biomechanics, ChiRunning, health, injury-prevention, ITBS, running, training

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ITBS Update: What is Working

In Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) on February 4th, 2010 by Mark

I had a flare-up of Iliotibial Band Syndrome (my first one), in my left leg, about six weeks ago. The pain occurs when I run, usually 1.5-3 miles into my runs. Not being one to enjoy the interruption in my training, I have researched the hell out of ITBS to find the answer, but I have been disappointed to learn that there is no fast cure, recovery can take months, and frequent recurrence is common. read more…

Title: ITBS Update: What is Working

Technorati Tags: biomechanics, ChiRunning, exercise, fitness, health, iliotibial-band-syndrome, ITB, ITBS, running

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ChiRunning: Week 3

In Cardio-Running,Training Methods on January 30th, 2010 by Mark

After my third week of ChiRunning practice, I have a little new progress to report, but my body is still catching up with my form.

Body

I talk about ITBS and calf tightness in my updates on ChiRunning practice, but I want to emphasize that I have not perceived them as being a major obstacle to my running since I began ChiRunning Practice. Before ChiRunning practice, my ITBS would become like an ice pick stabbing into the outside of my leg, just above the knee with every step of my left foot. It flared up within 2 miles of the start of my run, and after the run would become several times worse, so that it was difficult to walk and especially to walk down stairs (although by later in the same day, it usually felt back to normal after some icing). The tightness in my right calf also occurred before ChiRunning, so that is also not new. It has not generally been bad enough to force me to stop running, although I find it better to err on the side of caution and stop when my sense of ITB twinges of tightness in my calf pass a certain threshold. I do not try to be a hero. If I feel it and it seems not be improve when I make the recommended and logical adjustments in my form, I cut the run short. I’d rather run less voluntarily than to injure myself and have no real option to run. So, here are the updates on the two types of injuries or physical problems I tend to experience when running that I am hoping ChiRunning will help me eliminate. So far, it seems to have helped me manage the ITBS, but I still have some work to do with regard to my calves. read more…

Title: ChiRunning: Week 3

Technorati Tags: biomechanics, ChiRunning, exercise, fitness, health, ITBS, running, training

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Cadence in cycling and running

In Cardio-Cycling,Cardio-Running,Training Methods on January 27th, 2010 by Mark

There is some of evidence that there is an energetically optimal cadence at which athletes can cycle or run that allows for better performance in endurance events.

Cadence became a big deal in cycling with Lance Armstrong’s return to the sport after his battle with cancer. His style involved a lot of “spinning” at higher cadence, particularly on hills. As his performance improved and peaked, other cyclists caught on, and began to work on increasing their cadences as well, and now sustained cadences of 90-110 rpm’s (sometimes more) are common among cyclists in longer races. Less getting up out of the seat and muscling up hills with brute strength of the quads, and more sitting in the seat and spinning in lower gears.

Cadence is also important to runners. Indeed, cadence is related to running speed, and there has been research showing that trained female runners are most energy efficient when running at about a 9 min/mile pace, while trained male runners are most efficient at about a 7 min/mile pace (on a treadmill). As increasing your running speed requires either a change in stride length or cadence, or both, depending on individual biomechanics, it can be inferred that an optimal cadence is approached in trained runners at these optimal speeds. read more…

Title: Cadence in cycling and running

Technorati Tags: bicycling, biomechanics, fitness, health, indoor-cycling, running, training

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Posts Tagged ‘health’

Overpronation: is it up to you, or up to the shoe?

Biomechanics note: gait retraining effective in patellofemoral syndrome

Aerobic and anaerobic intensity and interval training

Prevent side stitches when running

For ITBS try improved biomechanics

ITBS Update: What is Working

ChiRunning: Week 3

Body

Cadence in cycling and running