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| SR homepage
| December, 2008 |
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| A full Smart Running this month, with plenty of coupons for the holidays, so save this email!
Yoga For Runners note:
A quick reminder the Yoga for Runners classes will resume in early January. We are gathering the class time requests from you, the particpants, before finalizing the schedule so let us know what days and times you would like to join! The final classes, with particpants confirmed, will be announced January 5th.
Annual Review - 2008:
Let us know what you think! We need compliments, and constructive criticism, to keep SR alive and well!
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 Why rest after a marathon? Some runners return to intense training too soon after completing a marathon, likely an over-reaction from a good, or perhaps not so good, performance. With these runners, perhaps a short recovery run is done 2-3 days later with slight fatigue and soreness. Then, after a few more runs, a full recovery seems to have taken place. At this point the runner is excited about their quick recovery, has their next goal in mind, and resumes their normal load of marathon training.
Though the next few weeks may feel good, eventually the repeated stress, without rest, results in a subtle over-all fatigue, increased frequency of minor injuries, and a plateau of performance. Often times these symptoms begin to occur months later, and thus the runner fails to make the correct conclusions as to their cause.
Here lists a few long-term effects of uninterrupted marathon training:
Rhabdomyolysis - long-lasting muscle fiber breakdown
Necrosis - death of muscle cell
Oxidative Stress - inability to clear free-radicals in the bloodstream
Muscle breakdown, muscle cell death, and free-radicals should be the only words you need to hear to rest!
Joe McConkey
Boston Running Center - Head Coach |
The Importance of a Strong Buttocks!
The Gluteus Maximus (GM) - it's role in the running gait and hip pain
In a healthy, efficient stride the GM contracts most at the end of the swing-phase, through footike (when your foot hits the ground), and up until just past mid-stance (when your foot is just behind your body and center of gravity). It primarily extends the hip (pulls your leg down and backwards) to propel you forward and secondarily it stabilizes the hip, thigh, and trunk areas and controls and restricts hip flexion (when your thigh is reaching it's highest point in front, e.g. the end portion of the knee drive).
A weakness in the gluteus maximus results in the following gait deficiencies:
1) excess vertical motion and restricted horizontal motion
2) reduced stride length
3) excessive leaning forward at the hips
4) excessive internal rotation of the femur
Aside from an over-all lack of efficiency, speed, and power a weak gluteus maximus can also result in the following injuries:
1) Anterior hip-pain - as the femoral head excessively rotates forward in the hip-socket
2) Lower back pain - as the GM weakness fails to properly support functional posture
3) Inner thigh pain - as the rotational tendencies of the femur are not being control and stabilized as they would be with a stronger GM.
Stride power, stride efficency, and healthy running all start with a strong buttocks! | |
Fatigued more than normal?
General, seemingly abnormal, fatigue may be due to low iron - a condition more prevalant in vegetarian runners, or those who eat red meat only 2-3 times per month. Understanding the vital role of iron in long distance runners may be the motivation you need to have this checked!
First and foremost iron is the key component in the production of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin carries out the all important role of transfering oxygen to your muscles. With low hemoglobin comes reduced oxygen to your now starving muscles, which then translates to early fatigue and an over-all uncomfortable run. Iron is also used to help strengthen and fortify connective tissues, with the common side-effect for runners showing up as frequent lower leg injuries (particularly along the medial and lateral sides of the tibia). Iron is also a key component for a healthy immune system, thus frequent colds or illness may be the indicator here.
Runners are particularly vulnerable to low-iron and, paradoxically, in great need of high-iron. Learn more about the importance of iron for runners, how to check your iron levels, and other symptoms to look out for with these articles:
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| Turkey Trot Champion! .... almost
When stepping to the line of the local Turkey Trot 4 miler last week I was excited to run without any goals or expectations, as I ran a PR marathon a few weeks early. My son of 15 was running with me, our first race together, and I was to support and assist him as he tries to run the farthest he has ever run (he ran 1 mile once, six months ago and that was the last time he has run at all). He was confident of his abilities, and I was excited to see his confidence take a hit ;-)
Off we go and sure enough as we get to mile 1 he is weasing, slowing down and looking miserable. I do my best to support him but secrectly am proud of my prediction (there is no way he can finish this! He hasn't been running at all and even 4 miles takes some training - even for a teenager!). Finally at the two mile mark we agree to separate as we are close to the start (it was a looped course). So he stops and goes to meet up with the rest of the family. I bid him farewell and see him walk away, slowly with his head down, before rejoining the race.
For the last two miles I greatly enjoyed the run. I found and ran with several friends and neighbors I knew and we all delighted a bit in the story - us 40 and 50 somethings dusting the cocky teenager! There were also several costumed runners that kept it very entertaining, many taking the 'turkey trot' name literally and one who took a 'turkey drop' right in front of us - too many feathers I think.
With a 1/4 mile to go, and the finish in site, one of the runners in our group yells, 'first to the finish gets my share of the turkey!'. Noone really wanted to race so we all conceded the turkey and just kept our pace.
With the last 200 meters approaching I notice someone new from the group pull up close to me, too close really. And then I hear, 'Is this how slow you run mom' in my ear and off he goes sprinting to the finish.
The next 10 minutes are frantic as my group is first doubtful and unimpressed (surely he just jumped in at the end), but then shocked and eventual rolling with laughter. With all of us around him my son has his moment. Apparently the past 6 weeks he has been training in secret just for this moment, and his proof was a full account of my last two miles! After I left him he immediately snuck in behind me and ran the entire way listening to our stories (which means he heard all of our snickers about him and how superior we were). His proof was his verbatem renditions of our conversations, the turkey falling, and on and on and on.
Next year, it's all on the table.
- Faithful Smart Running Reader | |
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Look below for our
Holiday Coupons! | |
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| Save 50% |
off any 30 or 60 minute massage held in the center! Valid for sessions scheduled in December and for new clients only. (massages held in MooreMassage Boston office not applicable)
To redeem: schedule online at mooremassage.com (book online link on top right of page). Then forward this email to admin@bostonrunningcenter.com along with your name, date and time of the massage, and that you would like to use this coupon. |
| Offer Expires: December 31st |
| Free Foam Roller |
Receive a free BRC t-shirt when you purchase the Advanced Stretching for Long Distance Runners DVD. This offer is valid only for local Boston runners as the foam roller will not be shipped.
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| Offer Expires: December 31st |
| Free T-shirt |
Receive a free BRC T-shirt for simply stopping by! We have new shirts coming and need the old ones out of here!
To Redeem: Just stop by and mention this coupon! For open hours forward this email to admin@bostonrunningcenter.com, along with your name and the days/times that you would stop by. |
| Offer Expires: ...when we are out of shirts |
| 50% of Basic Coaching |
For new members to BRC only, receive 50% off a 12 week Basic personal-coaching program. $130 value!
To Redeem: Register on the Sign-up Page, by entering $130 in the 'Custom Program' box. This will be the amount you pay, and will also let us know you are using this coupon. Joe, the head coach, will then contact you with-in 7 days to discuss and start your program!
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| Offer Expires: December 31st |
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Thanks for reading!
Boston Running Center
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