A Winter to Heal

11 Friday Dec 2015

Tags

acupuncture, Aspen Chiropractic & Wellness Center

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The more I study my form from the Colder Bolder photos, the less happy I am with it. My legs are stiff, little bend in the knees. My toes in most shots aren’t directed downward. My form should look like the second picture below; instead it was mostly as shown in the third photo below. I know this is from my high hamstring strains. Like most injuries, the pain isn’t something I can’t run through; but my range of motion is limited. And running with poor form will just lead to other injuries. So I haven’t run all week and I’m prepared to rest until I fully recover.

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This was an easy decision to make this week because I’ve been so busy at work that I didn’t have time to run anyway. I know it’ll begin to bug me soon though. I run more for my mental health than physical. Of course I can turn to alcohol. That always helps at the end of the day. But I’ve become somewhat of a light drinker over the last couple of years. Unless there’s a party in the mix, I meet a doctor’s criteria now as a light drinker. Once you lose your tolerance at an older age, I find it’s tougher to increase my drinking than to get in shape. Seriously. Alcohol tolerance is almost in the same category as eye sight and hearing. Can’t speak for you but it’s been my experience that I lose it with age.

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I visited my Chiropractor again this afternoon. After the acupuncture, he suggested some exercises to promote strength in the muscles that running tends to atrophy. Exercising my abductors and adductors have kept my knees strong the last year. This winter I will begin to focus on other muscles connected to the hip. And I could always stand to work on my core. If the elliptical doesn’t stress my hamstrings, I might workout on that to maintain my cardio. Besides being low impact, it limits the range of motion. I had an awesome summer of running massive miles. This winter will be a time to heal and strengthen the muscles that running tends to ignore.

Writing from Amarillo

20 Saturday Dec 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Medical Files, Running

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Aspen Chiropractic & Wellness Center, BCRT

This is a short training week because I’ll be driving all weekend to Austin. So I ran my big mileage on Friday. I didn’t have the three hours needed to run twenty miles. Still, 15 miles took 2:10 hours. I squeezed my run in between my morning Chiropractor session and finishing up Christmas cards and other errands. I could go on about the Christmas cards. Instead though, I’ll relate the story of my first visit to a Chiropractor. Oh, and I keep meaning to give credit to the Colder Bolder for these race photos. A dozen hi-res digital pictures for absolutely free. Unbelievable race perk!

I’m currently sitting poolside in an Amarillo hotel. I wanted to make it to Vernon to shorten tomorrow’s drive but my ass hurt too much to keep driving. I think from doing leg weights. I’m bad at weights, but I like to include them in my routine when training for a marathon. Not because I think weights will improve my speed. My experience suggests weights help me avoid injury as I increase my miles.

My Chiropractor is Dr. Doug Brisson at the Aspen Chiropractic & Wellness Center in my neighborhood. He comes across to me as a very sensible doctor. The kind of doctor who, after you say it hurts to do something would say, “Then don’t do that.” I have zero experience with Chiropractic medicine and Dr. Brisson explained some things to me I never knew. He detailed how his adjustments affect the nerves around the joints. The nerves need to be trained on the proper musculoskeletal positions. And they benefit from receiving the increased blood flow and nutrition that result from his corrections. I wouldn’t really know but I believed him. His assessment of my physical condition was this. I have a “really twisted body.” I’m not surprised by this. That’s why I’m here.

He popped a few joints and I felt better. He told me to expect feeling fatigue afterward. It was hard to say if I did. I went on my 15 mile run directly afterward. I felt fatigue after that. Saw the Sebestas out on their bikes on the LoBo Trail. Amy gave me a high-five with her gloved hand. With her biking momentum, she nearly broke my hand. My muscles were heavy but I think that was due to my run the previous evening. I ran a fast seven miles fairly late in the day. Us older guys need a full 24 hours to recover from intense workouts.

I expect to run next on the Brushy Creek Regional Trail near my Mom’s house on Monday. Hoping to get in some decent miles at low altitude. And get a run or two in down on Town Lake. If anyone wants to run with me in Austin, ping me. I’ll be there through Friday.

Twin Lakes Twenty Milers

13 Saturday Dec 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Medical Files, Running

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Aspen Chiropractic & Wellness Center, massage therapy, Shoes and Brews, Twin Lakes

I began my training for the Austin Marathon with two twenty milers to Twin Lakes this week. One last Sunday and another today – Saturday. Not a bad start considering my hamstring pull. I still don’t know how I ran twenty miles a day after pulling my hamstring. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to run at all.

I set the day after the Colder Bolder as my first day of marathon training and despite my sore leg, figured I’d just run slow. I started out hamstrung but my leg loosened up after a couple of miles and I ran a fairly normal 9 minute mile pace out to Twin Lakes. This is the ten mile turn-around point. I tripped running up the steps to the lake trail, on the last step, with my weak leg. Then I had to stop a few times around mile 16 to stretch it out. My pace then slowed to over 10 minute miles, but I was able to continue running. My leg was super sore after that and I took Monday and Tuesday off. Got in six miles Wednesday and joined Keith and Steve Thursday for the Shoes & Brews social run. We’re pictured here tasting the Skoop samples. I got in another slow ten miles yesterday and then, amazingly, I woke up today with my leg feeling much better. So I ran another twenty miles.

I feel a bit silly now that I scheduled a visit to see a chiropractor, but that’s been long overdue. I discovered Aetna, my insurance provider, won’t cover massages provided for by a massage therapist. Aetna will cover massages performed by Physical Therapists and Chiropractors though. There is a Chiropractor in my neighborhood that everyone speaks highly of, so I will see him next Friday. I have enough issues for him to review other than my hamstring. My hip is out of whack, probably has been for decades. As a result, my right leg is shorter than my left. I suspect this leads to most of my running injuries. Time to find out. I’m just happy this muscle pull isn’t severe and that I’ll be able to run through it.

I have an odd albeit short history with Chiropractic medicine. I haven’t been a fan. I know it has its place though and I’m going to give it a shot. It’s not really possible to train for marathons without getting in some decent miles. I need to stay healthy over the next two months. Giving my body a tune up next Friday is probably a good idea. Poor Steve, pictured in the middle of the above photo, is scheduled for surgery Thursday to correct his running injuries. I won’t describe the procedure because talking about that stuff gives me chills. But the whole neighborhood will be thinking of him.