All things Running
The before, during & after
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Ah yes! Unfortunately it's true... I have acquired what I like to consider the newest fashion accessory...THE BOOT :/ . This clunky, stiff, uncomfortable piece of sh*% is what's [hopefully] going to help me heal over the next few weeks... For those of you who haven't kept up with my life, (although I know every single one of you does.) a few weeks ago I found myself struggling with pain in my foot and actually my foot was going numb occasionally. It seemed to be that after I hit the 4 mile mark on any run my foot would decide to shut down which started to cause some agonizing pain. Now I've experienced something quite similar to this before; actually it happened last year. The difference between last year and this year however was that I was given a cortisone shot (Often referred to as corticosteroids, cortisone drugs belong to a class of medication known as glucocorticoids which are steroids. - thanks Google!). Now, cortisone is generally injected into the body at the affected area, although I did read recently that it too can be taken in pill form to alleviate pain throughout your entire body. Cortisone does a good job in attacking inflammation, providing pain relief, treating arthritis, and a bunch of other lovely things to help your body heal and feel brand new. Sounds great right??? Well... don't get excited TOO quickly.. cortisone also has some nasty side effects. The most common "con" about cortisone is that it can weaken both ligaments and tendons in the body which is no bueno especially if you're an extremely active individual. Unfortunately, cortisone shots can also cause nerve damage, thinning of bones, and thinning of soft tissue. So although I did receive the injection once.. I am very hesitant to do it once again. So after a few consultations with foot specialists, doctors, physical therapists, sport LMT (massage therapists), friends of friends of friends, and family members I decided it was time to take a different route this time around. So let's all give a warm welcome and round of applause to my new friend - the boot! I was given this walking boot last week, it's purpose is to stabilize my foot and ankle, making sure to protect it from further damage, The stiff bottom offers limited flexion in my foot which will then [hopefully] relax all the tension going on under there. 11 days somewhat strong of no running... bizarre right? It's crazy sometimes to think I haven't stepped foot on the road in 11 days. Honestly, 11 days feels like 3 years LOL. Although this time sucks, and not being able to run is emotionally draining, I'm slowly coming to terms with myself. This morning when I got home I did something I haven't done in a while, I meditated. I sat there with my little essential oils diffuser on, set up a little spot in the middle of my room, shut my eyes and just got lost. Sure, it resulted in me being late for work (what else is new), but it reminded me that the mental aspect of this sport is SO IMPORTANT. I've been distant from my "mental self" lately, and I brought myself back into awareness which honestly is what I've needed for quite some time. Some people don't believe in meditation, or they tend to make fun of it and I've never been one for spiritual things, but I do believe in meditation. Meditating this morning brought me back to me, back to the realization that this injury is nothing but a small hurdle to tackle. No, it's not permanent and it surely doesn't define me as a runner. I know how strong of an athlete I am, and if I am strong then I can surely tackle this crap. I'm treating my recovery as a whole new training regimen. It's time to focus, stop dwelling on things that can't change, and work towards getting back on the roads. I am nervous, anxious, excited, and everything in between. I know this is best, I know it will make me a better athlete, and I can't wait to see what the outcome is. Time to embrace my new fashion accessory and get serious. Happy Wednesday everybody, until next time.... Stay Green, Stay happy, Amanda
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The four R's of running... Rest, Run, Recovery, Repeat....I can say I successfully cover one of those words on a day-to-day basis. In my personal opinion and through my experience as a collegiate athlete, I don't think the topic of recovery is stressed well enough. Sure we are made well aware of the accessibility of our athletic trainers and athletic training facilities, and yes every coach has the team stretch post workouts...but is it ever enough? I think not. When your coach / mentor isn't harping at you to stretch or literally watching you do it...are you doing it? Are you taking the time to foam roll prior to and after every run? Are you icing or using Epsom Salt? Are you allowing your body to recover? Probably not, and i'll be honest that I am part of that "probably not" group. Nope, I barely ever take time to recover. I run 7 days a week, lift 3 days within that week, and attend spin class at least once..I don't do the whole "day off" thing. I haven't been a competitive road racer for very long so I just do as I'm told and I make sure not to disappoint my coach. Yes, if I fall or feel something funky going on I notify my coach (Jeff) and we plan accordingly...but quite honestly...a day off sounds terrible. Jeff doesn't give me days off, does that mean he's clueless? Nope. Does it mean he has no idea how to coach? Nope; he knows what works for me. I'm a competitor, I want to be THE BEST and I want to run my fastest; I won't let anything get in the way of that. I've had my series of injuries don't get me wrong, last winter season I was out for just about 9 weeks because of an awful IT band issue, and I've had some foot, hip, overall lower body issues..so what did I do? I went to a PT and a massage therapist . I find that whenever I have an injury or a weird pain my first instinct is to figure it out on my own. My dream is to become a Physical Therapist and I'm currently trying to find ways to attend college once again to pursue this dream (even though it's absolutely terrifying). So of course Amanda thinks she's going to figure out the cure for every injury on her own...well I've given it my best shot at least. In the end I always end up at a doctor because these guys know a hell of a lot more than I ever will. Recently, I've given massage therapy a shot. A teammate of mine recommended Stephen Ryder LMT (licensed massage therapist) CKTP (Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner) and let me tell you, it's been one of the best experiences I've ever had. Steve works primarily with athletes of any and all levels to improve range of motion, decrease pain, and treat exercise induced injuries. He uses methods such as ART (active release therapy), Graston, and Kinesio tape to ensure every athlete remains healthy and ready to compete to full potential. Steve does single sessions or you can hop on his maintenance plan (guess where I wound up), he works anywhere from 30 minutes up to an hour and luckily he's generally pretty flexible...especially with my wild schedule. Sure, it's painful but it's a good kind of painful and I've had nothing but success since I've started going to Steve. The coolest thing we've done so far introduce the Graston technique to my maintenance plan. Pardon my gross looking feet in this image (to the left), but these are Graston tools! HOORAY FOR PIECES OF METAL THAT CAUSE GREAT PAIN....kidding...sort of. So what's the "Graston technique?" Graston which is the name of the stainless steel tools pictured that are used as a manual therapy to perform muscle mobilizations. It's generally seen as a soft tissue mobilization process by most chiropractors, physical therapists, osteopathic physicians, and the list goes on. So what happens? Basically Steve will use lotion to smooth the area where fibrous or scar tissue (a knot) may appear, and he proceeds to use the Graston tools to break up that scar tissue or restore mobility. This technique of fascial manipulation allows for instant pain relief as well as increased mobility at the same time; something that might not be possible through a static stretch. Here's a little anatomy lesson: your body's fascia is a band or sheet of connective tissue, primarily collagen, beneath the skin that attaches, stabilizes, encloses , and separates muscles and other internal organs; this is what Steve is trying to "break up". Does this stuff hurt? Hell yeah it does, but I leave Steve's office feeling great and ready to run. I believe that Graston is an extremely effective way to break up scar tissue and fascia, and a little more effective than a foam roller. For someone who's not really into recovery, I've found that since I've been having sessions with Steve my body feels so much stronger, and it has made me more conscience of when my body needs to recover. I've started to listen to my body a little more even though I am still running 7 days a week, I've gotten new recovery tools to test out, and I make sure to see Steve at the least once a month (that turns into 3-5 real fast). If you've got a massage therapist near you who's willing to do the Graston technique I HIGHLY recommend giving it a try, otherwise know that recovery is just as important as time spent out on the roads. I'm slowly learning to take better care of my body even when I don't feel like I am in pain. Your body needs to be healthy body inside and out, don't forget that! Until next time.... Stay Green, Amanda |
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February 2018
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