Since this blog is called running and rehab, I want to give you all two very cool websites (one related to running and the other related to rehab) that I ran into this weekend. I can't take one ounce of credit for finding these sites. Both of these sites were brought to my attention from a current and former patient of mine. So, here they are:
This website is perfect for those of us that suffer from RSI (Repetitive Strain Injuries). Most of my neck and back patients suffer from ligament based injuries that lead to bulging/herniated discs in the spine region. Most of these injuries arise from improper posture and prolonged sitting. Most of us are at a computer for a good part of the day, and one of the biggest ways we can combat RSI is to take frequent rest breaks. The website shown above downloads software into your computer station at work that basically reminds you to take breaks every ..... minutes. You tell the software how often and how long you need your breaks to stretch and get up from the prolonged sitting posture that you assume throughout the day. No more excuses for forgetting to get out of your chair......
The second website deals more with running. Here it is
This site allows you to map a run anywhere you want...whether it is around your neighborhood, or at work.... doesn't matter...wherever google maps, you can map it. It will tell you the actual distance, elevation, etc... It will also allow you to find runs that other people have mapped in your area. So you can try new routes that you are not used to doing. This is extremely important, because you want to always try to break up the monotony of running the same route all the time. That's why I like the Garmin watch so much. It gives me the freedom to run wherever I want, and I know exactly how far I am going. Speaking of Garmin, on the website, if you find a route that you would like to try, you are able to download into your Garmin watch....Garmin has a compass feature that directs you on running the route accurately.... how cool is that????? I tried it today and it works... can't wait to actually do the route my patient sent to me.... hopefully sometime this week.
Well, hope you get to look around these sites, and hopefully, you find one of them, if not both, beneficial to you in some way.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
It's time to ramp up....
Luckily for me, I was able to get in a good run this morning, before the rain started. I started out at about 6:30 am, and ran from my house to the Suncoast Trail, which took me about 2.5 miles and ran about 5 miles north on the Suncoast Trail. I turned around, headed back home, and the run was a little over 14 miles.
This has been my longest run since the Ft. Lauderdale Marathon, and my body felt pretty good overall. My knees were a little achy during the run, but like all long runs, you feel something and then it goes away, then you feel something else, and that goes away... and the process continues throughout most of the run. It is so interesting that it was around this time last year that I was conquering my 1st 10 miler, 12 miler, 14 mile run, and it was so daunting and almost frightful every time I went out.... just not knowing whether or not I would survive the runs. And it seemed as though every time Chris and I ran together when we did one of these long runs, something bad happened to one of us. It was just so hard to complete these runs. Now, the 14 miler felt like a walk in the park.... how times have changed.... I mean don't get me wrong, you are fatigued at the end, but last year, if I would do a 10-14 mile run, I would crawl into the shower and then curl up in my bed for like 2-3 hours after the run, and I would limp all day... I remember going to church and people would ask, "are you ok?"....seriously... just brutal.... As I am writing this blog, I have very little to no soreness in any part of my body.....and I say these things not to brag in any way...it's just that I think it is always important to look back on where you were and how far you have come, so you can focus on the positive improvements that you have made. A lot of times I have to do that with patients. They might come to the office and be in agonizing pain, and then like 3 weeks later they have a couple twinges here and there, and get down on themselves that there is still discomfort at times. I have to remind them of where they started, and it helps them to realize that even though the goal has yet to be achieved, they are getting closer and closer.... There is hope for all of us.
Ok, so enough of that... now it's time to ramp it up with my running. I have been around the 30 mile/week mark for the last few weeks and my body feels pretty good. I will now do two hard workouts (or quality workouts) every week for the next month. That means workouts where I will work mostly on my speed. These workouts take a lot out of you, and they never get easy. But I think I'm ready to get back into it full speed ahead...no pun intended. Once I do this for about 4-6 weeks, I will take it easy for 1-2 weeks, and that should take me to the beginning of my 18 week training schedule for the Chicago marathon. My main focus, as always, is to stay injury-free...second objective is to get fast!!!!! So let's see what happens.
This has been my longest run since the Ft. Lauderdale Marathon, and my body felt pretty good overall. My knees were a little achy during the run, but like all long runs, you feel something and then it goes away, then you feel something else, and that goes away... and the process continues throughout most of the run. It is so interesting that it was around this time last year that I was conquering my 1st 10 miler, 12 miler, 14 mile run, and it was so daunting and almost frightful every time I went out.... just not knowing whether or not I would survive the runs. And it seemed as though every time Chris and I ran together when we did one of these long runs, something bad happened to one of us. It was just so hard to complete these runs. Now, the 14 miler felt like a walk in the park.... how times have changed.... I mean don't get me wrong, you are fatigued at the end, but last year, if I would do a 10-14 mile run, I would crawl into the shower and then curl up in my bed for like 2-3 hours after the run, and I would limp all day... I remember going to church and people would ask, "are you ok?"....seriously... just brutal.... As I am writing this blog, I have very little to no soreness in any part of my body.....and I say these things not to brag in any way...it's just that I think it is always important to look back on where you were and how far you have come, so you can focus on the positive improvements that you have made. A lot of times I have to do that with patients. They might come to the office and be in agonizing pain, and then like 3 weeks later they have a couple twinges here and there, and get down on themselves that there is still discomfort at times. I have to remind them of where they started, and it helps them to realize that even though the goal has yet to be achieved, they are getting closer and closer.... There is hope for all of us.
Ok, so enough of that... now it's time to ramp it up with my running. I have been around the 30 mile/week mark for the last few weeks and my body feels pretty good. I will now do two hard workouts (or quality workouts) every week for the next month. That means workouts where I will work mostly on my speed. These workouts take a lot out of you, and they never get easy. But I think I'm ready to get back into it full speed ahead...no pun intended. Once I do this for about 4-6 weeks, I will take it easy for 1-2 weeks, and that should take me to the beginning of my 18 week training schedule for the Chicago marathon. My main focus, as always, is to stay injury-free...second objective is to get fast!!!!! So let's see what happens.
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