5 Minutes of ART

Well I went all the way down to Boston for an ART (Active Release Technique) Treatment. Getting to Boston and back took a little over 3 1/2 hours. The treatment took 5 minutes! I had been to this doctor before, but the last time was 4 years ago. I think he is good at what he does, but now I remember that he isn't that communicative and seems a bit disinterested in explaining the treatment process. Of course, he can be real good at what he does, but I would like to know more of his thoughts about what is going on.

He wanted to quickly know what was going on with me. How can I explain my funky mechanics? So I told him about what was going on now, and pointed out how the back of the left hip was stuck or weak. He had me bend over and touch my toes and wanted to know if it hurt. Then he had me do a squat and asked the same question. Nothing hurt. I tried to explain that when I run it is all out of balance.

He had me lie on my right side and then move my top (left) leg straight out (like a field goal kicker) and also move it down in a straight line to cross over the other leg and below the height of the bench. While I did that he applied pressure to points around the back of the pelvis so that my movement moved my muscles under his fingers. I did that and he then had me do it with lifting my left arm straight up and behind my body to create a rotation. The Art treatment doesn't hurt me. I don't feel a thing. I guess some people feel a lot of pain with ART but maybe they have different muscles that are being worked on. I did each movement about 5 times. I think I did another movement moving my straightened left leg forward and I think another where he was holding a bit behind the upper hamstring. That was, "enough for now" he said and that he'd like me to return and maybe work on my hip flexor. Well it was dissapointing for all the traveling but my insurance does cover the treatment. I will return Monday for the next appointment.

I was hoping for good things at tonight's track workout. I had to kickbike there as our cars wore both in use. When I started running my hip felt "stuck" in the same place and so my stride was still not good. We did 3 times a set of a 400, a 400, and then an 800. I kept them all at just under 90 second pace but it is still dissapointing to be running with the "B" group: not that they are bad runners (as it is our top women and the good 50+ men), but I still like running with my buddies in the "A" group better (particularly because it means I am running faster!).

Well my hip still felt stuck and I am feeling a twinge in the 3rd metatarsel of my right foot after runs and during the day as I walk. I had a stress fracture there back in high school and every once in a while I feel the twinge coming back. I think I will lay off runnning in the orthaheels for now. They feel stable as I run but maybe they are hurting that right foot and possibliy contributing to the stiffness in my left hip. I was limping a bit from the hip and foot after the last interval. At first kickbiking home on the tender right foot hurt a bit. After a half mile (I had taken the insoles out) it started feeling OK. Tomorrow may be a good day to take off.

Here are a couple of videos I have watched about running form. I can't get the cues to work right for me because each hip feels like it is working differently but someday when I get things sorted out they may be helpful. The first features Ironman legend Dave Scott. He has some biomechanical drills to help your form and push your hips forward as you run. I had a chance to briefly run with Dave Scott once. He came to run the Bay State Triathlon in Massachusetts one year in the mid 1980's (when he was at the top of his game). I was in the race and as I came out of the bike transition and onto the run course I found myself running directly behind Dave. I kept within 5-10 yards for a few minutes watching his stride (and hoping someone would take a picture!). Of course I was just starting the first lap and he had already finished that lap and was on his second lap. It was fun while it lasted but then he sped away.



The second clip is a Chi Running clip and explains some of their running cues for Chi Running posture.



Here is a link to lower some lower back stretches I had bookmarked and found again. I like the last one, which is pictured at the top of this page. I think this stretches the hip in a similar way to some of the ART Treatment I recieved. I also think that I will do the cross body hip circles from Z-Health a bit more and use some tubing to stretch that left leg across the body in a similar way to some of the stretching I did with the ART Treatment today.

Winning when the Running is not going well!

I wouldn't really call it hitting rock bottom, but last week I ran my first 5k of the year and it went awful. I think it was my slowest 5k or 3 miler since I was in 9th grade. I just couldn't run smoothly at all. The last 5k I ran back on Thanksgiving was 18:09. Last Monday I ran 21:20. I knew after the race that I needed professional help (no- not that kind!. My hips were just so tight and nothing I could do would relax them. My right leg felt an inch shorter than my left and so after the race I put a heel lift in it to balance things off. I felt more balanced walking around with the lift but I know this is probably more a functional leg length difference than structural and I have the feeling that in the long run the lift makes things worse. So it was time to take care of things.

Wednesday I went to the chiropractor and had an adjustment. The last time I had gone was last September. The good news was that my back was in better shape than usual due to all the work I have been doing. Only a minor adjustment to the upper back and to a hip was needed. Friday I had my first massage since August. I also signed up to go back in 2 weeks and to continue to be consistent with this care if it works and keeps me loose and running.

I also ordered the Spynamics Sacro Aligner. It is a self-help tool based on the Dorn Method. Paul, who has been giving me a lot of good advice, thinks it works well for him and I like the simplicity of the Dorn Method so maybe this will help me keep things in alignment.

Tonight I went back to the 5k race series and ran a bit better than the previous week 20:00 but I still felt imbalanced at the hips. The massage has loosened up the muscles or ligaments around my hip joint but since the massage I feel tight (or a lack of movement)at certain points on the pelvis. It is an old familiar tightness that I have had off and on for years. The main thing I feel is that the left back side of the top of my pelvis (about three finger widths from the back bone is "stuck" or tight. It is the same point I used to lie down on the floor and push on to "crack" or release the tension back in the 1980's when my back first went bad while I was doing triathlons. I have the feeling that this tightness may have something to do with the psoas or hip flexor muscle. I am going to try to go down to Boston to see an A.R.T (Active Release Technique) specialist that I went to a few years ago. He got rid of the scar tissue in my psoas and other tight areas in that hip and I remember how things worked well again for awhile after that. Maybe he can clear up some of the issues with that hip again so that I can continue running properly.

I got new shoes in the mail: Nike Zoom Haywards and Nike Free v.5. I had a pair of the original Nike Free and I liked them for walking around in and I did some running in them too. They just plain wore out. I replaced them last year with the version 3 (lower heel) pair but I got them a bit too small and my feet felt cramped so I don't use them. I wore the Haywards for my last three runs. They are more cushiony than I like but they feel OK so far.


I also ordered two types of orthotic type devices from Orthaheel. One is full length for running shoes and one is 3/4 length for regular shoes. I have been wearing them for walking around in as they take some getting used to. The arch pushes up on my flattened arch and they do compensate for 4 degrees of pronation. Yesterday I put them in the Haywards for an 8 mile run. I felt more stable in them and had no problems. Tonight I fit them in my H-Streets to run on the trails for the 5k. They feel like they weigh as much as the lightweight H-Streets but again I felt more stability with my feet and I am hoping that they may help balance out my feet and hips. I am giving them a shot. At least as a temporary move they seem to help stretch out the bottom of my feet. I do know that using Nike Frees to strengthen you feet and wearing an orthotic type device because your feet are not strong are two different directions to pursue. We'll see which one wins out.

The running is going slowly compared to what I like, but am I getting hints that I should get back into triathlons? Saturday I got a letter that I had won a contest and my prize was a Specialized Hard Rock Pro Disc mountain bike. I have wanted a mountain bike for years, but could never see affording one. This looks like a bike that would be perfect for the trails around here. Today I got a phone call that I won a trip to the Olympic Trials. I thought at first it was the Track Trials, but it is a trip to the swimming trials next week which should be very interesting and loads of fun. I get to take my 8 year old daughter who has never been on an airplane. When I have nothing to do or am watching TV I do enter contests and so far it works out real well for me as I have won stuff I could never afford and vacations I could never go on. I won that trip to Hawaii in April and among other things in the past couple of years I have won a kayak, a trip to Florida with my other daughter so she could play soccer with Mia Hamm, and a visit to a Red Sox game and everything NESN last Spring with my son. I like winning these sports related contests!