Working the Insoles

Those CIGNA 5K race people are mocking me! I am sure. I was checking out their race app/brochure and noticed the picture they used to showcase their new timing system. They used the number 1234. If you want to read the strange and unusual things that happened to me when they gave me the unlucky number 1234 a couple of years ago, check out this true story.

After one week of running with the insoles for functional hallux limitis, I have had mixed results. They feel great standing and walking and are absolutely awesome when riding my bike and kickbike. I do struggle to run with them. They feel good, but they slow me down. I feel like I am running in sand with all the support that I am not used to having. My legs and feet definitely need more time to adjust.

Last week's running
Mon. Mine Falls 5K Trail Race 20:18 (used cut-out insoles-hips were O.K. but lost balance a few times)
Tues. Lowell Classic T-Shirt night 19:55 (used brand new insoles that I got in the morning)
Gotta work on my race wardrobe! But at least I am ahead of Fil Faria, for a bit, who keeps beating me (usually by one place-twice a week!) I forgot to wear an old t-shirt. I was going to wear a 1981 Lowell Oktoberfest Marathon shirt (if it still fit).

photo Ted Tyler

Wed. Track night 6 miles including 2 X 2miles (hip was tight something like 12:15 and 12: 48) last one I almost quit after 1 lap as my hip hurt and I had a hard time moving-but I made a comeback.
Thurs. 8 miles slow with insoles
Fri. 8 miles slower with insoles but felt great otherwise.

Took out my Kickbike for the first time all year and did 8 miles (stride felt great-foot plant was excellent with the insoles),

then took out my Centurian Cinelli Equipe racing bike from the mid-80's- a great friend with all the miles and racing we did together) for another 8 miles (again felt great- I have never been able to get my left foot comfortable on a bike- and with the same setup of cleats and saddle I keep trying every year or two but it always feels off and hurts my foot and I can't balance on the saddle correctly-this time it felt excellent with the midsoles-my left leg was aligned, had power, and I could sit properly on the saddle-wow- that has never happened before even before when I started biking),

then I took out my mountain bike and did 8 miles including the trails off Gilson Rd.,

I was going to ride my black K2 but some spokes were broken (I have less than 50 miles on this bike-got it cheap-everytime I ride it something is wrong),

I didn't ride my Cannondale Triathlon bike but I need to get it cleaned up to sell.

I was still feeling fantastic so I took out my Kettlebell and worked the rest of my body. It was a great day playing with all my toys. I love days like that, but they are rare to find any more.
Sat. 8 miles- really slow-I knew I'd be sore-but my stride is real short and I ran 1 1/2 minutes per miles slower than a good day.
Sun. no running 14 miles of biking
Monday- heat! MineFalls 5K trail race 21:19 ouch. Started off great, had a hard time staying out of the lead, then my left glute spasmed up at about the 3/4 mile mark, making it hard to run for 1/4 mile or so and then it was a sort of limp home to the finish.

photo Steve Wolfe

Tues. Real hot 90+degrees! Reverse the Course 5k in Lowell 20:28. I was giving my feet a rest today from the insoles and decided to try the Cluffy Wedges in my shoe. I ordered these before I got the insoles for FHL and when they arrived I had put them aside because they came the same day I got the insoles. They work in a similar way by putting a wedge under the big toe to allow the 1st MTP joint to work. Unfortunately, after I entered the race I started to warm up and my left glute was still tight and sore from the previous day. I was limping and couldn't run. I did some quick  Postural Restoration stretches to readjust the left hip and stretched the quads a bit. This seemed to help. I got a good start in this race. Felt OK with the Cluffy wedges-more normal but my feet were beat up a bit and my right toe joint began to really hurt again after doing much better with the insoles.

photo Mike Stanwyck

I had another ART appointment today with Dr. Baroody. I explained how tight the muscles all around my hip and pelvis were: from the insertion of the hamstring to the muscles all around the hips. He gave my 5 dynamic flexibility exercises to do and will give me more stretching exercises next visit. There is so much readjustment being done that the muscles seems to be getting tighter and tighter almost like they are trying to protect my  hips from moving, so we'll see how that goes.

What is Better For the Core?

There is an interesting New York Times article today found here: "Is Your Ab Workout Hurting Your Back?" by Gretchen Reynolds on core strength. It tells a bit about the history and popularity of many of today's core workout routines, particularly the emphasis on the transversus abdominis and "sucking in the belly button". It explains why this might be the wrong approach to developing a healthy core. Stuart McGill offers a more balanced approach to core stability. There is also an informative video on the web page that shows three good core exercises.

Here is a visual guide to some other core exercises: some like the crunches do not agree with the NYT article, at least as performed here. Others seem like extensions to some of the exercises that are recommended in the article. The article "Hard Core - Exercises to Strengthen Your Abs For Better Performance" by Justin Maguire can be found on beginnertriathlete.com here.

I haven't tried these routines yet, but I look forward to exploring new exercises as the school year ends on Monday. I was really tired tonight and exited the track workout halfway through. I was a bit lethargic and stiff from earlier in the weak. I did three 11 mile days in a row before Monday's Mine Falls Trail 5K. I am also tired from the end of the school year. I thought it better to stop than to push through to an injury. I was probably stiff from doing tons of kettlebell swings last night too, as I was workout until about 11:00 pm and didn't have a chance to run, but needed to get some exercise.



Some other things I hope to give a try after school is out is the new Resistance Stretching DVD I got two weeks ago, but have only viewed once. It is the second DVD by Bob Cooley, author of "The Genius of Flexibility". It is the intermediate self stretches DVD and more information can be found here. I also ordered and am looking forward to recieving the third Z-Health DVD. It is called S-Phase: The Complete Athlete. Here is the blurb from Z-Health:

Introducing the Newest Z-Health Educational Product
We're incredibly excited to announce the release of the latest Z-Health Performance Solutions Educational Training DVD and Quick Start Guide.

We love it and are certain you will as well. Featuring Dr. Cobb and seven advanced-level Z-Health trainers, this instructional two-DVD set is a goldmine of information about the Z-Health approach to optimal athletic development. Here's a quick peek at just a few of the topics covered:

Static and Dynamic Stances. It all starts with a good stance
6 Visual Training Drills designed to improved field vision
Plyometric Training for developing explosive movement skill and speed
4 drills for creating explosive Linear Speed
3 Ground Speed Drills. Losing your balance or being knocked to the ground is part of the game. Learn to recover quickly
6 Athletic Transition Steps for maximum speed and quickness

We've also included a handy, pull-out Quick Start Guide for you to take to the track or gym with general training tips and two sample training programs to jumpstart your practice and creativity.

Since my movement patterns are so messed up and I still am working on the Z-Health Joint Mobility R and I phase DVDs, this one makes me just more curious about where these drills and movement patterns are going. I am sure it is meant for better and more effecient athletes than me, but I am curious as to where this approach to movement leads. You can check out Z-Health here:



Before today's workout I took my Vibram Five-Finger shoes out for a warmup run on the trails of Mine Falls. They worked OK. I felt the rocks through the bottom, but there wasn't really rough going on the run. I like this observation by Matt Metzgar on changing running speed and stride length when running over different trail conditions. This relates to barefoot running. Here is a video of Erwen LeCorre of MovNat. Even if you don't want to run comletely barefoot-I don't want to either, this video is a lesson in how the body runs over different surfaces when unshod.



I did receive great news yesterday. After 21 years of teaching at Mount Pleasant School I have finally graduated from the fourth grade! Next year I am switching schools to New Searles Elementary School and will be a fifth grade teacher. I am very excited for a change of school and look forward to my new position. On a side note, this may even help my running and fitness. The school is about 2-3 miles from my house and I can bike, scooter, or run there and I won't have to get on a highway or go through a traffic light. It also starts an hour later than my present school, so maybe I can learn to be a morning runner next year. Most of all, I am just looking forward to the change and a new challenge.

Finally, here is a marathon that I would have loved to participate in. At this years Utah Valley Marathon they had a footbike (kickbike) scooter division. You can read about it here. Here is a video:

Kickbiking in Running Times Magazine

The June 2009 issue of Running Times magazine has an article on cross-training and I am happy to see that there is a blurb about kickbikes. You can find the article here on Dave Dunham's blog. A kickbike is an adult-sized scooter (think of mixing a bicycle with a razor scooter). Kickbiking is the most rewarding and fun type of exercise that I do. Yeah, I am a runner, and I enjoy my mountain bike and road bikes, but for the pure "glee" of exercising, nothing beats a kickbike. You can put more effort into your stride, get the heart rate pounding, and work your muscles more than on a run and you don't have to sit on a seat like on a bike. You are free to move and measure your effort. Plus you can zip around corners and fly on the downhills. I always have a smile on my face after kickbiking and depending on the effort or distance, I can work out my muscles more than on any run. Unfortunately, very few people have one and there are no races here in the USA, yet! There are races, marathons, and even a World Championship in Europe.





These pictures are from 2003 after I had ridden my kickbike 127 miles from Nashua, NH to Falmouth, Ma. When I arrived at the end of the day on the Cape, I found out that a boy who had been in my fourth grade class that spring had died the night before when riding a razer scooter at night. He was run over by a car. I decided to ride a 100 mile fundraiser, but I had an accident myself between the pictures being taken for the article and sitting down with the writer. I was riding my kickbike across a bridge in Pepperell, Ma. that had a 2 inch wide and 3 inch deep expansion joint running at an small angle from the direction of the road. My front wheel got caught and I went over the handlebars and broke two ribs. I rode the kickbike 8 miles home, but very gingerly, as I was in a lot of pain. I never got to do the 100 miler, but enough money was raised to help pay for a gravestone for my student's grave.

Look for Concord Monitor article halfway down this page.

Kickbike America website.

Footbike (competing brand) web site.

Elite mountain racer Matt Carpenter uses a kickbike (10 year old article).

Yahoo Kickbike® discussion group (mainly US). To join this group, send an email request to kickbike4fun@yahoo.com or danconia57@yahoo.com and you will be sent an invitation to join. http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/kickbikeUSA

Here is a video that came with my Kickbike Millenium Racer. It shows a serious kickbiker in action in Colorado.If any local runners want to try out my kickbike, just let me know. I am glad to see Running Times acknowledging kickbikes and maybe more runners will learn what great fun they can have on a kickbike.



Here is another video that I posted before, but it shows some great kickbikers doing their stuff.

Back on Track: track intervals, kickbikes, and two new stretches

Wednesday night was the first track workout for the Gate City Striders. I love doing intervals on the track. It brings me back to high school and college pain and fun. When track workouts start, I start getting into shape. I haven't done speedwork since the end of October or raced in 2008 so I wasn't sure how enthusiastic and cooperative my legs would be.

The weather was warm and perfect. I decided to celebrate the weather by riding my Kickbike to the track (about 4 miles). I haven't used it since the summer so I knew I would get a double dose of sore muscles by the end of the day.

The workout was 5 x 1000m. I did them all a little bit under 3:45 pace which is a 6 minute mile pace. The hips were wobbly and my stride was off kilter but it was good to finally get some faster paced running in

My left lower back tightened up right above the hip but I still had to kickbike home. After getting home I tried a bit of a Yoga routine that someone named Sadienardini put on the Runner's World discussion boards. She writes:

"Hi all, Sadie here. I'm the Director of East West Yoga in Manhattan. Every year around Marathon time, I begin to include the following poses for my runner students. Do them, in sequence, after you run when you're still warm for the greatest benefit. You'll release knees, calves, achilles, quads, hamstrings, IT band, hips and low back--all in less than to minutes! It's a great investment.

Try a Downward-facing Dog Pose first to get a gentle stretch down the back of your legs.

Then do all 4 poses for a minute or longer each. This is when the body starts to make real changes in your flexibility. Breathe slow and deep through your nose, to calm your body and mind, and get a ton of oxygen in to help cart away the lactic acid that can make you sore later.

1] Runner's Lunge: from hands and knees or downward dog, put one knee down, step the other foot between your hands next to the same side thumb [right foot to right thumb]. straighten the front leg and flex your toes back as you pull your hips bak. Fold over your front leg with a straight spine.

2]Funky Foot Lunge [gets the peroneal muscle along the side of your calf + the outer knee and IT]: from Runner's Lunge, step the same front foot to the opposite hand [right foot to left thumb]. roll to the pinkie toe outside of the foot, and lift the big toe side off the floor.

as you bow forward, straighten your front leg and keep pulling that hip back to square. as you progress, try lifting the back knee and doing it with 2 straight legs. Yowza!

3] The Magic Pose: Pigeon. This pose should be in every runer's stable. It opens every single muscle below the waist, which in turn opens every one above!

From hands and knees, place your right knee behind your right wrist. let your foot move over underneath your left hip somewhere. make sure your front knee is slightly wider than your hip.

Scoot your back leg straight out behind you, in line with its hip. your hips should be squared forward, even if you're high off the ground. That just means you need it

You should feel a stretch in your front leg hips, glutes and/or hamstring, and your back leg psoas [front of the hip]. As you progress, you won't feel as much sensation, so to go deeper, widen your front knee + move it slightly back, and slide your back leg behind you more.

Lean forward, forearms down or on a block, release your head, and breathe.

4]Magic Quad Stretch: from Pigeon, squeeze your knees into the floor for support, and bend your back knee, and being sure to keep the foot and shin aligned over your thigh, reach back with the same hand [right hand, right leg].

take the outer foot or ankle, and gently press your foot back into your hand to cause a slight muscle contraction [protects from overstretching] AS you pull the foot closer to your hip.

Return to hands and knees, or Dog Pose, and repeat all 4 poses on the other side.

Over a short time, this sequence will make a huge difference in your flexibility, joint health and performance."
I did a light version of the Funky Foot Lunge (I liked the way it felt earlier in the day) and it seemed to get rid of my hip tightness. That is cool!

Then I found this version of a hamstring stretch that I also really liked. It is located with some other good stretches here. It is called the Hamstring Rotational Stretch and comes from the Sports Medicine Institute International.



"Hamstring Rotational Stretch
Standing Version
Stand on your right foot and place your left heel on a surface well below waist
level. Face straight forward and keep both knees locked. Lean forward from the
waist and keep your back straight until you feel a good stretch. Rotate your torso
right and then left so that you are alternately facing to the inside and outside of
your leg. Repeat for 20 reps while gradually increasing the stretch. Stay relaxed
and keep you movements slow and controlled. Try pointing your toes towards your
head and away from your head in order to modify the stretch.
Repeat above exercises reversing the positions and movements of the right and left
legs."

I liked the movement of the torso over the hamstring. It seemed to hit a spot where I am very tight. After the stretches, I felt better than I would have expected. Now I am just sore, instead of sore and out of alignment!