Endurance training has many postive effects on our bodies. To excel we must think of how we are fueling our systems. Garbage in = garbage out. Words to remember! What are the best things we can do? WATER: keep hydrated. Most of my patients are generally dehydrated even without adding in endurance exercise. You must consume 2 litres of water per day generally and then add more when exercising. If you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Always take water on a run. Short, long, winter or summer always run with water.

There are many fuel sources you can utilize while training but generally the best is to consume a balanced, healthy diet consisting of approximately 50-60 % carbohydrate, 10-15 % protein and good fats rounding out the totals. Questions? Ask me!

What would be a perfect gift for Mom - some time to herself! Mom’s spend all day everyday working for their family and a Massage or Spa day or even a few hours curled up on the couch reading a book. Our RMT Georgia Poulis is ready and wating to pamper your mom with a relaxing massage.

At the start of this group we established the Long Term goal of a 5 km road race in the time frame of 9 weeks. Each week has time of run goals and targets to stay on track.  Journaling each run can keep you on track by not letting the week get away from you, allows you to plan out your runs and see your progress. The most important component of this particular program is endurance. We are teaching our muscles what running is and allowing our cardiovascular system to adapt to the increased loads with gradual increases in time of running. In week #6 we were up to 6 min run/1 min walk 4 times for a total of 28 minutes. Although the group was nervous with this week’s interval jump, the last 5 weeks of establishing a running routine paid off and everyone did amazing.

Looking forward to next week!

This week: Run 4 min/ Walk 1 min

The importance of the group run is becoming apparent as the increase in run times is much less noticable as we are chatting away. Please try and make our Wednesday evening runs!

Cross training is a very important aspect of any training program. Doing too much of the same thing over and over not only becomes boring but can lead to overuse injuries. By adding another endurance type of activity in your schedule you can significantly reduce risk of injury and maintain a high level of fitness. Cardiovascular fitness training allows increased efficiency of our body to process and delivery oxygen to the muscles. The better this system gets, the easier endurance activities can be. Swimming and biking are common cross training exercises for runners as they use different muscles but work your endurance cardiovascular fitness levels. Swimming is my favourite cross training exercise as it really leaves you puffing away down the lane but is non-weight bearing so gives the legs and joints a rest. Don’t think you are a great swimming? Buy some googles and a cap and find a lane swim in your area. Don’t worry about what others are doing. There are usually 3 lanes going, slow, medium and fast so choose appropriately and start to crawl! I personally find it very relaxing and meditative but that is just me.

Strengthening is also a very important part of an exercise program, especially as we age. Endurance is great but as we age degeneration will occur and keeping all the muscles around joints strong and symmetrical is very important. A strenghtening program does not mean you have to join a gym. You can effectively work your muscles with a few weights and a mat. When doing weighted exercise, it is most important to work BOTH sides of a joint meaning if you do quads, you need to do hamstrings! For runners it is very important to work calves, anterior leg muscles, quads, hamstrings, abdominals, lower back paraspinals and gluts to name a few. 

Happy Running!

For 3 weeks we have been laying a foundation to get your body used to the run motion and to establish a schedule. At this point in our program, if you are not dedicated to a minimum of 3 runs on the schedule indicated, you may very well fall behind as the program accelerates. That is okay! You are welcome to stay a week or 2 longer at a certain pace schedule but be aware the rest of the group on Wednesday evenings will be moving forward will increasing run intervals and the June 3rd target for your 5 km may be delayed.

This brings me to my topic for the week – Being Aware and Preventing Injury. I outlined the top 5 running related injuries: Achilles Tendonitis,  Iliotibial Band Syndrome, Plantar Fasciitis,  Shin Splints & Runner’s Knee (Chondromalacia Patella). The common thread with these types of injuries are increasing your distance/frequency/intensity of running too quickly (remember the 10% increase/week rule!), improper shoes, uneven, imbalanced musculature, over pronation (flattened arches) and muscle tightness.

Some of these injuries you can run through, and others you cannot. If you start to encounter pain, please talk to me. Ice will always be your friend used at 10 min on/10 min off intervals and as your distance increases you may be using some icing. That’s okay. General rule is achey, pain, stiffness - stretch, ice, take a day off and evaluate. SHARP PAIN – STOP ACTIVITY, ice and talk to a health care provider.

Happy running this week! 

The secret to good posture is maintaining the spine’s natural curves. If your spine is not properly aligned, your muscles and ligaments have to work harder to keep you upright and this can result in strain and pain. One of the first indicators of poor posture is a slouching or forward head posture which puts more strain on the posterior neck muscles. It also increases the weight bearing on the discs and can lead to premature arthritis of the neck as well as affect breathing and digestion. There are many causes of this type of posture including car accidents, sports injuries, working with computers, tablets, video games, work desk positioning and loss of bone density.

 Another common indicator of poor posture is a forward tilt of the pelvis causing anterior weight bearing, an increase in the lumbar lordosis (curvature) and associated muscle weakness. This can lead to chronic lower back pain, muscle pain, sciatica, leg weakness, lower extremity circulation problems and much more. The abnormal spinal weight bearing associated with this type of posture can lead to premature spinal arthritis of the joints and discs.

Does your posture pass the test?

Use a three-way mirror or have a friend help you check out these markers: When standing: your head, shoulders, hips and ankles should line up, one comfortably above the other. Your knees should be slightly bent and your feet should be shoulder-width apart or more. When looking at your back: are your shoulders and hips level or is one side higher than the other? Does your head tilt to one side or the other? Does one shoulder blade seem to be more prominent than the other? Do the muscles of the back seem more developed on one side, compared to the other? A healthy back should be symmetrical. When looking from the side, your neck and low back should curve to the front of your body, and your mid-back and pelvis should curve to the back. Postural distortions in the curves of your spine mean stress and strain on your back.

Tips for Standing Tall

If you use a bag or briefcase with a single shoulder strap, choose a strap that is long enough to place over your head and rest on the opposite side from the bag. This helps distribute the weight of the bag evenly and prevents distorting your posture. High heels throw your spine out of alignment, making good posture difficult and often leading to low back pain. A low-heeled, supportive shoe is best, but if you are devoted to your fashion footwear, try to restrict the height to no more than two inches. Try not to sit in any one position for a long period of time. Take a quick stretch break or change positions every 30-45 minutes. For a quick and easy spinal stretch, stand up and raise your arms above your head. Strengthening your core back and abdominal muscles will help promote good posture by keeping your spine well supported.

Canada’s chiropractors are specialists in back health. Chiropractors are experts at analyzing posture and spinal problems. A doctor of chiropractic searches for the problems that exist underneath poor posture. Analyzing spinal curvatures and alignment, the doctor searches for the problems that contribute to the postural pattern he or she observes.  If you are concerned about your posture, consider an evaluation.

The Warm Up: It is important to slowly start into your exercise. Take the first run/walk set or two easy, letting your body warm up and blood start pumping. It is always a good idea to start slowly and then slowly increase to your choosen pace. If you jack rabbit out of the gate you may not make it all the way through your workout.

The Cool Down: Cooling down is another important aspect of the work out for your body. After your sets, walk briskly for 4-6 minutes before stopping to stretch. Stopping imediately after you finish running could lead to blood pooling and cramping as well as light headedness.

Warm Weather Running: I brought in a selection of personal gear to show options as the weather warms up. Hydration and aclimatization are key as the weather warms. Be warned, your pace will slow as the temperature increases. It feels more difficult until you are aclimatized to the heat so take it slow and try an early morning run before the sun is too high in the sky. Make sure to purchase a water bottle belt or fuel belt. Go check out a few of the options, try them on and run around the store to make sure you are comfortable and they don’t move to much on you. Make sure you don’t wear cotton! Cotton retains moisture and can cause chaffing that is not pleasant. Invest in some lyra shorts, capri’s and a microfibre t-shirt. Also invest in a peak cap that allows air flow and body glide. Body glide (several varieties on the market) in any area that may rub is essential to avoid chaffing and discomfort. Trust me!

This week’s work: 9 sets of 2 min run/1 min walk = 27 min + cooldown.

Happy Running!

Good questions this evening:

1) Stretch before or after or both? We want to stretch warm muscles so start your run/walk sequence slowly, allowing your body to warmup and stretch when you are finished. Remember there are 4 main stretches we want to focus on: Quads, Hamstrings, ITB and Calf.

2) What to do about a stitch? This will happen as you increase your running. Don’t worry. It is essentially a muscle spasm of your diaphragm muscle that works to control your breathing rate. Remember when running we want to focus on big, slow breaths that fill your tummy. In through the nose and out through the mouth if you are able. Your breathing should not be shallow or keeping up with your running pace. I don’t want anyone rapidly breathing and hyperventilating. If you get a stitch, stop, walk, put pressure with your hand on the sore spot and breath slowly and deeply. When you start to run again, slow your pace and continue deep breathing. They do subside.

Homework for this week: 1 min run/ 1 min walk with 12 repeats. This equals 24 minutes. Hopefully you get 3 in before next week. Remember, try not to run more than 2 days in a row and work on pacing so you can do all 12 sets. Slow and steady wins this race!

Questions? Email drjen@yourfamilychiro.com and Happy Running! www.yourfamilychiro.com or @DrJenMurray

Take away information from our evening: CONSISTANCY and MOTIVATION. It is important to have a  minimum of 3 runs/week. If you can fit in a 4th, go for it! Our program is focused on a run/walk approach and will be working in interval sets that increase weekly. Staying on schedule will be important to achieve your goals. Along that vein, our target 5 km Run is  http://www.blackflyrunning.com/. Please sign up! It will be a great morning and crossing the finish line will be an amazing start to your running career!

RUNNING FORM: Remember, have an upright posture when running. Don’t slouch your shoulders or let your bum stick out. Keep your arms bent at 90 degrees and your shoulders relaxed. We want to focus on a nature stride length and no bouncing! Think of a shuffling type of run so that your feet just clear to ground moving you  in a forward direction to maximize efficiency. Take nice deep breaths and avoid shallow, quick breathing. You want to be able to maintain a conversation while running.

STRETCHING: No bouncing! Stretch until you feel a pull and then stay at that length for a slow count to 15. Do stretches evenly on both sides. Quadriceps (remember knees together! Pull leg back), Hamstring (leg on chair, toe up), Calf (standing, toe up, lean forward) and ITB (cross legs, butt out to side!)

HOMEWORK: 1 min run, 2 min walk. Repeat 7 times. Do a minimum of twice before next Wednesday.

QUESTIONS? drop me an email! drjen@yourfamilychiro.com HAPPY RUNNING!