This is part two of my last blog pertaining to running and overuse injuries. Check it out at my company's website at the link below.
http://ptsolutions.com/overcoming-running-overuse-injuries/
Showing posts with label Biomedical Research Laboratories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Biomedical Research Laboratories. Show all posts
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Monday, June 22, 2015
Therapy Blog: Running Overuse Injuries
Check out the blog post I wrote for my company on running overuse injuries at the below link.
http://ptsolutions.com/running-and-overuse-injuries/
Citations for the report:
http://ptsolutions.com/running-and-overuse-injuries/
Citations for the report:
1. Wilder
B. On the run: a physician's perspective. J
Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2014;44:731-2.
2. Nielsen
RØ, Parner ET, Nohr EA, Sørensen H, Lind M, Rasmussen S. Excessive progression
in weekly running distance and risk of running-related injuries: an association
which varies according to type of injury. J
Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2014;44:739-47.
Enjoy and look forward to some more scientific blog posts.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Early Racing 2015
I was nervous and skeptical about racing this year despite all the plans of a quick upgrade to Cat 2. I hadn't raced in a long time and as I began the season, I realized it was not going to be as easy of a feat to win and upgrade quickly as it was to upgrade to Cat 3.
Racing on 5-6 hours of training a week with minimal base mileage was pretty different from racing on 12-14 hours of training a week with a solid 6 day a week base mileage to roll off of in the early part of the season.
I was finding out quickly that I couldn't just show up to the race and expect to walk away with a win like I could in 2013 as a Cat 4. The team dynamics played a much bigger aspect to the racing now. The teams were stronger and smarter than ever before.
After finishing 8th and 5th in my first two road classified races of the 2015 season, I was feeling pretty discouraged and wondering if I was wasting my time with so little of it to commit to training. Then I showed up to Sunny King, a race that had been favorable to me in years past. It is a typical crit with a four corner course without any steep inclines or wicked nasty corners.
I barely made it on time and without much of a warm up (about 10 minutes on the trainer). I started at the back of the pack and stayed there for the first part of the race. The first 15 minutes felt like crap. It was extremely hard and I felt like I was about to pop off the back at any given moment. The horrible thought of getting dropped from the field and pulled from the race even crept into my head. It was hard.
But then all of a sudden, things began to change. Maybe we slowed down or maybe I was just finally warming up. It didn't seem quite as hard. My legs weren't quite as dead. I made some moves to edge myself up the group to make sure I didn't get separated from the field. Then I found the group counting down from 5 laps to go with me in the top 1/4 of the racers.
The laps continued to count down and I made sure I knew who's wheel I was on and tried to keep my position so people didn't swarm the field and shoot me way down the pack.
Video of the race can be seen here: http://www.annistoncycling.com/videos/
Starting at 3:20:00 and the finish is at 4:01:00.
On the final lap I knew the race was mine to lose. I was in perfect position for my skill set. The only thing I needed was for us to not get swarmed by riders heading into corner 3 of the last lap. To prevent that I pulled off onto Croome's wheel as he gave a little acceleration into the corner when feeling the peloton coming up the inside. Once I had that matched, I was able to roll through and into the last corner of the race in about 5th wheel position.
Once we straightened up out of the corner, I laid down the power and went for the line. I opened up the gap but still stayed strong on the pedals for fear of anyone creeping up on me at the line. Once I had it secured I set up to celebrate for the first time since TN State Crit in 2013. It was an amazing feeling and for it to be at Sunny King and the first race my girlfriend got to see me race in made it all the more special.
A great day in Alabama.
Racing on 5-6 hours of training a week with minimal base mileage was pretty different from racing on 12-14 hours of training a week with a solid 6 day a week base mileage to roll off of in the early part of the season.
I was finding out quickly that I couldn't just show up to the race and expect to walk away with a win like I could in 2013 as a Cat 4. The team dynamics played a much bigger aspect to the racing now. The teams were stronger and smarter than ever before.
After finishing 8th and 5th in my first two road classified races of the 2015 season, I was feeling pretty discouraged and wondering if I was wasting my time with so little of it to commit to training. Then I showed up to Sunny King, a race that had been favorable to me in years past. It is a typical crit with a four corner course without any steep inclines or wicked nasty corners.
I barely made it on time and without much of a warm up (about 10 minutes on the trainer). I started at the back of the pack and stayed there for the first part of the race. The first 15 minutes felt like crap. It was extremely hard and I felt like I was about to pop off the back at any given moment. The horrible thought of getting dropped from the field and pulled from the race even crept into my head. It was hard.
But then all of a sudden, things began to change. Maybe we slowed down or maybe I was just finally warming up. It didn't seem quite as hard. My legs weren't quite as dead. I made some moves to edge myself up the group to make sure I didn't get separated from the field. Then I found the group counting down from 5 laps to go with me in the top 1/4 of the racers.
The laps continued to count down and I made sure I knew who's wheel I was on and tried to keep my position so people didn't swarm the field and shoot me way down the pack.
Video of the race can be seen here: http://www.annistoncycling.com/videos/
Starting at 3:20:00 and the finish is at 4:01:00.
On the final lap I knew the race was mine to lose. I was in perfect position for my skill set. The only thing I needed was for us to not get swarmed by riders heading into corner 3 of the last lap. To prevent that I pulled off onto Croome's wheel as he gave a little acceleration into the corner when feeling the peloton coming up the inside. Once I had that matched, I was able to roll through and into the last corner of the race in about 5th wheel position.
Once we straightened up out of the corner, I laid down the power and went for the line. I opened up the gap but still stayed strong on the pedals for fear of anyone creeping up on me at the line. Once I had it secured I set up to celebrate for the first time since TN State Crit in 2013. It was an amazing feeling and for it to be at Sunny King and the first race my girlfriend got to see me race in made it all the more special.
A great day in Alabama.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Moving and Starting Work
When I came back from Colombia, I began desperately looking for housing in Calhoun where I would be working. It was a lot harder to find apartments than I have ever encountered.
My girlfriend vehemently vetoed several places saying she would never visit if I decided to live in such an establishment. Well, I finally thought I had found something. It was a big, two bedroom townhouse, with large living room and kitchen with eat in area and back deck. I had spoken to the agent, who I found out was an extremely good saleswoman, and felt good about the place.
So, on Monday I moved down with the help from a friend with the plans of moving everything in over the next two days and getting my new drivers license and license plate before starting work on Wednesday in a new state and at my first career job.
Well that Monday night I found out not everything was so merry. A swarm of cockroaches like I had never seen (not even in an SEC fraternity house) broke out across the kitchen and downstairs living space. I thought the problem had been fixed and reached out again to the management for help with the problem.
After several days with no resolve, I realized it was a lost cause and the best place I could find in Calhoun to rent was still not inhabitable for a medical professional. I fought with the landlords for several days to break my lease and eventually signed on for a new place in Dalton, GA, the carpet capital of the world.
I found a much nicer and pest free place in Dalton that left me with just over a 30 minute daily commute to work and an 1:30 commute to residency every Tuesday morning at 7 am.
Things were beginning to work out and I was really learning how to treat patients with the most evidenced best practice based on the research that was being beaten into us during those 3 hours every Tuesday morning. It definitely made me a better clinician though.
My girlfriend vehemently vetoed several places saying she would never visit if I decided to live in such an establishment. Well, I finally thought I had found something. It was a big, two bedroom townhouse, with large living room and kitchen with eat in area and back deck. I had spoken to the agent, who I found out was an extremely good saleswoman, and felt good about the place.
So, on Monday I moved down with the help from a friend with the plans of moving everything in over the next two days and getting my new drivers license and license plate before starting work on Wednesday in a new state and at my first career job.
Well that Monday night I found out not everything was so merry. A swarm of cockroaches like I had never seen (not even in an SEC fraternity house) broke out across the kitchen and downstairs living space. I thought the problem had been fixed and reached out again to the management for help with the problem.
After several days with no resolve, I realized it was a lost cause and the best place I could find in Calhoun to rent was still not inhabitable for a medical professional. I fought with the landlords for several days to break my lease and eventually signed on for a new place in Dalton, GA, the carpet capital of the world.
I found a much nicer and pest free place in Dalton that left me with just over a 30 minute daily commute to work and an 1:30 commute to residency every Tuesday morning at 7 am.
Things were beginning to work out and I was really learning how to treat patients with the most evidenced best practice based on the research that was being beaten into us during those 3 hours every Tuesday morning. It definitely made me a better clinician though.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Catching Up with My Sponsors
Last week I got a call from my supplement sponsors at Biomedical Research Laboratories. They were calling to check in on how my training was going, if I needed any more products, and to tell me about some of the new stuff they have coming out over the next few months. The rep that called me even knew details about my upcoming racing schedule as he's been checking up on my blog. It was great to know that the staff at BRL cares enough about their athletes to call them and follow up with their racing and training schedule. You can check out the Athlete Profile page they have for me here.
The rep also discussed some really exciting new products that BRL is working on. While still under wraps, I can say I am really excited to get some samples of the new products as they start testing it out. As always it will be of the highest grade natural ingredients and includes no banned substances listed on the WADA 2013 list. Take confidence in knowing that BRL manufactures in the United States and submits all of its products to the Banned Substances Control Group for testing to ensure that all of the athletes consuming their products are staying legal, no deer antler spray or holographic chips coming from this company!
Two days after my phone conversation, another support package showed up at my door. This is turning out to be a great partnership. I'm looking forward to racing and training on their products and excited for what I will be able to achieve.
The rep also discussed some really exciting new products that BRL is working on. While still under wraps, I can say I am really excited to get some samples of the new products as they start testing it out. As always it will be of the highest grade natural ingredients and includes no banned substances listed on the WADA 2013 list. Take confidence in knowing that BRL manufactures in the United States and submits all of its products to the Banned Substances Control Group for testing to ensure that all of the athletes consuming their products are staying legal, no deer antler spray or holographic chips coming from this company!
Two days after my phone conversation, another support package showed up at my door. This is turning out to be a great partnership. I'm looking forward to racing and training on their products and excited for what I will be able to achieve.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
ITU Cross Tri World Championship
I did not DNF. That's the first thing that I was able to say to people. It still bothers and upsets to write this because it means I have to go back and relive the race; walk through it step by step which brings on so many emotions and frustrations. So far I've just been trying to not think about it, because if I do, then I get too distraught and emotional with what could have been, what should have been. That being said, here's what I recall from race day.
The days leading up to the race were good. I had a good "taper" with some short efforts, my legs were feeling good, and my nutrition and sleep were great. Friday I skipped school and drove down to Pelham for packet pick-up, pre-race briefing, one last look at the course (which got changed the day before), and the opening ceremonies. The course change shortened the bike course by a few miles which was to my disadvantage because I knew if I was going to beat these guys, I was going to do it on the bike. More distance on the bike gave me more time to make up time. Anyway, I scouted it out and heading back to the hotel to relax and take an ice bath.
I fell asleep relatively easily and was set to get almost 8 hours of sleep. Everything went accordingly race morning: breakfast, coffee, transition setup, body marked, timing chip in place, and swim warm-up. I was ready to rock. I couldn't wait to get the swim over so I could rocket the amazing trails of Oak Mountain. Not only was it going to be a blast, but it should feel emotional to pick people off one by one on the trail.
It was one of my better swims coming into T1 in under 25 minutes. It was the most congested swim I've ever done: getting hit in the head, ankles grabbed, pushed aside, and at one point I kissed someone's big toe. I guess that's what you get when you swim faster and stay with a bigger pack. Running into T1, my mom informed me I was in 4th position. Not what I was looking for, but hey, my part of the race was just starting. I spent the short time on the road tightening my shoes and putting my gloves on so I'd be ready to hit the trail as soon as I got there. Fifteen feet after diving into the trail, my chain dropped and got wrapped around the crank and jammed up against the frame. I stood on the side of the trail pulling and yanking on it trying to free the chain so I could continue. After about 2 minutes, it came free and I could start riding again. My time on the side of the trail put me further down in the race which means I have to pass more riders on the bike. Not an issue for a road tri, but here in the single track, it was going to take time and slow me down even more trying to finagle pass people. I took some dangerous and really aggressive lines to pass people, but methodically I was making my way up the field. I passed one guy in my age group who I'm pretty sure must have passed me when I was on the side of the trail, so back to fourth position. A little bit later I passed Ian King who was repairing a flat on the side of the trail he sustained from crashing into some briers. 3rd position. As I exited the single track to start the climb to the top of the mountain, I passed the Mexican, Bobadillo. 2nd position. I hammered on the climb. The riders behind me disappeared. I kept pushing and didn't realize when I had made it to the top; I was still looking for one more steep incline. I had completely zoned out and destroyed it. I knew I had been climbing better on the road which I accredited to my new supplements from Biomedical Research Laboratories (http://www.brlscience.com/SERVICES.html) and was thrilled to see it carry over for this race. I rolled along the top of the mountain for a bit before I saw him. I was catching Seavey. My heart jumped, increased its rate, my body released a massive amount of adrenaline and my emotions soared. I almost teared up. Passing him this early on meant I was killing it on the bike and no one was going to be able to touch me, let alone catch me. I still had several miles to build up a substantial time gap. The rest of the trail was more technical which favored me immensely. I was on my way to a World Championship victory. I passed him with force to discourage him from jumping on my wheel. I continued to hammer and dropped back into the trail towards Blood Rock blazing. I rolled through Blood Rock like a champ taking the perfect line. Now it was time for fun on the wicked descent. I had just caught another rider and told him he better be ready to rocket it if I was going to be behind him, to which he responded with a go ahead as he pulled to the side. I let it loose. Launched over the first set of rocks and continued on. I think it was the third set that I didn't come down on too well at which all my fears became reality. I heard the hissing of my rear wheel pouring air. I tried to deny it and say it was just the freehub clicking and spinning. Bump, bump. I was flat. Dead flat. It was the feeling you get when you just finished a 12 pack and the blue lights start flashing behind you, when you're 6 weeks in and she's 3 weeks late, when the phone rings in the middle of the night and your child still hasn't made it home, when the doctor himself calls to give you the bad news. I wanted to cry, I wanted to throw my bike down the side of the mountain, I wanted to bang the wheel on a rock until it was properly broken, but most of all, I wanted another chance. I pulled the valve stem and put in my spare tube. I could see the rim was bent in a few places which made me question how long I would make it on this tube. I didn't even look for the hole in the tire. For all I know it could have been a big gash in a sidewall which the tube would poke out waiting to get punctured. I fiddled with my canister of CO2 and finally got it to work. Enough air in the tube and I packed everything up to get back in the saddle. While I was on the side of the trail, Seavey and Bobadillo passed me. I started back down the mountain and made it probably 3 miles passing Bobadillo again and moving back into 2nd position. Then my fears became reality again: another flat. I was SOL for this one and just started walking and running it out, having to stop and move off the trail every time a rider still on his bike came pass me. I was devastated. I never imagined this race would go like this. I was not going to DNF though. I'm not sure how many miles I had to walk and run in my carbon mtb shoes pushing my bike, but I'm guessing it was around 4 costing me close to 25 minutes on the bike leg. Another guy in my age group passed me about a half a mile before T2, 5th position. I continued running my bike in and the officials at the dismount line jokingly said there was no need for me to dismount. I'm glad they found some humor in my misfortune. As I changed shoes, my Dad told me I was over 18 minutes behind Seavey and almost 3 behind 4th place. I was running mostly to finish at this point and just wanted to complete my two laps and be done. My legs didn't feel great, but not bad either. Coming around for my first lap my Dad told me 4th place was only a 1:30 ahead now. I wanted to catch him, but I wasn't going to kill myself to do it. It was only racing for 4th place after all. I kept progressing and was actually passing people, something I rarely do late in the run portion of a race. With about a 1.25 miles left, I spotted the 4th place guy. I was feeling good and running pretty well actually so I knew I was going to take it from him. At first I couldn't decide if I wanted to sit on his heels and wait til the end to jump or just storm on past him. He wasn't looking so hot and I sure wasn't going to slow down, so I flew on past him and some other racers. I took a glance back to see if he tried to pick it up to stay in contention with me, but he was gone. I came around the lake and finished strong for a sub 46 minute 10K. Not great, but given the circumstances I'll take it. So, probably my best chance at a world championship ended like that. This race is in the Netherlands next year and Xterra Worlds is always in Maui; terrains that aren't my backyard and suited for my strengths. There will probably never be a world championship in the Southeast again in my lifetime. A chance well wasted.
I can't forget about this race because there is plenty to learn from it and take with me, but there is a lot I'm trying to put behind me. I have to let it go and focus on what's next. This Saturday is the TN state time trial championships and then Sunday is the first crit of the year. Really would like to bring home a win, especially after the disaster of last weekend.
The days leading up to the race were good. I had a good "taper" with some short efforts, my legs were feeling good, and my nutrition and sleep were great. Friday I skipped school and drove down to Pelham for packet pick-up, pre-race briefing, one last look at the course (which got changed the day before), and the opening ceremonies. The course change shortened the bike course by a few miles which was to my disadvantage because I knew if I was going to beat these guys, I was going to do it on the bike. More distance on the bike gave me more time to make up time. Anyway, I scouted it out and heading back to the hotel to relax and take an ice bath.
I fell asleep relatively easily and was set to get almost 8 hours of sleep. Everything went accordingly race morning: breakfast, coffee, transition setup, body marked, timing chip in place, and swim warm-up. I was ready to rock. I couldn't wait to get the swim over so I could rocket the amazing trails of Oak Mountain. Not only was it going to be a blast, but it should feel emotional to pick people off one by one on the trail.
It was one of my better swims coming into T1 in under 25 minutes. It was the most congested swim I've ever done: getting hit in the head, ankles grabbed, pushed aside, and at one point I kissed someone's big toe. I guess that's what you get when you swim faster and stay with a bigger pack. Running into T1, my mom informed me I was in 4th position. Not what I was looking for, but hey, my part of the race was just starting. I spent the short time on the road tightening my shoes and putting my gloves on so I'd be ready to hit the trail as soon as I got there. Fifteen feet after diving into the trail, my chain dropped and got wrapped around the crank and jammed up against the frame. I stood on the side of the trail pulling and yanking on it trying to free the chain so I could continue. After about 2 minutes, it came free and I could start riding again. My time on the side of the trail put me further down in the race which means I have to pass more riders on the bike. Not an issue for a road tri, but here in the single track, it was going to take time and slow me down even more trying to finagle pass people. I took some dangerous and really aggressive lines to pass people, but methodically I was making my way up the field. I passed one guy in my age group who I'm pretty sure must have passed me when I was on the side of the trail, so back to fourth position. A little bit later I passed Ian King who was repairing a flat on the side of the trail he sustained from crashing into some briers. 3rd position. As I exited the single track to start the climb to the top of the mountain, I passed the Mexican, Bobadillo. 2nd position. I hammered on the climb. The riders behind me disappeared. I kept pushing and didn't realize when I had made it to the top; I was still looking for one more steep incline. I had completely zoned out and destroyed it. I knew I had been climbing better on the road which I accredited to my new supplements from Biomedical Research Laboratories (http://www.brlscience.com/SERVICES.html) and was thrilled to see it carry over for this race. I rolled along the top of the mountain for a bit before I saw him. I was catching Seavey. My heart jumped, increased its rate, my body released a massive amount of adrenaline and my emotions soared. I almost teared up. Passing him this early on meant I was killing it on the bike and no one was going to be able to touch me, let alone catch me. I still had several miles to build up a substantial time gap. The rest of the trail was more technical which favored me immensely. I was on my way to a World Championship victory. I passed him with force to discourage him from jumping on my wheel. I continued to hammer and dropped back into the trail towards Blood Rock blazing. I rolled through Blood Rock like a champ taking the perfect line. Now it was time for fun on the wicked descent. I had just caught another rider and told him he better be ready to rocket it if I was going to be behind him, to which he responded with a go ahead as he pulled to the side. I let it loose. Launched over the first set of rocks and continued on. I think it was the third set that I didn't come down on too well at which all my fears became reality. I heard the hissing of my rear wheel pouring air. I tried to deny it and say it was just the freehub clicking and spinning. Bump, bump. I was flat. Dead flat. It was the feeling you get when you just finished a 12 pack and the blue lights start flashing behind you, when you're 6 weeks in and she's 3 weeks late, when the phone rings in the middle of the night and your child still hasn't made it home, when the doctor himself calls to give you the bad news. I wanted to cry, I wanted to throw my bike down the side of the mountain, I wanted to bang the wheel on a rock until it was properly broken, but most of all, I wanted another chance. I pulled the valve stem and put in my spare tube. I could see the rim was bent in a few places which made me question how long I would make it on this tube. I didn't even look for the hole in the tire. For all I know it could have been a big gash in a sidewall which the tube would poke out waiting to get punctured. I fiddled with my canister of CO2 and finally got it to work. Enough air in the tube and I packed everything up to get back in the saddle. While I was on the side of the trail, Seavey and Bobadillo passed me. I started back down the mountain and made it probably 3 miles passing Bobadillo again and moving back into 2nd position. Then my fears became reality again: another flat. I was SOL for this one and just started walking and running it out, having to stop and move off the trail every time a rider still on his bike came pass me. I was devastated. I never imagined this race would go like this. I was not going to DNF though. I'm not sure how many miles I had to walk and run in my carbon mtb shoes pushing my bike, but I'm guessing it was around 4 costing me close to 25 minutes on the bike leg. Another guy in my age group passed me about a half a mile before T2, 5th position. I continued running my bike in and the officials at the dismount line jokingly said there was no need for me to dismount. I'm glad they found some humor in my misfortune. As I changed shoes, my Dad told me I was over 18 minutes behind Seavey and almost 3 behind 4th place. I was running mostly to finish at this point and just wanted to complete my two laps and be done. My legs didn't feel great, but not bad either. Coming around for my first lap my Dad told me 4th place was only a 1:30 ahead now. I wanted to catch him, but I wasn't going to kill myself to do it. It was only racing for 4th place after all. I kept progressing and was actually passing people, something I rarely do late in the run portion of a race. With about a 1.25 miles left, I spotted the 4th place guy. I was feeling good and running pretty well actually so I knew I was going to take it from him. At first I couldn't decide if I wanted to sit on his heels and wait til the end to jump or just storm on past him. He wasn't looking so hot and I sure wasn't going to slow down, so I flew on past him and some other racers. I took a glance back to see if he tried to pick it up to stay in contention with me, but he was gone. I came around the lake and finished strong for a sub 46 minute 10K. Not great, but given the circumstances I'll take it. So, probably my best chance at a world championship ended like that. This race is in the Netherlands next year and Xterra Worlds is always in Maui; terrains that aren't my backyard and suited for my strengths. There will probably never be a world championship in the Southeast again in my lifetime. A chance well wasted.
I can't forget about this race because there is plenty to learn from it and take with me, but there is a lot I'm trying to put behind me. I have to let it go and focus on what's next. This Saturday is the TN state time trial championships and then Sunday is the first crit of the year. Really would like to bring home a win, especially after the disaster of last weekend.
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| Coming out of the swim strong |
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| Beaten and broken, doing all I can to not give up |
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| Found something in the legs to pull back 4th |
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| The future of Xterra elite men |
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| With my biggest supporters |
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