Being a healthy runner (cont)

     This is a continuation from my previous post, "Being a healthy runner," after realizing that much like in school, we get so into other things that we forget the basics of the actual subject we're learning. And running is a learning experience, which has to be self taught in order to master.

     I'm not one for typically writing everything I do down. I'm more of a picture person myself, in order to keep memories in my head longer. But you can't take a picture and tell yourself what it means after a run. Running involves numbers for miles and times and all the things in between, and I suggest you take into account the importance of keeping track. I can't say I reinforce this idea entirely, especially because I can't keep track of things for the life of me, but I see team-mates and coaches (especially coaches) recording their times for all of their runs. I can't say for sure, but I would assume this allows some self-reassurance for taking days to rest rather than trying to keep it all in your head.

     With keeping track of your numbers, keep up to beat on your valuable joints and muscles. Too often we let the little things go, like our toes for example. You can (yes, it seems strange) stretch our your toes, which actually play a rather large role in your running experience all together. 

     Something that goes overlooked is where we're running. Running the same route can be both good and bad for you depending on the reason you're running. Constantly running on the same concrete road can be really hard on your joints. Try running on trails and grass to mix things up. I have found that this also improves your ankle strength (which can help with ankle pro-nation, which leads to shin splints and so on..) by providing an unsteady path. If you already have ankle problems such as a sprained ankle, stick to a stable surface as the uneven surface will simply irritate your injury and push you back on the road to anti-recovery. As well as paths, you can practice strengthening your ankles by standing on one leg for as little a two minutes-or however long you brush your teeth, which will also encourage strength. 

     I hope this post was in some way a nice refresher to getting back to the basics. Sometimes we overlook things because they seem too simple. But if you think about it, your body is the only one you've got, so you have to take care of it. We learn as we go, but sometimes we learn and can't take stuff back. Take caution but also don't forget to live. :) (450) 

Being a healthy runner

     The definition of injury itself can be quite tricky to a runner. What is an injury? Does it qualify as something that keeps you out of what you're doing? Is it something different and new to you that you would call painful? Is it a simple bruise? A pulled muscle? There's no exact definition, the determining factor is up to each individual as a runner. However, pain is pain, doctor visits are doctor visits, and sore muscles are indeed sore muscles.
    Breaking it down, it's an absolute no-brainer that the most common way to get injured is doing too much, or over-exercising. We tend to ignore our own bodies when they tell us to give it a rest. It's simple logic: the harder your workout is and the more you ask of your body, the more time you're going to need to take some time to recover. You may or may not have learned that as runner you  build muscle, and muscle is built by causing tiny tears (barely an injury but nontheless still one) and you will need time to recover. If you're in pain, take it into consideration and give yourself some resting time, no matter how hard it is to go a day or two without running. Don't train harder than your tendons will allow.
     Warming up helps to avoid injury. Typically you are supposed to "walk" according to all those articles you read from "the experts" however walking barely does anything for me as I feel it does for many others I know, especially because a runner's resting heart rate can be a little bit harder to raise by such a simple and everyday task as walking. If you're (especially) a distance runner consider lightly jogging for a mile or two, and that should do the trick. Listen to your body as you warm up. If you're in pain, take it easy, maybe just let your warm up be your workout. This is something I do quite often when my legs are hurting. Sometimes we think that pain will just go away after our warm up, but is that a good thing? It's like running with shin splints, eventually around the third or fourth mile they'll go numb, but most would not consider that anywhere near a good thing. While it isn't the greatest (but not absolutely awful) that you keep going during warm up, it is more important to stop if you are in pain after your warm up. This is one of the most clear signs that your body is not okay and you actually do need to rest. (435)

Running with your dog

     Recently my family has been blessed to rescue yet another wonderful little dog to accompany Hanz, our German Shepherd mutt (her name is Gretel). Hanz has been my running companion ever since the middle school days, and him being a big and very healthy dog, running is something he could do for days without end. He's absolutely been a pleasure to keep by my side (both for protection and for a nice pace) however he's getting to his old age now, and he isn't the same active dog that he once was. As I have come to realize this, I am now working on training my four month year old dog to try to fill Hanz's top of the notch shoes. And if you have a dog, I totally recommend you give it a try!
     First thing's first, make sure your dog is no longer a puppy. Dogs have to reach their skeletal maturity before they can go on runs with you. Typically, the bigger the dog, the longer it'll take (possibly up to twenty months!) and as the dogs muscles begin to tire, they won't be able to support their own skeletal system, causing bones to grind against other bones.
     When your dog is ready to run, take it nice and easy, as you would if you were getting into running yourself. Steadily and softly increase both the mileage and the time. Dogs are similar to people in the sense that they can't just jump into distance running. You have to ease into it. I typically imagine taking my dog for a run as very similar to taking a friend who has never ran before with me.
     Keep in mind that your dog will stay by your side no matter what. It is completely up to you whether they get a break and when they do. When they're exhausted, you won't be able to tell, because they can't just start walking while attached to the leash you're running with. Be generous. They need water and breaks too.
     Lastly, I recommend purchasing a shorter leash for your dog if you are using one of those retractable ones that allow dogs to walk twenty feet in front of you. When your dog is kept by your side, you both have a pace, and you can read your dogs body signs more easily. Plus, it's kind of cute to be running along next to your pal. (404)

Dislocating your shoulder

     Your shoulder is the body's most mobile joint. It's no wonder that people dislocate their shoulder pretty easily. But for a runner? How in the world do you do that?
      The answer is simple. Falling down. I had no idea what I was in for when I took quite a fall about three weeks ago. I didn't even feel my shoulder pop on out of it's socket. In fact, I was more focussed on my knees than anything and didn't even feel pain until the next day. When I woke up in the middle of the night from extreme pain coming from my shoulder and not being able to sleep on it, I became concerned that I had done something to it, but what?
     Originally I thought I had torn my rotator cuff, seeing that I was not able to even pick up plate with my left arm (the one that I hurt). But could I really have torn something in my shoulder just from a simple fall? There was no way. Immediately I went to go see my trainer to have it looked at, and what I found out shocked me!
     I dislocated my shoulder. Wouldn't you be able to tell though if it was clearly out of its socket? You would think, but my trainer told me that I had dislocated it, but somehow landing on it popped it back in. This scares me more than anything, especially because doctors are the ones who are supposed to put your shoulder back into its socket, not you yourself falling on it to put it back in!
     So how I was having so much difficulty moving my arm then? I couldn't lift anything, drive, or even put on a shirt without help. What happened, my trainer told me, is that when my joint was corrected during my fall, all the muscles and tendons in my shoulder moved around.
     I was told to do basic movement exercises to work on getting mobility back, and of course, not to do any lifting for my workouts. Who knew a runner could suffer from such a strange injury? Next time you're out and about, consider your shoulder's safety and watch your step so you don't fall! (372)

The joy of spring

     Ah, yes. Spring is finally here. What a wonderful time to be a runner. There is no feeling quite like the feeling of finally breaking out your outside running gear after a harsh and merciless winter. What's the best part of this run? Not the actual hills, the feeling of concrete beneath your feet, but the overall mindset you put yourself in to.

     Recently I've been putting down my phone, my watch, and the gps to track my mileage and simply put on my shoes to enjoy the run. I decided to start doing this when I made the decision to discontinue my running experience through my track team. The injuries weren't worth it to me, and the only reason I was really running (besides my team) was to get in shape for getting in shape for cross country. Long story short, I wasn't enjoying it, so I decided to take some time to focus on myself. 

     With that, I decided to rest a few weeks to allow my legs to heal before I would continue running on my own again. After a few weeks, I decided that "today would be the day" I would begin running. It was a beautiful day, and I decided to give it a go. Putting on my watch and getting my gps ready to go, I ran about a mile in a loop around myself and was absolutely heartbroken at what I had learned. After taking it easy, my times didn't match, and overall I felt absolutely exhausted and out of breath. I was afraid I was no longer a runner.

      The next week (yes, I was that upset) I decided to try running again on a warm night. What happened nearly brought tears to my eyes. I left everything behind (except my clothes and shoes) and began running on the nature trail. The difference no music, no time, and no tracking makes is incredible. Being able to hear the birds chirp, the wind blow the grass, and hear your own breath makes all the difference in the world. You almost feel connected with the earth, as if your footsteps are the very reason the earth is rotating in the first place. It's funny how the little things can make the biggest difference.

 I realized that I had fallen in love with running, and that as sports and competitions increased my love for it had lost, and all I was doing was training. So if you're struggling or going through a rut, I highly encourage you to leave all of your gear behind, and simply enjoy the run. (434)

When you lose it

     There comes a time at any runners life where they lose the motivation to run. Maybe you're in pain too often, maybe you're not seeing results, maybe you're just bored, or maybe you would rather do something else. Whatever it is, it happens. It happens to me, too.
     A common reason to stop running (this one happens to me all the time) is you become tired and out of breath on your runs. It's strange, especially when you know you're in shape and are fully capable of what you're doing. Here's my advice: if you were to talk to someone, could you do it in complete sentences? If not, you're going too fast for yourself.
     Another common one I experience a lot is feeling like stopping. You know what it is, stuff like hoping that the stoplight doesn't work in your favor so you get a break from running, or hoping the car about to turn out of the street it's on doesn't stop for you or blocks your path. It's the little things that you begin to look forward to just so you can stop. My advice? Don't start fast. I find myself doing this all the time. Starting fast will just drain your energy more quickly and make you feel tired. As long as you're moving, you're good.
     So what if you feel like you don't have time to run? Here's my simple solution: use a treadmill instead. That way you can stop whenever you absolutely need to, and are still connected to home to be there in case something happens or you need to be there quickly. This will take off more pressure than you think. (279)

Mental Toughness

     If you're a runner you surely have to have a certain amount of mental toughness to get to where you are. It's nearly impossible to run without it. Life is like that too. You need mental toughness in order to keep going, in order to keep fighting through everything that could possibly knock you down. I've noticed that my "mental toughness" has increased since I have joined cross country, partially because you're used to being in pain, used to seeing those around you throwing up, bleeding, peeing their pants, you name it. You can't help but develop a stronger mental state, and if you don't, you've woven out of the team.That's just the way it goes. It seems to me that as you build your mental toughness, tackling things that would appear difficult (in running and life) aren't so bad anymore. 

    One of the first things I hear from my coach is "control your breathing" as the gun goes off and all the cross country teams sprint off into the race. I haven't thought of it much until now, but it actually makes a lot of sense. When you breathe very sharply and quickly, you are triggering your nervous system's fight or flight response, which releases hormones that work with only short time periods. (Like sprinting) But you are a distance runner, if it were for a short time period it wouldn't be cross country. What my coach means is to relax your breathing. Don't relax your muscles, don't slow down. It means breathe through your nose (if at all possible) and out of your moth, allowing time between your breaths. I'm totally aware that this is not easy to do at all (especially with asthma and while sprinting for a little over three miles) but do your absolute best to set a calming, relaxing pattern as you chip away and the race. I recommend you sync your breathing with your footing in order to create both a secure pace and breathing pattern. 

     As your breathing is out of control and sharp, you tend to develop this negative mindset. This negative mindset allows all of your doubts, worries, and frustrations, to appear in front of your eyes as you run, distracting you and not allowing you to focus on how far you've come already instead of how much farther you have left. This is a huge part of mental toughness for a runner. I've said this many many times, but half of runner itself it completely mental. Positive thoughts will translate into a more positive run with more positive results.

     I advise you to practice crossing the finish line in your head. Day dream about it, day dream about running, and struggling. Coach yourself through your own thoughts before you even begin to run. You have to know what you want, envision it, and don't give up (especially when you're actually racing) on your goal. Easier said than done, for sure, but not impossible. And the reward is totally worth it. (502)