Technique: Monkey See, Monkey Do
This post is from Edward Bugarin, a Pose Certified Running Coach, level 3. Edward sent me this a while back and I saved it. I think it is worth sharing.
I read the article “An Analogy - Weight Training And Foot Care“, and the issue to all the problems mentioned seem to come to the same conclusion, lack of good technique. [ The article was posted in my newsletter editorial December 28, 2008.]
Those of us who strive to improve in what ever we do such as running always look at those who seem to be fast. We attempt to copy what they are doing.
We mimic or imitate those motions hopefully improving our performance. What we fail to understand is that there are many underlying factors occurring that we cannot see. For example, one of the obvious things you see when someone is running is their knee movement. Most of us think that the knee is being lifted. But is it? Lifting or raising your knee will require you to lift 18% or so of your body weight, against the pull of gravity. Repeat this with each step and the pounds begin to quickly add up. On the other hand this almost same movement can be accomplished by contracting your hamstring with the intent of trying to keep your foot close to under your hip. This action only requires you to pull 2% of your body weight upward against gravity. Which action would you rather perform to get the same result?
In weight lifting the movements can also be subtle. At age 58 after lifting weights since 1972 I learned a different way to move the weights. This difference in movement is very subtle compared to what I was doing, but it made a significant difference in effort. Now I no longer worry about joint stress/injuries when weight training. I can go on and on with more examples but the point is that though we train together doesn’t mean we’re going to get the same results. It’s all a matter of our individual technique.
I live on Oahu (Honolulu) and ran the Heleakala “Run to the Sun” a 36.2 mile race from sea level to 10,023 feet in March on the island of Maui. Due to winds in excess of 40 mph during the race and with temperatures of 35° near the summit, not to mention rain and very poor visibility at the higher elevations, and the closing of the road near the summit due to safety, the race course was shortened by 2 miles. This of course did not break my heart.
For long races such as this most runners apply some kind of lubrication to certain parts of their anatomy to help prevent rubbing from their running clothing against their skin. This was my practice as well until I invested the money and time to learn good running technique. It’s been a few years since I started learning good running technique and last year in preparation for the 2009 HURT 100 miler, I’ve run distances up to 40 miles without lubing up. I usually run on trails so this would be a good test to see if running this 34.2 miles on road without lube would be successful. I did carry some with me just in case. I was depending on good technique as my lubrication for my vital areas from getting rubbed raw.
So what happened? As always, a stinging sensation during my post race shower has always been a good indicator where I got a rash from my running shorts rubbing against my skin. During the shower I felt no stinging sensations.
My running shoe for this race as for all my road races is a pair of Crocs (the Beach model). Crocs are like a sandal, but much lighter and it doesn’t absorb water when wet. In the past four years I’ve done this race three times, missing 2007 because of contract work in Iraq. In the previous three times, I’ve run this race in Crocs. I don’t normally wear socks when running in my Crocs but because of the cold, I wore a thin pair of socks.
So what foot problems did I have from the “Run to the Sun” from wearing Crocs? The only problem was cold toes due to the wind and temperatures. The Beach Model of Crocs has holes in front allowing the wind to blow directly onto my toes. The bright side was that once I crossed the finish line I had a pair of dry Crocs to wear at the beach during the post race party and no wet shoes to deal with. Oh yeah, I did not bring any other footwear when I flew from Oahu to Maui to do the race. The only footwear I had was my Crocs.
What I’ve learned after my 50 plus years of running is that using good technique cures almost all your foot problems. So do not blame your equipment and think that replacing it with better stuff will fix your problem. Prevention is better than the cure and in the case of running the prevention is good technique.
What’s the first step to learning good technique? It’s good to know how you run so you can identify your errors. Begin by having a video running analysis done by someone who is knowledgeable in running technique. The video analysis will show all your mistakes. You’ll be surprised on all the errors you have when running. Then take a running techniques clinic. Why? Do you go out and look for a place that you’ve never been to before without some kind of instructions or a map? Then what makes you think just running the way you’ve been doing without good instructions will make you a better runner? As self-taught runners this is very hard to swallow especially if you’ve had some success like placing in your age group. Even the best runners work on improving technique. That’s why they are good. You may not have the engine to be an Olympic caliber runner but that doesn’t mean you can’t improve your technique so you can discover your potential.
Aloha,
Edward Bugarin
Pose Certified Running Coach, level 3
Pose Certified Triathlon Techniques Coach, level 1
PoseAthlete.com
Fixing Your Feet E-zine - Foot Care, Preventing Injury, Tips and more..
Filed under: Foot Care, Footwear, Health, Sports, Travel
FIXING YOUR FEET E-zine
Volume 8, Issue 12, December 2008 ~
John Vonhof, Footwork Publications ~
Copyright, December 2008, All rights reserved
THIS ISSUE IN SUMMARY
This issue has an editorial on An Analogy - Weight Training and Foot Care, an article on Stretching after Exercise Prevents Injury, three foot care tips, and a new bad feet photo.
PURPOSE
The Fixing Your Feet E-zine is published monthly to inform and educate athletes and non-athletes about proper foot care skills and techniques, provide tips on foot care, review foot care products, and highlight problems people have with their feet.
EDITORIAL: AN ANALOGY - WEIGHT TRAINING AND FOOT CARE
[first shared in my August 2002 newsletter – and still true today.]
There comes a point in time where we all reflect. It’s a natural part of learning. For instance, after working out at the gym, I have come to realize that no matter how hard some people workout with weights; they will never have the muscles they are trying to achieve. Their biceps will never look like the arms of steel they want. Others will work out with the same weights and have arms to die for. It is somewhat the same way with feet.
Before you call me crazy for making the analogy, hear me out. In weight training, in order to gain muscle, one must follow a routine with the weights (to add muscle), of diet (to feed the muscles and the body with the right types of food), and throw in some cardio (to work the heart and burn fat). Do all of these together and you have a reasonable chance of showing gains in definition and size. Omit one, or skimp on one, and the benefits of all the others will be lessened. Yet, you and I could be working out next to each other, doing the same weight routines, eating the same foods, and doing the same cardio, and we could be much different in appearance. Our body types could be as different as night and day - and subsequently affect our final outcome.
In foot care, you can take two athletes, and have them manage their feet the same way, and have two different outcomes. Give the two the same shoes, socks, lube, and ask them to do the same 50-mile run (for example), and you will have two completely different sets of outcomes. Why? What makes the difference? I have thought about this a lot recently as I have mended feet at Western States and the Primal Quest Adventure Race. Why are there so many racers who struggle to end an event with healthy feet? Why are the feet of some racers so much worse than others? What are the unknown factors? Then one day at the gym I began to see the analogy. It was, however, what I didn’t see that that struck me most.
What I didn’t see was what the people at the gym did when they were outside of the gym. I suspect many cheated on their diet, what I didn’t know was by how much. That was the unknown. When we do our weight routines correctly, with the right amounts of weight, and add in the necessary amount of cardio, we should see results–if our diet is right. That’s a big IF. But it’s the IF that makes the difference.
In foot care, the big IF is what you have neglected. When I read stories of your foot care problems or see you and patch your feet, I only see you at that moment, with those shoes and socks, and with whatever form of lube or powder or pre-taping you may have done beforehand.
What I don’t see is what you may have neglected:
- The history of hot spots that you usually have-and haven’t bothered to pre-tape,
- The shoes that don’t fit well-even through fit is the number one key to healthy feet,
- The too tight fit of your toes inside your too small toe box on your shoes that has given you black toenails,
- Or the standard issue insoles that came with your shoes that have flattened out and are now worthless.
Or even still, I may see what you neglected:
- The toenails that you didn’t trim and have caught on your socks and given you toe blisters,
- The dirt and trail grit that is inside your shoes - that might have been prevented with gaiters,
- The bunions or Morton’s foot that you have - that might have been prevented with a bigger toe box,
- The macerated skin on the bottom of your feet caused by your not changing socks when your feet got wet and stayed wet for long periods,
- Or the calluses on your feet that you didn’t get rid of and have now blistered under, and which are hard to drain or patch over.
As I said earlier, if you omit one, or skimp on one, and the benefits of all the others will be lessened. In the list that follows, pick one and take it out of the equation and you open yourself up to problems. The list that we each have to consider is: Are we:
- Wearing the right wicking socks?
- Wearing shoes that fit?
- Pre-taping for hot spots?
- Pre-taping known blister problem areas?
- Using a good lube to prevent friction?
- Using a good powder to control moisture?
- Wearing gaiters?
- Tying our laces correctly to avoid instep pressure?
- Using a good insole?
- Wearing the right shoes for the conditions?
- Have put the necessary miles on your feet in training?
- Have gotten rid of calluses, or in some cases - have toughened the skin of our feet?
- Wearing shoes with room in the toe box?
- Wearing shoes that grip our heels?
- Have trimmed our toenails correctly? Aad the list goes on.
Omit one. Any one. It may be the one that makes the difference between healthy and unhealthy feet on that particular day. Both in weight training and in foot care there are ways we hurt our chances of success. Cheating takes many forms and it is easy to cheat our feet by not doing what has been proven. You can argue that each day is different and you never had blisters before - but you have them now. You can argue that you have done everything under your power to keep your feet healthy and yet still had problems. And to a certain degree, you may be right. But the odds are, you omitted one thing, or maybe more than one, or changed one thing - and that made all the difference in the world.
To be fair, there are some athletes who never have foot problems. They are out there, and they usually pass us by as we are stopped fixing our feet.
If you want to comment on this piece, please send me an email.
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FOOT CARE TIPS
Airing Your Feet - Remember when stopping to rest, eat, or change gear, take off your shoes and socks and let your feet air out. Elevating them above the level of your heart will help swollen feet. So will letting them soak a bit in a cold stream or lake.
Cold or Heat - For injuries, of your feet and ankles, or anywhere on your body, the question many ask is, “Do I use heat or cold on the injury?” After a soft tissue injury or suspected bone injury, swelling occurs when blood accumulates in the injured area. Ice the area for 20 minutes every half hour for the first four to six hours. Continue every two to four hours after that as long as there is swelling. Use heat once the swelling has subsided and healing has begun—usually four to six days after the injury has occurred. Sprained ankles are one of the most common lower extremity injuries and this cold and heat treatment will help speed your recovery.
Measuring Your Feet - Every time you buy new shoes, make sure both feet are measured. Not just one foot, but both feet. A large number of people wear shoes that are too short. Also, do your shoe shopping in the late afternoon or evening. And yes, you feet do change over time.
FIXING YOUR FEET, 4th EDITION
If you still don’t have your personal copy of the 4th edition of Fixing Your Feet, it can be ordered through my website FixingYourFeet.com web site, ZombieRunner.com, or Amazon.com. The retail price is $18.95 but these days no one pays full price! So, whichever of the sites below you choose, the price is comparable.
FEATURE ARTICLE: STRETCHING AFTER EXERCISE PREVENTS INJURY
By Dr. Pamela Adams
Each of us is unique and requires an unique program. It takes quite a bit of detective work to uncover what’s missing or what should be changed. I find that the more lower body stretches I do, the better my feet feel in all respects. Instep, achilles, gastroc, tibialis, quad, hamstring, TFL and hip flexor stretches should be done after every run, after every hike, after every long walk, after every work-out.
Recent studies have shown that stretching before exercising does nothing to improve performance and may actually be injurious. I agree. As a chiropractor and yoga instructor, I have found that stretching muscles that have not warmed up sufficiently can cause micro-tears, inflammation, and ultimately pain and dysfunction.
However, stretching immediately after exercising is, in my experience, the single best way to prevent injury and prolong your level of activity well past middle age.
Musculo-skeletal health is based in large part on good joint alignment and good muscle balance. Degenerative conditions and repetitive injuries over the years happen not because of what we do, but how badly we do what we do.
When a muscle is being used, it contracts or shortens. Take your biceps for example. At one end, the biceps inserts on the bone of your forearm; the other end attaches to the top of your shoulder bone. The biceps’ job is to raise your forearm at the elbow bending your arm. When it contracts or shortens, it actually pulls on the bone of the forearm and lifts it up. At the same time the triceps on the back of your arm is lengthening. To straighten your elbow, the biceps relaxes and the triceps shortens.
What happens when you continuously call upon a muscle to contract as in pumping iron, or running long distances, it fails to lengthen completely. Then each time you use it, you start from an ever-shortened position. A hard, bulging muscle is not a flexible, healthy muscle. Eventually, this shortened muscle will change the healthy range of movement of the joint, which, over time, means trouble.
A chronically shortened Achilles displaces the heel bone back and up causing, or at least contributing to, painful heel spurs and plantar fasciitis. Chronically shortened calves, hamstrings and/or quads misalign the knee joint and have led to the rash of surgeries so common to runners.
Immediately after every run, every hike, every climb, every activity, stretch the muscles you’ve used. There are many books out there showing specific stretches for specific muscles. Start with the Achilles and move up. Stretch slowly, holding the stretch for 10 to 15 seconds. Learn to tell the difference between good pain and bad pain. A very tight muscle may hurt when you stretch it. Stretch calves, hamstrings, quads, inner thighs, outer thighs, hip flexors, and glutes.
Stretching promotes flexibility and flexibility is just as important as strength and endurance for runners. Correct running posture is also vitally important. Picture Michael Johnson, the Olympic gold medal winner. His body is aligned perfectly over his feet. His footfall is perfect–heel, midfoot, toe-off. His feet carry him across the finish line with the least amount of stress possible.
The athletes I’ve worked with who take stretching seriously are aging gracefully and don’t plan to cut down on their activity level any time soon. When they do, it will be because they want to, not because they have to.
Dr. Pamela Adams D.C., is a Holistic Health Mentor who practices in San Francisco, CA.
If you want to comment on this piece, please send me an email.
BAD FEET PHOTO
This month I am showing you what happens when shoes are pushed beyond their limits. The
photo is from Primal Quest – Utah 2006, a 10-day expedition length adventure race. Paramedic Greg Friese took the photo while he worked on the medical team. You can see how the shoes have come apart. The soles have separated from the uppers. Ever popular duct tape has been used to try and hold the shoe together. There are several possible answers to what happened. The shoes could be old. They could have been exposed to extremes of heat or cold, or to long periods of water. While not that common, it can and does happen. I have seen it in several ultramarathons. The lesson is to make sure when you start a race or event you have trained form and invested a lot of time and money, that your footwear is up to the task.
WRITE AN AMAZON REVIEW FOR A FREE COPY OF HAPPY FEET
Those of you with the 4th edition of Fixing Your Feet can get a free copy of my booklet, Happy Feet: Foot Care Advice for Walkers and Travelers. Click on Amazon or Barnes & Noble to go to the book’s page—and write a review of the 4th edition. Then send me an email telling me which site the review is on and your snail mail address. I will mail you a free copy of this 36-page booklet. Use it yourself, or give it to someone else. The booklet is described below and has a $5.00 value. Sorry, but because of postage, this offer is good only in the U.S and Canada.
MY HAPPY FEET BLOG
If you like to stay informed about foot care issues and information - on a more regular basis than this monthly newsletter, check out my blog, Happy Feet: Expert Foot Care Advice for People Who Love Their Feet. This is different from this ezine. The Happy Feet blog will have a new short topic every week. Click here for the Happy Feet blog.
GOT A STORY TO SHARE?
I am always on the look out for stories to share about their adventures with some type of connection to feet. If you have something to share, please send me an email.
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