Posts Tagged ‘chiropractor’

Despite all my thoughts this week about tapering, I knew that one more double-digit long run loomed. While running 10 or more miles for a long run is something I’ve done nearly every week since July, I still had this weird feeling about this one.

Last year I couldn’t do another double-digit long run after my second 20-miler. Not running was the right thing to do then; this year it was all about fear.

Turns out, I ran a little more than 10 miles with no big issues at all. It was a clear, starry morning at 6 a.m.; it was about 30 degrees colder than a mid-day run earlier this week; and the miles ticked by fairly quickly. I didn’t focus on my time or pace — it was a run just to run. I should have left my Garmin at home.

Now is the time where the taper is important. My mind is ready to do 26.2 miles again; my body needs rest. While my running has been great lately, I can tell that another week of even lower mileage is going to have me ready. Through 15 weeks of “official” training, I have more than 40 miles on my legs than I did through 15 weeks last year. The extra mileage will pay off, but I can feel those extra miles with various soreness.

My plan for the next couple of weeks will be to take several Epsom salt baths, something I’ve done a lot of in the past month, but haven’t mentioned. I feel so relaxed after doing that and I can then stretch and foam roll with comfort. I also hope to get an adjustment from my chiropractor.

From a running standpoint, I plan to have a short run tomorrow (just shy of 30 miles for the week) and then about 20 miles next week. Race week — which I am calling week 0 — will have just a couple of short runs.

Just two more weeks …

Yesterday I posted my interview with my chiropractor, Dr. Wimmer of Wimmer Chiropractic. Today his blog entry is an interview with me. Check it out here where you’ll see a “before” photo of me I haven’t even posted on this site.

Growing up, here’s what I knew about chiropractors: my grandmother regularly went to one and they had crazy signs in front of their offices that never enticed me to learn more. Then about a year ago when my wife kept complaining about her back, and I got tired of telling her to see a doctor, I saw a tweet from a local chiropractor about getting a complimentary exam. All that was needed was to bring in a coupon from Twitter or Facebook.

Fast forward a couple of months and my wife was doing better, I was saying “I told you so” … and next thing you know I’m getting treatment after my “injury” (I really thought I’d use “result” more after this post) in the fall. So, here’s what I know now: the spine controls everything in your body; chiropractic care just isn’t for back pain; and those signs in front of offices? This guy doesn’t have any, and he’s a normal family guy.

I’ve mentioned a few times on my blog about going to see Dr. David Wimmer in Forest, Va. Dr. Wimmer has been a chiropractor for seven years after graduating from Logan College of Chiropractic in 2004; he doesn’t wear a lab coat around the office; and … did I mention he doesn’t put crazy signs outside his office? Last week Dr. Wimmer and I sat down for a video Q&A to talk about chiropractic treatment and why it’s good for athletes and runners to see a chiropractor. Here you go.

For more information on Dr. Wimmer, check out his website, his blog (where you’ll soon see a Q&A with me), follow him on Twitter and “like” him on Facebook.

I’ve hinted here and there about some things going on since late fall to get me back to good running, but I have admittedly not been very detailed. I think it’s a fear that if I backtrack in the process that I seriously jinxed myself by talking about it.

Well enough of that. I think it’s important to be a little more upfront about things that I’ve been doing to help me “come back.” If I ever go down this path again, I need it for my own sake, but I also hope others can learn from this.

• I mentioned a long time ago about going to a chiropractor for treatments. I feel this is by far the No. 1 reason I’ve been able to get back to running. Dr. David Wimmer of Wimmer Chiropractic in Forest, Va., has been great. When we first started adjustments of my pelvis and spine back in December he was straight-up honest with me in that if I didn’t get back to running soon that he’d recommend other options. Within a month I was able to get back to 2 miles comfortably and the rest … well, the history is being written now. I’ll be doing a video Q&A with Dr. Wimmer sometime this month to talk about my treatments even more. In the meantime, feel free to “like” him on Facebook and check out his blog here.
• I’ve been very good about getting core workouts in a couple of times a week. I know I can do more, but exceeding my max plank goal last month and aiming for 50 consecutive push-ups this month is how I will continue to commit to the core. As I prepare for another marathon later this year, I know that having a strong core will be one of the main reasons of getting to the start (and finish) line healthy.
• I ditched the foam roller, sort of. This may have come up on here, and I know I’ve vocalized it on Twitter, but the foam roller isn’t for me. I may use it from time to time to make sure I don’t have some crazy knots, or to give myself a back massage, but it was not an effective treatment for me. I have a few stretches that are working well for me right now that I will continue to do.
• I am continuing to work on my cadence. One foot last week was right about 90 strikes. In Saturday’s race, I caught myself a few times slipping into my “old” way of running, which I find very uncomfortable despite my brain sometimes wanting to run that way.
• I am avoiding just going out the door and starting my run. I try to walk at least a quarter mile before I start my run and try to end it with a walk of about the same distance. I think too many times last year I just went out the door and ran, and then just finished up directly outside myself and came inside to log my workout on Daily Mile. I believe that my body is thanking me by doing a warm-up and cool down.
• As much as I hated to cut back on this, I run less with my dog Duke. As spring rolls along I may change this, but I realized after it was too late how much my dog pulled me to the left … which is the side of my injury. I believe that my running form is much to blame for my injury, but Duke contributed to it.

There are so many lessons learned here, and so many things I probably should have been talking about all along. What’s done is done, though, and all I can do is keep moving forward with all these things etched in my brain.

Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I ran a mile last night. Nothing more, nothing less … well, technically it was 1.1. So I ran 1.1 mile(s) last night. It wasn’t too bad; it wasn’t all that great either. It was a mile, much sooner than I expected after my marathon. A mile is a mile. I’m not sure when the next mile will come. It could be tomorrow; it could come on a turkey trot; it could be December before it happens again. Just like much of this year has gone, I will continue to do this by feel.

I do have a consultation appointment with a chiropractor in a couple of weeks. My wife’s chiropractor is doing a patient appreciation event and is offering free appointments in exchange for toys for a Toys for Tots drive. It’s one of those things I shouldn’t pass up. When I was running Saturday, I was thinking about my issues of lack of core training, and if something is out of whack now would be a good time to address it. I’ve been reading a lot this week about chiropractors and runners who use them … some good, some bad, some neutral. So, we’ll see.

So speaking of core training, this week I have busted out my dumbbells twice, done the plank a couple of times and done several sit-ups. It’s not unusual to do something like this, but in the past few months I lost sight of how important these types of cross training things are. When it comes to the core, cross training might not even be the right words — it’s necessary training that I haven’t done regularly in a very long time.

With the holidays approaching and doing less running, I can’t have too much out-of-control eating. A week before the marathon I was 183, so I’ve done a decent job of maintaining. But when I saw my marathon photos this week, I know that I have a ways to go. I need to burn more fat … what the end result is on the scale, I don’t care. I just want to feel better about myself.

So this has become a very random post … but that’s what happens with no running. I’ve got a variety things on my mind and I need a good 3-4 miles a few times a week so those thoughts don’t make it to the blog.