#HappyRUNNING!

Monday, June 17, 2013

The Key to Running: Injury Prevention

Ahh, the life of a runner with Iliotibial band (IT band) syndrome is a tough one. For anyone who isn’t sure exactly what that is, it’s when there is inflammation from the continual rubbing of the IT band. You’ll begin feeling stiffness in the effected knee, which is actually the swelling or thickening of the tissue at the point where the IT band moves over the femur.

IT band syndrome put a serious halt on my running and to be honest, it was devastating and quite difficult for me to cope with. Looking back, the fact that I injured myself isn’t surprising at all. I was ramping up my mileage too fast which is a “no-no” and my biggest mistake was not taking the necessary steps to prevent injury, like stretching (the KEY to preventing running related injuries).

Traditional methods of stretching aren’t for me. I get bored with them easily and never hold the stretch long enough for it to really loosen me up. The products at Medi-Dyne have really helped me to easily incorporate stretching into my post workout routine. With my history with knee injuries, I decided to give the Runners Relief Package a try, which consists of the RangeRoller and the ProStretch Plus.

The RangeRoller is a wonderful product that every runner should invest in. Lightweight and easy to use, it allows you to give yourself a more effective deep tissue massage which helps to prevent injuries, aid in recovery from stress workouts, and increase blood flow to any injured areas.

This product can be used anywhere, and it fits easily inside a gym bag if you’d like to use it right after a workout. I also keep my RangeRoller close by as I like to use it while relaxing on the couch before bedtime. The RangeRoller will become your new best friend after a run when you have tired, aching muscles. It’s definitely a purchase you won’t regret.

The ProStretch Plus puts a different twist on stretching, and has proven to be more effective for me than traditional stretching methods. The ProStretch Plus is the perfect tool for preventing and relievingplantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitis, and tight calves and hamstrings.

I LOVE the stretch this product gives my plantar fascia, and I think all runners will truly be able to appreciate the unique stretch you will get from this. I don’t know many other traditional methods of stretching that can replicate the benefits of the ProStretch Plus. Given my history with IT band injury, I really use this product to focus on stretching my hamstrings and calves.

The Prostretch Plus is extremely easy to use and comes with a great “how-to” guide demonstrating the various ways you can use the product. In addition, it allows you to progress your level of flexibility as you improve over time.

I am happy to report that my injury has improved and I am running consistently now with no knee pain. The key to staying injury free is with PREVENTION and with the RangeRoller and the ProStretch Plus it’s going to be much easier to do. I believe that ALL runners should invest in these incredible injury prevention tools. It’s important to get into a routine of stretching and these products make it easy to do that, right in your own home. Also, for anyone who is currently battling an injury, don’t be discouraged; you can recover but it’s harder to do it alone so I recommend letting the experts at Medi-Dyne (and their products) help you along your path to recovery.

I’m happy to answer any questions about my struggles with a running injury, or share my experience using these products. You can connect with me on Twitter @dianne_harvard.

Excited for the opportunity to do a product review for the runner relief package from @medidyne. More to come! #runchat

I ran for Boston. #runchat #bostonmarathon #runforbaltimore

Monday, April 15, 2013

As a fellow runner, I feel as though someone just attacked my brothers and sisters. Praying for you, Boston.

runnervegan:

runxrunxrun:

this.

I’ve taken this personallt

THANK YOU I’ve been trying to find the words to express this feeling exactly.

I was recently selected by Klout (a website and mobile app that uses social media analytics to rank its users according to online social influence) to receive one of the coolest “Klout Perks” ever - a Sony Walkman W (special Meb Keflezighi edition).

I must say…It was a pretty great feeling to know I was 1 out of 5,000 people selected to receive this based on my social influence on “active lifestyles”.

I had the opportunity to go out for a run today and give the headphones a try and I absolutely LOVED them! The Walkman W is light weight, comfortable, has impressive sound quality and was super easy to set up.

A short 3 minute charge equals 1 hour of playing time, and you can get up to eight hours of uninterrupted play when fully charged. Plus, getting your music onto the Sony Walkman W is as simple as dragging and dropping the files (for both PC and MAC). Took me a total of 10 minutes to get 1.6 GB of music uploaded and out the door.

Once I hit the pavement I was super impressed by the sound quality as well as how comfortable the Sony Walkman W fit. It stayed in place the entire run with no shifting at all.

The volume controls and the shuffle on/off button are located on the left side. The play/pause button and buttons to change the tracks are on the right side. All functions are super accessible, which I LOVE.

Overall, I was super impressed with this MP3 player and can’t even believe I was lucky enough to be selected to get this for free.

If you’re a runner, biker, or someone who spends time in the gym (lifting weights, elliptical, rowing, etc) than the Sony Walkman W is totally for you. There is even a new completely waterproof version for swimmers (it works up to 6ft under water).

You can purchase the 2GB Sony Walkman W at Sony.com for $59.99 and if you purchase the Meb Keflezighi edition for $10 more you’ll enjoy pre-loaded audio tips by Meb and a Runners booklet with tips on running, nutrition, stretching, strategy and a list of Meb’s favorite motivational running songs. A portion of sales goes to the MEB FOUNDATION in support of Health, Fitness, Education — Balance.

Happy cord-less running everybody:) If you have an specific questions feel free to comment below and let me know, I’m happy to answer them.

Friday, March 29, 2013

#runnerproblems

Hello!

It’s been an insane amount of time since I made a post on my Tumblr, but to be honest…I haven’t been running all that much and this Tumblr is supposed to be about running.

Last October, I completed my first half marathon and it was an amazing experience. I came away from it pretty injured having run soon after an IT band injury. I vowed to let myself heal and I took two months of from running to recover.

In January I picked back up again…in February, I was consistently running 3-4 days a week doing between 3-4 miles each run. Things were looking up, and I did a St Patty’s day race a few weeks ago.

Now, it’s the end of March and the pain in my knee is back…except it’s in the other knee now. I don’t know what to do, I am at a breaking point. After another failed run today I broke down in tears. I just feel like my body is fighting me. I finally found something I love and am passionate about, but I can’t commit as much as I’d like because of this awful knee pain.

I am reaching out to my #runchat family asking for your advice. What am I doing right? What am I doing wrong? How can I move past this knee pain and get on with my running like I so desperately want to?

Here is an overview of steps I am taking now:

Glucosamine supplements
KT Tape for short runs, IT band brace for long runs
Foam rolling after runs
Hip abduction & adduction strengthening
Using a training plan
Core strengthening
Using Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12 per an recommendation after an assessment with local running store, Charm City Run.

I also do a fair share of cross training including various exercises that include squats. Do you think this is making the situation worse? Am I not getting enough of a particular vitamin. Is there another shoe out there that could be better suited for me?

What am I missing? I also saw a doctor who identified this was an IT band issue and I went to a Physical Therapist for a session. He mentioned my core needed more work and my posture was poor, which was effecting my running. I have tried to improve on that, but it seems I haven’t been successful.

I know other runners out there can understand my frustration and how hard it is be forced to stop doing something you love, which is why I ask for your help.

Any advice anyone could give would be fantastic. Thank you in advance for all your support.

XOXO,
Dianne

I’ve been working with a trainer at my gym for almost a year now so I decided it was time to go back in and get re-assessed to see how much I have improved over the last 365 days.

My average weekly workout consists of:

1 Monday night bootcamp class
1 Wednesday afternoon personal training session
3-4 days of running

I was extremely please with the results from yesterdays assessment My body fat went way down and my overal muscle endurance improved. My trainer was also excited to see my flexibility increase from a 1 to a 3. She is disgusted by my lack of flexibility and has made it her mission to fix it. I allow it because it will help my running, but must say stretching is one of my least favorite things to do, flossing however, is a fav. (Only me would say something that crazy).

Anyway, very exciting stuff - just wanted to share!

Hope everyone’s new year has gotten off to a fabulous start.

First time I’ve run with snow on the ground #coldsucks #firsttimeforeverything. #runchat

2 years ago, I stepped on a treadmill for a run and haven’t stopped since! Happy run-iversary to me:) #runchat