Being Unfit Has Never Felt So Good

As I’ve tried to get back to running the focus has been my foot:  What state is it in?  How much does it hurt?  How much can it handle?  Am I doing too much?  Will I pay the price later?  That darn foot has been the limiting factor in having me do what I want to do.  It has caused me to stop running way before I’ve wanted to.  It has been an obsession.

As the ASTYM treatments continue to have a positive impact on my foot’s health today a new item popped up as the thing holding me back from running:  My lungs.  During today’s run I was huffing and puffing and wondering if I was going make my goal time of 11 minutes of continuous running.  I did finish.  And after I finished I was breathing pretty hard and I had to pause to catch my breath.

As I cooled down I realized how good it felt to be working the lungs.  No – the foot isn’t cured, but it has improved to the point that it’s not the weakest link…..at least not now.  I realized how excited I was that what’s holding me back now will improve with time (and more huffing and puffing and sweat) and won’t require me to ice my lungs, or worry about whether they’re inflamed, etc.  The path to running hopefully becomes a bit more predictable.  Given that – I realized I’ve never been so happy to realize how unfit I am.

I’m not sure who gets credit for it but I’m sure many of you have seen it and it’s definitely what has been going through my mind:

“Pain is weakness leaving the body.”

I can’t wait for some pain.

Jim

Pose Method vs Chi Running vs Evolution Running

As heel striking continues to get a bad name (and in actuality, overstriding may be the really bad culprit) many people are looking for a way to change their running form.  Other things can also contribute to a runner’s desire to change their form:  shin splints, knee pain, back pain and other ills can be a strong motivator as well.  Some runners can “just do it” – change their form on their own.  Others look for a program or system to help them adopt a more efficient running form. 

For someone looking to study a system to help them change their running form three options come up the most frequently:  Pose Method, Chi Running and Evolution Running.  While proponents of each program will say each is unique in it’s own way (and that is correct – each program has it’s unique parts) in my opinion there is a core set of principles that are essentially common to all:

• Erect body posture
• Forward lean and the concept of falling forward (The phrase “gravity pulling you forward” is sometimes used, which is confusing.  Gravity pulls you down, not forward.  However if a rigid body is not perfectly vertical it falls down.  If you fall down and then put your foot down to prevent you from falling to the ground, from a practical standpoint, you’ve taken a step.  Repeat that over and over and you’re running.)
• Short stride length
• Relatively high foot cadence - ~180 bpm minimum
• Some sort of non-heel-first footstrike

With this article I’m not purporting that one of these methods is “the best”.  The forums have a variety of highly emotional threads arguing this point.  I’m a firm believer that each of us are different enough that what might be best for me may not be best for you.  My goal is to give an exceptionally high level overview of each and, hopefully, the reader will use this as a launching off point to go learn more about what interests them.  That being said, I consider myself a Pose runner and I definitely feel the most comfortable with that program. 

Pose Method – http://www.posetech.com/

Pose Method of Running was developed by Dr. Nicholas Romanov.  Romanov’s model is centered on the concept that the running gait begins and ends with a body position that is balanced and relaxed – The Pose.  The Pose is defined to be a one-legged stance with the head, shoulders and hips aligned over the ball of the foot.  The airborne foot is up under the hips.  Running becomes a sequence of falling forward from this position, having the airborne leg drop to keep us from falling to the ground, using the hamstring pulling the trailing foot into the airborne position, and then returning to The Pose, but now on the opposite leg.  Pose Method advocates the use of a very lightweight, thin soled shoe and not conventional padded running shoes.  The belief is that the foot needs to feel the ground if the nervous system is going to fire the right muscles to deal with landing.  The website maintains a list of “Pose approved” shoes.

In my opinion Pose Method is the most detailed, specific and exacting of the three methods.  In fact, there is a standard which defines whether a runner is actually running Pose or not.  I’m not familiar with all of the components of the standard (and 99% of people don’t need to be).  An example of one component of this standard:  A runner should take no more than two video frames to get from whole foot landing to Pose position.  Some people welcome this type of structure and detail.  Others find it limiting and frustrating.

The book itself has more content than just information about the running method.  There are a large number of drills, strengthening and flexibility exercises.  Hip strength is very important in adopting a method like Pose and the book provides some outstanding exercises to build up that strength.  The drills are another key component of the method.  The running sequence is quite a complex set of movements.  The drills exist to help the runner understand and learn to feel the movements so that, when actually moving, it’s easier for the pieces to come together effectively.

Below is a slow-motion video of Jacky, a Pose-certified coach.  Notice how the landing foot is directly underneath the hips upon landing.  Also notice the complete relaxation of the ankle while the foot is airborne.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chi Running – http://www.chirunning.com/

Danny Dreyer developed Chi Running with the desire of creating a way to run in a more efficient, less injury-prone manner.  He leveraged some core concepts (pun intended) from Thai Chi – a methodology that has been around for thousands of years.  He worked with his Thai Chi instructor Master George Xu to take these concepts and apply them to the running motion.

Chi Running focuses a lot on posture and using the core muscles as a key component of movement.  It advocates very relaxed extremities while maintaining a solid core.  Chi Running believes that the psoas is a key muscle that should be used for hip flexion/knee lift.  It also advocates swinging the leg with a bent knee behind the body.

As far as shoes are concerned Chi Running advocates use of a shoe that is less padded than conventional running shoes, but I believe there are shoes that Chi Running would find acceptable that the Pose program would not.  (i.e. Pose advocates a more minimal shoe, in general, than Chi Running does)  I’m not saying Chi Running is against minimal shoes – not at all.  In fact Danny Dreyer talks about the benefits of barefoot running in the book.

Chi Running probably has the best name recognition of the three programs.  I’ve seen a number of Chi Running articles in some of the mainstream media.  Many runners aren’t yet familiar with this genre of running programs but, if they have, chances are they’ve heard about Chi Running.  My guess/sense, both from the program specifics as well as reports in the forums, is that Chi Running is learned more quickly than Pose because it is not as detailed and exact.  That doesn’t mean one is better than the other – just different.

This is the best example video I could find of Chi Running.  To be clear I think it actually was put together by a Pose advocate to comment on the Chi Running program.  The audio does not work so hopefully that enables the viewer to focus on only what the running itself looks like.  Pay particular attention to the footstrike.  The Chi Running book advocates a midfoot strike, but it sure doesn’t look to be a midfoot strike in these clips.   (More on this point later.)

 

Evolution Running – http://www.evolutionrunning.com/

Of the three programs I know the least about Evolution Running.  The program was developed by Ken Mierke.  Ken is mentioned in Chris McDougall’s highly successful book Born To Run.   Evolution Running advocates glute and hamstring muscles for propulsion.  One component that is different from the other programs is that it also advocates beginning the foot’s rearward movement before the foot contacts the ground.  Whereas the other two programs tend to target recreational runners, it appears (in my opinion) that Evolution Running is targeting the more serious/competitive athlete and triathlete.

The program is available via DVD.  This DVD received very high praise from Last Place Jason (Jason Robillard) on the Runner’s World Barefooting forum.  Jason said it’s put together very well and is a great resource for new barefoot/minimalist runners.  Jason also did an article on the DVD on his Barefoot Chronicles website.  You can find the article here.

Here is a video showing the Evolution Running technique. 

                 

Summary

It’s pretty entertaining to watch people argue which of these programs is “the best”.  I’ve concluded that choosing which one is for you is a “Coke or Pepsi?” decision.  They’re both colas.  They’re both carbonated.  They’re both sweet and refreshing.  At the end of the day it comes down to which one tastes best to you – which one you like the best. 

I tried Chi Running and I just didn’t like it.  It didn’t click.  In the book Dreyer makes frequent refereces to Chi and Thai Chi.  Those linkages didn’t work for me.  I’m not saying they’re not valid concepts; I think I’m quite open to both Eastern and Western concepts.  For example, one aspect of good posture in Chi Running is leveling the pelvis.  For most that means having a slight contraction of the lower abdominals to bring the front of the pelvis up.  Dreyer describes not doing this results in “spilling Chi”.  Well, that’s interesting, but it doesn’t help me and my brain understand why that posture component is important.  I also see inconsistency between what I see in the video and an article Dreyer wrote a while ago.  In the article Dreyer talks about the evils of dorsiflexion, yet in the video he is dorsiflexing all over the place.  The bottom line:  When I tried putting the Chi Running pieces together my brain went into overload and it felt like I was trying to do 20 things simultaneously. 

When studying Pose Method the drills really helped me focus on the individual movements and components.  I worked with a Pose-certified coach to help me with the essential concepts.  (Maybe that was my issue with Chi Running – I should have hired a coach.)  To help people assess whether they are meeting the Pose standard or not there is a commonly accepted consistent method for getting feedback where the runner makes a video (either drills or running) taken perpendicular to the direction the runner would be or is traveling.  This provides a consistent way for the coaches on the forum to provide feedback.  Another reason I like Pose Method is because you learn to use a variety of senses to “check in” and see if things are going well.  How do your shoes sound hitting and leaving the ground?  If it’s different than tap-tap-tap something is wrong.  How does your ankle feel as it’s moving through the air?  Relaxed?  Are you pushing off as the foot leaves the ground?  Does the pull while running feel like the drills?  At first, like Chi Running, it felt like I was trying to do 20 things at once.  The coaches, however, suggested I pick just one or two areas to focus on during a run and forget about everything else.  “Focus only on the pull.  You can work on other stuff later.”  I might do that for a few runs, then I’d focus/learn something else.  In a business seminar I took a long time ago the instructor asked “How do you eat an elephant?”  The answer was “One elephant hamburger at a time.”  By freeing my brain to learn only one skill at a time I chipped away at the running form elephant and then, I realized, I was running Pose (or very close to it). 

If you’re really interested in changing your form prepare yourself to work pretty hard.  Old habits are hard to break.  There will probably be moments you’d like to give up.  Sometimes it might appear all too easy to just throw in the towel and go back to the old way.  However if you persevere there will likely come a time when it will click and, all of a sudden, you’ll realize you’re running in a new way and it feels amazingly natural and good and free.  And hopefully this will be the start of easier, more enjoyable, and more injury-free running.

Jim

Progress With ASTYM!

ASTYM treatment #2 happened on Monday.  While on an absolute scale the progress was miniscule, from a significance standpoint the progress was “Epic!” as my 14-year old son would say.

For the last three months I’ve pretty much had the same routine:  Every other day go out for a 30 minute walk.  During that walk I run for – I hope you’re sitting down – 4 minutes.  That’s it.  And even that 4 minute run I’ve been breaking into tiny chunks so as to not stress the foot too much.  Even with that minor amount of running, virtually always, my foot is sore by the evening.  Frequently it is sore the next day as well.

The day after session #2 I ran 5 continuous minutes per the PT’s instructions.  This is the longest continuous block of time I’ve run in the last 7 months.  Recall that the treatment itself inflicts micro-trauma on the tissue and a significant part of the program is to use and stress the tissue while it is rebuilding.  So he wanted me to give it a reasonably good workout.

That evening following my morning run, when my foot should have been sore, it felt perfectly normal.  The next morning – perfectly normal as well.  Today was ASTYM session #3.  I’ve been told I can increase the running time by one minute if the previous run did not produce significant pain.  So tomorrow morning I’m on tap to run 6 minutes.

The treatments themselves, while certainly not pleasant, are not horrible.  They’re a bit uncomfortable.  I’ve had a tender spot right by the ball of my big toe.  I haven’t been sure why.  Today I somewhat passively mentioned it to the PT – with the intent of alerting him to be careful when he was running the instruments in that area.  He poked and prodded and concluded I have some tendon issues there as well as some range of motion issues that need to be addressed.  So in actuality that tenderness was an indicator he needed to get in there with the tools a bit.  That’s wasn’t terribly fun.

I’m shocked I increased my running time and the pain level went down.  Am I dreaming or something?

Jim

“I’m going to have you increase your running.”

How many times have we been in the office of a <Doctor/Chriopractor/Physical Therapist> for a running injury and they’ve said those words?  Before today the number of times for me was 0.  But that is what happened at today’s PT appointment.

A couple of days ago my frustration level with this lingering heel pain reached a point where I decided to go see my Podiatrist.  He said the Plantar Fascia on that foot is really tight.  (I’d noticed when I massaged it with a tennis ball I could hear it “pop”.)  He strongly recommended I see a PT he works with who does ASTYM and dry needling.  ASTYM has gotten a lot of positive talk on the forums, so when he mentioned it I was quite enthused.  Dry needling I’d heard of – but I was not as familiar with it.

The goal of ASTYM is to break down the problem tissue so the body will rebuild it.  This is done by breaking up scar tissue (using plastic tools that are scraped over the skin) and causing the body to go into a healing response.  These micro injuries are what cause the body to launch efforts to rebuild and repair the tissue.  In between appointments (the “scraping” sessions) the patient is given a regimen of stretching and strengthening exercises.  Apparently by using the tissue while the rebuilding is going on the body does it in a way to make it stronger and more effective.  This is one of the positive aspects of ASTYM:  You’re supposed to be active – at least to some degree; within the scope of what the Physical Therapist recommends.

Dry needling uses Accupuncture needles to (Release?  Relax?  Break up?) trigger points that can be found in muscles.  The similarity between dry needling and Accupuncture is only in the needle.  The concepts and premise for the treatments are totally different.

Today was the first appointment.  Cocoa butter was put on the skin to aid the tool in gliding over the skin.  The PT and I could both feel the things in the foot that needed to be treated.  On the lateral side of the foot the Plantar Fascia was nice and smooth.  On the medial side it was  quite bumpy.  He also found two trigger points in the foot and at least one in the calf.  He also said the heel pain was not coming from the classic location for PF pain.  He thinks there may be a fat pad issue or irritation.  Lastly, I have some hip weakness on the side with the bad foot.  That, too, could be contributing to the foot issues.

The ASTYM treatment itself was not that difficult to get through.  It wasn’t trivial – but it wasn’t as bad as some reports I’d read.   (I’d found reports that ranged from “No pain.” to “It really hurts a lot.”)  “Intense” would be a good word to use.  And it wasn’t intense the whole time – just sometimes. 

As we were wrapping up he said the words that about made me fall on the floor:  “I’m going to have you increase your running.”  Yowsa.  This is going to be interesting………………….

Jim

Stretching: Miracle Cure Or Source Of The Pain?

As I browse the forums there is one concept that seems to be extremely well entrenched in the running community:  Stretching is good.  And if a little stretching is good, a lot is even better.  Often the faith in stretching goes beyond being just “good”, but therapeutic – medicinal even.  “I’ve got this pain.  I’ve taken a few days off and stretched, but the pain just won’t go away.  What could possibly be wrong?  If stretching won’t cure this I’m totally stumped.”  

Sure – flexibility is important for easy, smooth movement, and stretching helps improve flexibility.  However there is evidence that suggests that stretching may not always be the route to eliminating pain.  In fact, there may be situations where the pain being felt is a result of the muscle being too lose, and that stretching adds to the pain instead of helping to resolve it.

Damien Howell is a Physical Therapist that frequents the active.com running forums.  He has raised this topic in a number of postings and I’ve found the concept/perspective fascinating.  Recently a poster (who was dealing with Plantar Fasciitis) was perplexed because, while he’d been executing the mainstream PF regimen for quite a while (calf stretching, Plantar Fascia stretching, wearing a night splint, etc.) he wasn’t seeing progress.  He noticed that when he stopped doing these things his pain disappeared.  The results the poster experienced flew in the face of mainstream thinking and treatment for Plantar Fasciitis.  This certainly was a case that supported Damien’s point:  Stretching can sometimes be bad.

The key, clearly, is determining whether a given painful situation is one that requires stretching or, rather, is one that dictates rest and leaving it alone.  Sometimes the clue to whether we need to stretch or not can, literally and figuratively, be right in front of us.  In the case of the foot, Damien has written an interesting article to get the reader thinking about common foot positions and whether they’re contributing to a contracted or lax state for the Plantar Fascia.

In my own situation, after reading this article, I really thought about some of the ways I spend my day.  I sit a lot for my job.  My work time is spent either on the phone or on the computer – 100% of the time.  I’ve been struggling to get rid of this last bit of Plantar Fasciitis pain, and I wanted to see if the information in Damien’s article could help me figure out some things.  I realized I do a few things which really contribute to a plantar-flexed position:

• While sitting at my desk I often put my feet out in front of me (feet ahead of the knees) and leave my ankles in a neutral or slightly plantar-flexed position.  This position results in the Plantar Fascia being in a chronically contracted position.  
• Another position I take while sitting is to cross my ankles underneath my chair.  This is interesting, additionally, because depending on how it’s done, you may be stretching the Plantar Fascia in one foot (if that foot has the toes and ball of foot on the floor) while contracting the Plantar Fascia of the other foot (if that foot is resting on the opposite ankle and suspended in air).
• While sitting at home I’ll often be on the couch with my feet up on the coffee table.  Again, feet are in a chronically-tight Plantar Fascia position.  (No comments, please, regarding the couch and my back – that’s another program.  )

I concluded (guessed) my pain was originating from a scenario where additional stretching could be of help.  So the other day I set up a board under my desk and put it on an angle – for a foot rest.  For most of the day, while I was at my desk, my feet were on this foot rest that was at a roughly 45 degree angle.  As a result my feet were slightly dorsiflexed, which means the Plantar Fascia and calves were stretched, not tight.  The positive impact that behavior change had was astonishing.  By having a continuous stretch through the day my pain level improved.   Damien’s article helped me conclude that tightness might be an issue, therefore stretching could be beneficial.  Compare my story with the story told earlier:  Both of us have Plantar Fascia pain.  The steps to resolve that pain were completely opposite.

In addition to the article already mentioned Damien has assembled a very impressive set of articles on a wide variety of very interesting topics.  You can find his library here.

So before quickly concluding or assuming that stretching is the right thing to do, think about that specific muscle and what you do with it:  While driving.  While walking.  While sitting.  While standing.  While sleeping.  If you analyze your daily routine you may get some clues as to whether you should stretch it or not.  And don’t forget to adjust your routine accordingly to help that muscle get into some different positions.

Jim

The Old And The New

I thought it might be time to compare where I’ve been (from a running form perspective) and where I am now.  Below you’ll find two videos.  In the first video I’m wearing my old motion control shoes and running in the manner I used to run:  heel striking.  In the second video I’m wearing the Pose-approved Saucony Bullet shoes.  While ideally I would have filmed my old style before I attempted any of the Pose transition, it’s quite obvious I filmed both segments on the same day.  So the first video is really a representation of how I think I used to run.

Old Running Form – Heel Striking

New Running Form – Pose Method

To be clear – I’m not yet really doing Pose correctly.  There are a couple of things I need to fix:

• My foot, especially the left foot, is landing a bit too far forward. 
• My posture still isn’t quite right.  It has improved – I’m not bending as much at the waist as I was – but it’s still not where it should be.  I need to be more upright.

I need to stay focused on the Pose drills – especially the pulling drills.  My theory is if I can do the pull more quickly and also get my posture better I think the foot landing will take care of itself.

It’s really fascinating to me how hard it can be to make these changes.  It’s one thing to do what you think needs to be done.  It’s yet another to see it done correctly on a video.  Before I shot the segment above the last time I’d made a video was probably four weeks ago.  During that time I’ve been really focusing on how things feel and just letting my feet drop for landing (i.e. not driving them forward).  I was sure I was doing it correctly.  Then I look at the video – and realize I still have more work to do. 

If you’re thinking of making a form change I highly recommend incorporating video analysis into your program.  It’s quite astonishing what it can show you.

Jim