Coach Charles
I try to get a good long warmup in before every practice. Why? Because for most of us we are showing up at training with tight muscles and a low heart rate after sitting at our desks and in I-495 or I-66 traffic for about 10 hours each day (myself included). Which got me thinking… Continue reading
Coach Charles
Charles, one of our trainers, helps to unravel the secrets of eating healthily. Continue reading
Co-owner, Metro Run & Walk, Certified Pedorthist, and Runner
Walker
My daughter was running the Pittsburgh marathon this past weekend. While searching for her times, this article came up in my results:
Just before heading to the starting line for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon on Sunday morning, Kyle Chase Johnson toasted his roommate, Alex Calder, with a glass of raw eggs.
“I woke up with him this morning at 6, and he was doing the ‘Rocky’ thing,” said Calder, Johnson’s former classmate and teammate from the North Allegheny High School football team. “He drank the whole glass of eggs, but he said it was a lot more difficult than he’d thought it was.”
“Breakfast of champions,” Kyle wrote in a tweet at 6:31 a.m., with a picture of the glass of globby yolks and the hashtag “#13.1” — the length of the half marathon.
Slightly more than a mile from the finish line and the Downtown apartment where he had planned to host friends and family for a post-race party, Johnson, 23, an employee of Deloitte & Touche and graduate of Penn State University, collapsed and went into cardiac arrest, authorities said. He was later declared dead in UPMC Mercy. Read more:
http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/3966945-74/pittsburgh-arrest-cardiac#ixzz2SWWawnIv
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How incredibly sad that someone so young and in apparent good health would die of a heart attack while running. My heart goes out to his family and friends who were there waiting for him. Waiting for that pancake breakfast he planned to fix and enjoy with them after the race.
Mark was running the Arkansas marathon two years ago and a finished collapsed right in front of him. Mark and another runner performed CPR and got him stabile until the paramedics could takeover. Our good friend Joe did the “Escape from Alcatraz” this year in San Francisco and someone had a heart attack during the swim portion of that race. In the San Francisco marathon this year, a 30 year old woman collapsed from a heart attack.
Just seems like a lot of heart attacks, so having an inquiring mind, I started to wonder…
John is an avid active lifestyle enthusiast who among his accomplishments has completed several Ironmans and now simply enjoys being active!
Back in 1979, I was working for the Department of the Navy, and had the opportunity to travel to San Diego, where I spent most of that summer. I can’t say I remember much about the work, other than it was mind-numbing, but experiencing the southern California lifestyle for the first time was eye opening (check out the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club website: www.ombac.org, and, specifically, the OMBAC Over the Line Tournament). I’d begun running only a couple years before the trip, and was still very new to the running lifestyle.
I’d settled down in my seat, when not long after my seat mate arrived. We began the typical verbal “airline tango” trying to get a sense of whether it was going to be a trip where we engaged with each other, or drifted quietly into our own spaces.
We quickly discovered we were both runners – common ground! – and swapped the standard lies all runners share: injuries, PR’s, favorite venues. All of a sudden, in the middle of a thought, I burst out laughing.
John has been with Metro Run and Walk since 2004 and enjoys being active!
Spring Daffodil in Bloom!
Unless it’s my imagination (which can be *very* active), this has been one of the weirdest winters lately, with longer, protracted cold spells interspersed with warmer-than-usual spells. The signs of spring are all around, though – from that very familiar smell in the air some mornings, to the daffodils in the front flower bed that are approaching a foot tall, to all the trees surrounding our house beginning to bud. There are other familiar signs of spring in the air as well.
After a long, dark, dreary dry spell, people are beginning to emerge from their winter bunkers and get outside more. That, in turn, brings them to Metro Run & Walk to update their shoes, clothes and other gear. Continue reading
February is American Heart Month. Heart disease, including stroke, is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Every year, 1 in 4 deaths is caused by heart disease. The good news? Heart disease can often be prevented when people make healthy choices and manage their health conditions. Communities, health professionals, and families can work together to create opportunities for people to make healthier choices.
Throughout the month, we’re partnering with the American Heart Association to raise awareness about heart disease and how people can help prevent it — both at home and in the community. We’ll be posting tips, statistics, advice, information and resources throughout the month on this blog, our facebook page, twitter account, and website.
We all hear about the positive effects of exercise on our hearts. It has been proven again and again that exercise reduces risk factors associated with disease. But what is less clear is the linkage between heart health and your feet. Heart disease, diabetes, and even cold temperatures have an impact on your feet. I’ll just attempt to summarize a few of them and point you to some great resources for additional information.
While we’ve been pretty fortunate so far this winter, we still have a ways to go – the whole month of February and most of March which can itself be fickle weather-wise.
Cooler temperatures affect your heart, especially if you have cardiovascular disease. If you’re not conditioned to being outside in the cold you should avoid sudden exertion as it can strain your heart. Even walking through heavy, wet snow or shoveling snow can put a strain on your heart and possibly result in hypothermia.
Hypothermia is, simply defined as your body not producing enough energy to keep the internal body temperature warm enough (above 95oF).
So, what’s that got to do with your feet? Dampness causes the body to lose heat fast. If you’re wearing cotton socks which hold the sweaty moisture from your feet, you are at risk of losing warmth. Of course, you also lose heat through your head and hands. Layer your clothing for best results and avoid cotton socks.
From Dr. Oz: You’re probably familiar with the fiery sensation that develops after a long day in four-inch heels. But if the pain is accompanied by a pins-and-needles feeling, you could have nerve damage in your feet. One surprising culprit: diabetes. A blood sugar test can diagnose diabetes. Diet and exercise, blood sugar monitoring, and medication can prevent further damage.
http://adam.about.net/reports/000061_1.htm
Blood pressure is the force applied against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood through the body. The pressure is determined by the force and amount of blood pumped and the size and flexibility of the arteries. High blood pressure can cause fluid buildup and swollen feet. The effects of high blood pressure on the nervous and circulatory systems can cause pain, loss of sensation, and tingling in the feet, and can increase the susceptibility for infection and foot ulcers.
About 8 million Americans have peripheral arterial disease (PAD), according to the American Heart Association. In PAD, a fatty substance called plaque that builds up in the arteries in your legs, reducing the flow of blood to your lower legs and feet.
PAD can cause the muscles in your calves and other parts of your legs to cramp while you’re moving around. The condition can also lead to foot pain and poorly healed foot wounds. While the foot and leg-related symptoms of PAD are usually quite obvious, the disease is also associated with hidden damage to the heart and brain — which places those with PAD at much higher risk of heart attack and stroke.
It’s a lot of work to move all that blood. To do their job, veins are full of valves that help keep the blood flowing in the right direction. Valves are l
ike tiny doors that close after the blood has passed through to keep blood moving along and to make sure it doesn’t flow backward.
As people get older, though, the valves might not work as well. When that happens, some blood can stay in a vein instead of moving forward like it should. This makes the vein swell up, and that swollen vein is a varicose vein.
The veins often show up on the legs, ankles, and feet because those body parts are farthest from the heart. Gravity pulls blood down into your legs and feet when you’re standing up or sitting down. So the veins have to work extra hard to get that blood back up to the heart, and some of those veins can wear out over time.
Varicose veins in the feet are usually not a source of medical concern, being in most cosmetic, but they can also be the source of superficial bleeding and marks on the skin. The major complication is bleeding, as varicose veins of the feetare located where the pressure is greatest. Although rare, a “venous rupture” of a varicose vein in the foot can lead to massive hemorrhaging that can not only involve serious quantities of blood but also appear upsetting. The hemorrhage can easily be temporarily stopped by performing a simple movement: the victim should lie on the floor and raise the leg at a right angle. The blood in the vein empties into the other veins in the leg and the hemorrhage stops. This is a “genuine medical emergency”, where surgery on foot varicose veins must be performed without delay.
Claw toe, and a similar condition called “hammertoe,” are caused by an imbalance of muscles in the feet and toes. In the case of brain injury or stroke, the result is neuromuscular imbalances. With claw toe, muscles in the foot over-contract due to a neurological abnormality.
Claw toe and hammertoe are very similar conditions, differing in the muscles affected — flexor digitorum brevis and flexor digitorum longus, respectively. For this reason, the terms “claw toe” and “hammertoe” are often used interchangeably.
My Dad turns 88 this summer, my Mom is 86. Always the more hale and hearty of the two, most of us assumed Dad would outlive Mom. I’m not so sure anymore. While he still golfs regularly – three times a week with his Army buddies – his 42 years of active duty Army service have taken their toll.
He’s had at least two major, devastating life-altering conditions – cancer and profound hearing loss (and I think the deafness has had the greater impact, interestingly) – directly attributable to these years, and a host of other issues I strongly suspect were exacerbated by them. Ask him, though, if, knowing what he knows now, would he do it again – his answer is a resounding “YES!”I try to get up to visit them (they live a couple hours away in Pennsylvania) regularly, and it always pains me a bit to see the changes – some subtle, some not so. A couple times a year, over his protestations, I take him a new pair of running shoes, hoping to encourage his continued walking, which he does on the days he’s not golfing.
Co-owner, Metro Run & Walk, Certified Pedorthist, and Runner
Walker
Preface: Bear with me as I will eventually get to the point.
My father-in-law, Paul, is 84 years old. He is a former marathoner; having run more than six marathons. He ran countless 10k and 5k races. Up until about 7 years ago, he was still running. Slowly and shorter distances, to be sure, but still running. He gradually came to realize that his running days were over. Instead, he took up speed walking and hiking. He could be seen early every morning speed walking through his neighborhood in Charlottesville and/or wandering the trails of the Shenandoah Mountains. About a year ago, Paul and June moved to Blacksburg. They moved into Warm Hearth, a senior living community, because June (my mother-in-law) has some significant health and mobility issues that prevented her from climbing stairs. After getting settled in Blacksburg, Paul quickly found the nearby trails leading around Blacksburg and Virginia Tech. Being a very sociable person, he also found a group of people that routinely hiked at the same time and places. They formed a small band of hikers and every morning, they could be seen and heard on the trails. Paul especially always has a story to share and being out of breath never stopped him before.
Paul routinely got a check-up. He’s been in really excellent health his whole life with no known issues other than the occasional bout of tinnitus, addiction to ice cream, and love for peanuts in a bottle of Dr. Pepper.
Aortic Aneurysm
On December 9, while working at the store, Mark and I got a call from Paula (my sister-in-law) that we had to call Scott (brother-in-law) immediately to speak with Paul. Paul was in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. He was hiking, started experiencing chest pain, and collapsed on the trail. Fortunately, his quick thinking and quick acting hiking companions got emergency help. Mark talked to his Dad and then to Scott. An aortic aneurism was suspected. After being examined at the hospital, it was determined that an aneurism was indeed the cause and the decision was made to airlift Paul to the hospital in Roanoke for emergency heart surgery.
Mark immediately drove down to Roanoke and stayed with his dad at the hospital for several days post-surgery. While the surgery itself was successful, Paul was still an 84 year old man having undergone major surgery. The anesthesia had him very confused, moody, aggressive, and volatile. It was a very rocky few days according to Mark.
http://www.jhartfound.org/blog/confused-about-post-operative-confusion/
After clearing from the side effects of anesthesia, Paul started feeling better, feeding himself, telling stories to the nurses and doctors, and demanding to go home. He was able to return home after about 10 days. Of course, the requirement was that he had to have 24 hour assistance for the next 10 days while he healed and regained strength. The siblings all pitched in and took turns staying along with an attendant from Warm Hearth.
19 days post surgery, Paul was doing great. Regaining strength, ambulating with a walker, feeling well, and eating well. Mark and I decided to go back to Blacksburg with our kids for more of a social visit, help with grocery shopping and other errands.
We drove down on a Friday morning and arrived just after lunch. Within an hour of visiting, Paul indicated that he was not feeling well, that he was in extreme abdominal pain, and that he needed emergency help. We called the Warm Hearth medical staff who advised calling 911. Within minutes the EMTs were there, packed up Paul and took him away. Mark rode with him to the hospital and stayed acting as his advocate.
The rest of us stayed at the house visiting with June. It was getting to be evening and we still hadn’t heard anything. It didn’t make sense for all of us to stay with June, so I sent the kids back to the hotel and just spent quiet time accompanying June into the night.
9:30 text received “CT scan scheduled”
10:15 text received “He’s next up for CT”
11:30 text received “CT clear, have ruled out anything serious. Starting treatment for severe constipation”
Now you may be thinking… “What? He went to the ER for constipation?” Yes, severe constipation can cause a lot of damage, not to mention pain and discomfort. Heart patients in particular cannot exert pressure from coughing, sneezing, clearing of the throat, or pooping.
http://surgery.about.com/od/aftersurgery/ss/ConstipationSur_2.htm
. In fact, there were 29 deaths from constipation between 1982 and 1985.
http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/c/constipation/deaths.htm
. Enough of that.
1:30 text received “Will be here a while more”
June and I were both reading and dozing in our chairs, just waiting for the next update. With the 1:30 update, I finally went to lay down on the coach.
There was to be no deep sleeping that night. The remainder was spent in that state of both being asleep but also being awake. The place where you think deep thoughts, worry a lot, imagine everything, and question everything. The place were you work through anxieties and try to find answers. Sometimes going round and round with no answers but more questions.Writing doesn’t come naturally to me, so my attempt to put into words everything swirling through my head that night will fall short.
Obvoiusly, I spent quite a lot of time thinking about Paul. Here he is an 84 year old man recovering from major heart surgery. He would be the first to admit that he’s led a fantastic, wonderful life. Married for 63 years. Three great kids and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.
But the questions kept surfacing. Should he have even had the surgery? How much time would he have left in this life? Are the costs of surgery and recovery justified? While I don’t have the answers to those questions, I came to realize a few things.
The reason that Paul even survived the surgery is because he was so active. In fact, he is already making plans to be back on the hiking trail by the end of January. He plans to live productively for another 10 years at least. The thought that he would die was so foreign to him because he lives his life.
With that realization, I started asking myself some questions. Am I really taking care of myself so that I am truly alive? No. Or am I simply going through the motions? Sometimes. Am I making sure that my own parents have the supports in place should something happen with them? No.
A few people have asked me about my new years resolutions. I really didn’t make any on New Years Eve. I typically don’t. It seems somewhat trivial to me to say “I will run a marathon.” or “I will break my personal best in a 10k.” Those are definitely worthwhile pursuits, but to me they are goals, not resolutions.
My grandmother lived to be 94 years old. She would often say ”Life is not for the faint of heart.” She’s right. I want to be 94 saying that to my grandchildren and great grandchildren.
So here goes… My New Years “Resolutions”:
In order to do those things, I need to be active, maintaining a healthy weight, maintaining a healthy attitude, taking time for myself while also giving more of myself. I have to be involved, to be loving, to be forgiving, to be curious, to be constantly learning, to be teaching, to be leading, to be following… to really BE ALIVE!
Postscript: Paul did come home after treatment. Since then, he’s cooked a few meals, taken a walk at the Mall, seen the doctor, and has resumed living his life.
While thinking about all of this, I came across a blog that I really liked:
http://productivelifeconcepts.com/Topics/making-a-difference/
February 2, 2013: Paul continues his amazing recovery. He is walking 1/4 mile distances several times a day, is driving again, and enjoying every day.
March 4, 2013: Paul is back to light hiking up to 1 mile per day and really enjoying being with his buddies again. Last week, he went to a Virginia Tech Womens Basketball game (his favorite!)
Helen Russell, Co-owner, Metro Run & Walk, Certified Pedorthist, and Runner
Walker
a) Get in shape
b) Start walking
c) Start running
d) Run a marathon
Fast forward to January 15th, you wake up one morning and “ouch!” your foot / feet hurt. It hurts in the heel or it hurts in the forefoot or you’v got some blisters and/or toenail problems. Maybe you’ve got a little pain in the Achilles tendon. Possibly a little shin pain?
Rest assured, you’re not alone. From the beginning of January through Valentine’s Day, there is a sharp rise in overuse injuries. Podiatrists most commonly diagnose and treat tendonitis, stress fractures associated with overuse, plantar fasciitis, and other minor foot injuries during this time.
For those just starting a fitness routine, foot pain is very common several days or weeks into the new routine. In most cases, what you’re experiencing will pass once you’ve figured out the problem and understand the solution.
As we always tell you, listen to your body – it’s the best barometer there is. If your pain occurs day after day and last for longer than 5 – 7 days, go see a podiatrist.
Happy New Year! Please don’t hesitate to let us know how we can support you in achieving your New Year’s goals.
Helen
Many years ago, the late George Sheehan advised us to "run like a child." Great advice; we should all bring joy and wonder to our running. But to this, we should add “but plan your races like an adult.” Here are some thoughts to keep in mind when putting together your race schedule for the coming year:
Are you racing for fun or with a feeling of obligation?
