Spring Pep In Your Step!

This week is the start of a new month. It's the beginning of spring, green grass, and rebirth.  If you haven't been feeling the Spring momentum, let’s change that! You CAN do it!

I have to tell myself this a lot! Coming home from a long day at work, I’m tired and emotional from the stress of LIFE. My advice as a coach and a fellow training friend: Take each day and each workout, ONE AT A TIME. Get dressed and ready, start the workout easy, and build into it. If you fall apart during the workout, that may be because you are sick or over trained. But usually by pushing through (this goes for my own training), I feel better afterwards!  

Those of you on taper, TRUST the training. Sometimes you feel great during taper. In that case hold yourself back this week. It may be tempting to go fast on your easy runs this week with those fresh legs, but you need to save it for race day! Most taper days, leave you feeling sluggish. Do not freak out! It's NORMAL. No amount of training is going to help you now - it will only hinder. Keep the pace and distances down as prescribed. And for goodness sakes, don't add anything new or different to workouts this week! 

Carbo load with “good for you” carbs on the front end of the week and taper that load down towards race day. Hydration is the key to absorbing carbs, so be sure to drink lots of water and electrolytes. 

Best of luck to those running a race this month!

And speaking of racing…It's time for our local KC area Rock the Parkway race! Please email Coach Amy (amy@coachamypt.com) if you’re racing RTP next weekend (4/13). We are making plans for meet up and warm up before the race. Stay tuned for details.

Can Physical Therapy Get Rid of My Headache?

I get this inquiry a lot and, yes, physical therapy can help! It all depends on the cause. Headaches caused by restrictions in the muscles, nerves and fascia can respond well to physical therapy. For example, when muscles of the jaw, neck and upper back are tight or weak, they can pinch nerves and blood vessels resulting in headache.

For treatment, I use a combination of Dry Needling (IDN), Active Release Technique (ART), and functional exercise. Check out this full article on the CoachAmyPT blog to read more about the effectiveness and qualifications of these treatments for severe or “pop up” headaches.

Active Release Technique (ART) and Dry Needling Can Boost Recovery

Nothing is more frustrating than becoming injured during training. Even with a sound training plan, injury can occur and completely derail race plans and goals. Physical therapy early in the injury process with a practitioner that specializes in endurance sports, can keep athletes training and racing with minimal to no disruption in training.

Lauren, a CoachAmyPT patient, shares her story of how Active Release Technique and Dry Needling helped her recover from injury within weeks of race day, only to compete and PR for that course! Click the full article link below from the CoachAmyPT blog to hear Lauren’s story, and discover the powerful results from these state of the art treatments.

Take Care When Riding Upright on the Trainer

Who’s guilty of warming up on the bike trainer or stationary bike sitting upright, hands free, scrolling through social media?  Me!  Riding upright in the saddle with unintended excessive lordosis (arch) in the lower back could cause back pain and injury (see photos above). 

Mike Irwin, owner of BicycleFit Rx recently weighed in on this subject: "For triathletes, the nose of the saddle is purposefully adjusted in more of a downward tilt for proper fit, so sitting upright will tend to cause even more anterior pelvic tilt.  Once the athlete starts pedaling in the upright position and the hips are moving, it forces the back into more extension (tilt)." 

So, friends, be aware of proper posture when riding upright and use a strong core to stabilize and prevent back injury.  Otherwise set that phone down and lean forward, hands or forearms on the bars!  

Article Co-contributor:  Mike Irwin

Coach Amy Across the Globe

I was pleased as punch to get a message from Michael in Germany telling me about his 5K training, “I’m now in the third week of your training plan and getting better and feel a bit stronger.  I just wanna say thanks, and I’ll keep going forward to reach my personal goals.”  

Hearing athlete’s stories about their training and race adventures is one of my favorite parts of coaching.  I was thrilled to learn that not only is Michael finding my training program helpful, but due to Garmin Coach's incredible reach I can help someone I've never even met and who lives so far away.  

“Congratulations, Michael, on reaching your third week of training!  I'm so pleased to hear that you're getting better and feeling stronger.  I know you can reach those goals.  Please keep me posted on your progress!”

It puts me over the moon with joy to hear how all of my Garmin Coach, CoachAmyPT patients, and Roadrunners of Kansas City athletes are doing.  Receiving updates not only helps keep me in the loop, it also creates a community of people when we share your stories in an effort to inspire and motivate each other.  Thank you, Michael, for reminding me how big of an impact a simple message can have. 

Share your update by Posting a Review on our Facebook Page, or email Coach Amy by clicking the envelope icon below (info@roadrunnerskc.com). Keep 'em coming, people!

Don't Run on a Balance Beam

Ever have muddy, bruised or bloody shins or ankles after a run? This can happen with a crossover running gait. Not only does it leave unwanted scuffs on your ankle, it is inefficient and can cause IT band pain, knee pain or shin splints. 

Most runners don’t even realize they have faulty gait patterns. In this article from the CoachAmyPT blog Coach Amy explains (and demonstrates) what the crossover gait looks like, and why runners lose power and increase their chances of injury with this run gait.

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