Running challenge - update

Earlier this year...

I wrote about how I don't keep New Years resolutions and so don't make any. This year I'm trying something slightly different, which is to set goals within a shorter amount of time, six weeks to be precise. The idea being that it will make things more achievable. I talked about SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) goals. My goal was to:

Run 5km, averaging 5.15 minutes a kilometre.

Click here to read the full post.

Since setting the goal...

I'll be upfront and honest and admit that I wasn't very consistent with doing everything that I'd set out to do. For example, during week two and three I wasn't feeling well and only managed to complete one set of strength exercises.

I also found that at the beginning it felt like I had loads of time to complete everything in but as the deadline loomed closer there was a sense of urgency and feeling I had left things too late - a feeling I had experienced before.

This sense of urgency reminded me of exams taken in the past, where at the start of the course felt like I had loads of time to complete the work in and towards the end felt like there was not enough time in the day to complete all the work. I guess most people have had that feeling of cramming the night before an exam.

What I've learned from this experience is that it's better to do something small every day or every other day, that leads towards the bigger goal. Even though it doesn't feel much at the time, all the small things add up to the bigger thing and means that goal is easier to be achieved.

Running challenge

When I ran the 5km at the end of the six weeks, I didn't think that I would have improved that much. If you look below, I wrote down each time that I had completed a run or strength exercises. I was fairly consistent with the strength exercises, did a few hill runs, but very minimal normal runs. Having not run very much in total over the last six weeks, I thought this would then impact on my average time.

So I know you're dying to know how I did and yes, I'm very pleased to be able to say that I managed to achieve my goal and run 5kms within my target time and pace of 5.15min/km. In fact I even managed to go faster than I set out to be and ran a pace of...

5/11min/km! Yay

From attending a running lecture last year, I know that strength is as important when running as running technique is. Perhaps my own experience these last six weeks of doing more strength exercises and minimal running, yet have still managed to improve my running time, goes some way to support this point. It'll remain to be seen if I continue with this improved time!

For the future, I'm going to have the strength exercises and running ticking away in the background. I'd like to maintain the speed I've got for now and maybe in the future, I'll set myself another running challenge - whether that's to increase my speed further or whether that's to try something I've not done before like a half marathon..we'll see.

What's next?

Good question. I'll be setting my next challenge and sharing it on here with you, so watch this space...

Hamstring Stretch Enlightenment

The Story

I’ve been treating one of my patients with a hamstring injury. He’s been progressing well, but when I checked - he wasn't so good at doing the stretches I've assigned him. The other day I asked him to perform the stretch so I could have a look at the technique.

The Issues

1. He picked a surface to rest his leg on that was a little too high which made it difficult to get the foot up there. This then puts an already shortened and tight muscle on an extra stretch - and that's just to get to the start position. Unfortunately, this then has the issue of potentially aggravating the injury.
2. Due to the height of the leg, this left him a little off balance. As I have to be super safety conscious this could, of course, lead to a fall and so another injury, which we definitely don't want
3. Taking the above two points into consideration, he was then in an awkward position, off balance and so was not able to perform the correct technique that was initially taught.

The Solution/way to correct

After seeing how the stretches were being done, I was then able to correct the technique and thought I'd share the pointers on here.

Lowering the height that the leg to be stretched is resting on, makes it easier to get into position and also makes it easier to balance. As he wasn't in an awkward position he could then perform the correct technique.

Setting yourself up correctly..

• If using something to rest the foot on, make sure the height is at the level of your knee or lower when standing up straight
• Make sure the leg being stretched is straight
• Keep your hips and body facing forwards
• You're wanting to feel the stretch on the back of the thigh
• Keep the back straight throughout - if you feel back pain then stop and seek advice
• If the stretch becomes painful then stop
• Hold for at least 15 seconds

What to look out for...

• The hips may be rotating and not facing forwards - in these photos below the hips are rotating

• or the back is not kept straight 

• What you could do, to prevent the hips rotating and keep the back straight, is to lie on the  ground, hold the back of your thigh and then straighten your knee.
• Ideally, you want a small arch in your low back, rather than it flattening against the ground

Sometimes the technique of stretches just needs a tweak, so as a suggestion, get someone to have a look at your form to give you some feedback (if it's me then I can be very picky..!).

Images courtesy of E.Arshamian, owner/director of Fortitude Physiotherapy

Strength exercises for improving running

As discussed in my post last week, I've given myself a six-week challenge for improving my running. My aim is to run faster than I currently do.

I'm one week into it and so far so good. I committed to doing two strength sessions each week, along with either a run or hill sprints. Last week I also managed to include a swim into the mix.

The strength of an individual is important for running as well as running technique. Below are the exercises I have been doing. I've included a summary of each exercise. However, it's always best if you're going to try them yourself to get a trained professional to check your technique. Incorrect technique can cause all sorts of problems...

Squats - 30 repetitions

Explanation:

• Feet hip width apart
• Feet facing forwards
• Toes relaxed throughout the whole of the exercise (toes can claw or dig into the ground at times, typically without the person knowing so keep your eye out for this one)
• Knees stay in alignment with toes (no knock knees)
• Hips stay level throughout

Split squats (that's what I call it) or also known as the Bulgarian squat - 30 repetitions on both legs

Explanation:

• Back leg resting on a raised surface
• Front foot facing forwards
• Toes relaxed
• As you lower, the front knee stays over the foot

Hip raises - 30 repetitions

Explanation:

• Lying on a flat surface with no pillow/towel support (as this can increase the stress felt on the neck)
• Feet hip width apart
• Lift hips up to the ceiling and then return to the start position
• Knees stay steady throughout (imagine you've got a drink resting on the knees which you don't want to spill)

Single leg bridge - 30 repetitions on both legs

Explanation:

• As with the hip raises but using just one leg

Side plank with clam - 30 repetitions on both  legs

Side plank position

Side plank if also performing the clam

The clam (without side-plank)

Explanation:

• Lay on the ground with your body in a straight line, knees bent and feet in-line with the body
• Leaning on your elbow, lift your body up so you're resting on the lower half of your leg and your elbow
• Keeping the feet together, raise you top knee up and then return to the start position (opening up like a clam)
• Throughout the clam movement, keep your hips still
• Throughout the exercise keep your chin tucked in

Crab walking with a theraband - 4m for one repetition, 10 repetitions in total

Theraband around knees (easier)

Theraband around ankles (harder)

Explanation:

• Keeping feet and knees together, tie the theraband around your legs either just above the knee or down around the ankles
• Move your legs so that they're hip width apart
• Bend your knees and keep them bent throughout the whole exercise
• Keep your knees over your toes at all times
• Sidestep to the right and left - keeping the knees bent and knees over the toes

Images courtesy of E.Arshamian, owner/director of Fortitude Physiotherapy

Making New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year!

I hope your New Years celebrations were good. Have you made any New Years resolutions??

Most people that I know, know that as a rule, I don't make any resolutions. The number one reason for this is that I generally stick to them for a bit, but let go of them as the year progresses. So after a while, I decided not to make any.

This year was no different until I listened to a podcast recently about making goals.

What I found interesting about what was being said, is that there was nothing new in the advice given. The podcast was talking about SMART goals, which as Physios, we're taught to discuss and set with the people we see.  SMART stand for:

Specific

Measurable

Achievable/Attainable

Realistic

Timely

At times, I find this can be easier said than done.

As an example, if someone sprains their ankle, I would want them to have full-range of movement at the ankle, with strength and balance improved within six weeks. If they want to get back to their sport, I'd want them to be doing sport-specific exercises in week four to five, with the aim of getting them back to the sport after week six.

While listening to the podcast, I realised that despite having this knowledge of setting goals, I don't tend to apply this outside of my work life.

I thought I'd give it a go this year, so rather than making one big new year's resolution, I'll start with making a short-term goal of six-weeks.  I can then keep making short-term goals throughout the year and so will be more likely to stick to them and achieve them.  I also thought if I share them on here, then I'll be more likely to do to them!

Here goes - I would like to be able to run faster than I do. However, this is very non-specific and too general a statement. So, on a 5km run, I would average 5.30min/km or longer (depending on my legs). I would like to average 5.15min/km or less on a 5km run.

This goal is now specific to an average time on a 5km run, measurable (time and distance), should be achievable and realistic. I've given myself six weeks to achieve this goal, which will take me to the end of February.

In order to improve my running time, I'm going to commit to two strength sessions a week working primarily on my glutes strength and one running session a week working on either hill sprints and/or distance. I'll post later the exercises I've given myself.

I'll check in here in the next few weeks to let you know my progress. I'm planning on running in the Park Run at the end of February so I can get an official time. No pressure!

How about you - have you set any resolutions that you've stuck with or any short-term goals? I'd love to hear what personal challenges have been set for people.

The Beginning...

I'm very excited to welcome you to my first blog. Read on to find out what I'm planning to cover over the coming months:

About Me

I'm an experienced physiotherapist and aim to get my clients better quickly so they can get back to enjoying their active lifestyles again. In my opinion, the goal is to stop pain reoccurring, which is ideally accomplished by nipping it in the bud early on, plus by setting a range of goals and working towards achieving them. I like finding the cause of the problem and sharing my findings with my patients, firstly so that they know what's going on and secondly to figure out the best way to manage the symptoms and come up with a plan that suits their lifestyle and something they’ll be comfortable doing.

I really enjoy outdoor activities including running and cycling, to name just a few! Since being in Sydney, I’ve started trail running and have been thoroughly enjoying it. I'm a Pilates instructor and practice this both in my professional and personal life. I try to enjoy golf regularly but can get frustrated perfecting my golf swing techniques.

Last but not least, I LOVE reading - reading books, articles - anything. I'm always looking for suggestions on good stuff to read. Most recently I've been reading about nutrition and updating my knowledge on research on running bio-mechanics. All of this I will cover in future blog posts.

Why I'm writing

I used to read mainly fiction, but over time this range has expanded and I'm very keen to continue learning about different subjects and areas. There's so much stuff out there on there on the internet that's easy to access - like other blogs, news articles, webcasts and podcasts.

My working background is science and health, this helps me to maintain high standards of treatment for the people I see, so I need to be, and very much enjoy being, aware of a number of different areas and topics.

Places I’ve worked for and got valuable experience from, include a variety of sized organisations from the UK National Health Service (NHS) to family run Physiotherapy practises.

I'm always chatting about what I've read and researched with my family, friends and patients and so I've decided to write bite-sized pieces about these thoughts and ideas. This blog will keep all the information in one place and I can share what I learn with other people, who are also interested.

Topics that will be covered

My aim is to continue reading around different and interesting subjects that relate directly or indirectly to my practice. Some areas will be a refresh of knowledge (directly relating to physiotherapy practice) but other areas will be on a more in-depth look into a topic or discussion on new research that's been released. Certainly a lot will be generated by what inspires me at the time. Here are a few of the areas I want to cover:

• Common questions asked in my practice or on this site - please let me know if you have any questions
• Physiotherapy refreshers
• Running
• Nutrition
• Pilates
• Golf

How you can help

Your comments are always welcome on the topics that I'm exploring, so feedback is very much encouraged. Let me know what topics are of interest as I'm happy to research and discuss a variety of areas and am always keen to learn.

All I'm after from this experience is to add to my knowledge of the world around me and to share and discuss different ideas. I'm very much looking forward to sharing what I find out with you.

Get in touch!

Feel free to contact me through the comments section on this site