More running info/data. Scientists explore the injury rates between various running styles. Thanks to CrossFit Surf City for the lead on this!
Abstract
Purpose: This retrospective study tests if runners who habitually forefoot strike have different rates of injury than runners who habitually rearfoot strike.
Methods: We measured the strike characteristics of middle and long distance runners from a collegiate cross country team and quantified their history of injury, including the incidence and rate of specific injuries, the severity of each injury, and the rate of mild, moderate and severe injuries per mile run.
Results: Of the 52 runners studied, 36 (59%) primarily used a rearfoot strike and 16 (31%) primarily used a forefoot strike. Approximately 74% of runners experienced a moderate or severe injury each year, but those who habitually rearfoot strike had approximately twice the rate of repetitive stress injuries than individuals who habitually forefoot strike. Traumatic injury rates were not significantly different between the two groups. A generalized linear model showed that strike type, sex, race distance, and average miles per week each correlate significantly (p<0.01) with repetitive injury rates.
Conclusions: Competitive cross country runners on a college team incur high injury rates, but runners who habitually rearfoot strike have significantly higher rates of repetitive stress injury than those who mostly forefoot strike. This study does not test the causal bases for this general difference. One hypothesis, which requires further research, is that the absence of a marked impact peak in the ground reaction force during a forefoot strike compared to a rearfoot strike may contribute to lower rates of injuries in habitual forefoot strikers.
At CrossFit Blacksburg we are very passionate about helping EVERYONE improve their lives through physical fitness. We are very fortunate to have a great community of hard-working, fun, passionate people who love to not only improve their lives, but the lives of those around them. Most of our new students hear about our "school of fitness" through friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, etc. Some of them see the physical, emotional, and spiritual improvements of their friends and say "I want some of that!" Others reluctantly find their way into the gym at their friends' encouragement. For those of you wanting to spread the word about what we do, here are a few reminders:
-Our typical student is seen by his/her friends, acquaintances, and family members as, quite frankly, a freak- a fitness freak, but still a freak. Your endorsement may not carry the weight you would hope or think it would.
- Your retching in the bushes after our workouts may not hold the attraction for your wife that it does for you.
-When you tell your de-conditioned Sergeant that our workouts will bring him to his knees in five minutes, you may have just then vaccinated him for life against ever wanting to even try our program.
-Your "legendary fitness status" may render you bizarrely unqualified for lending advice to your mortal friends.
-Our program develops fitness in a way that is contrary to popular practice and is, therefore, for most people, scary. Nearly every aspect of our program is at odds with fitness magazines and the routines you see in commercial facilities. For a vast majority of people there is no greater fear than being out of step with the rest of the community.
Being a student at CrossFit Blacksburg makes you a leader in the fitness community. Be patient with your friends, co-workers, family, and fellow athletes. Those who are willing will come, when they're ready.
Monday 5:30 & 6:30 AM classes are cancelled. Sleep in and stay safe!
Congratulations to all the Team Grit competitors! It was a long weekend, and I'm sure there are a lot of sore bodies, but you all did great.
The Wonder Twins, Amy & Jesse, finished on the podium in third place. Lee and Dave brought the house down on Friday, finishing their combined 75 pull ups just under the time limit. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for more stories and pictures as we get them.
Check here regularly for updates and scores from Team Grit this weekend. We're sending 5-1/2 teams: Amanda Schultz/Jonathan Corns, Amy Crawford/Jesse Hilmandolar, Forrest Seaman/Ben LaFon, Dave Schmale/Lee Williams, Daron Williams/Steve Gourley,and Ben Lehmer's partnering with a buddy of his. Check it out!!
This side dish requires only 7 simple ingredients and they are pretty easy to find - the Blacksburg Farmer's Market probably has all of them this time of year. The seasoning that I used comes from Penzey's Spices...We served it alongside some slow-cooked beef and roasted spaghetti squash...
Cook bacon in a saute pan and reserve the fat. Put all veggies and spice into a roasting pan and add some of the fat - toss well and roast in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove the veggies and toss with bacon and sherry.
Does it? We have it on the back of some our T-shirts, with the added tag line of " it should!". But how often do you find that the nervousness that precedes is worse than the actual event? Becca Borawski, formally of CrossFit LA and now managing editor of breaking muscle.com, recently posted this blog. Dig into to her writing, there's a lot of good stuff there.
"Sometimes the pain leading up to something is worse than the actual something. Getting up the nerve to call a girl and ask her on a date. Waiting for the meeting with your boss. Picking the right time to have a "talk" with your significant other.
...or waiting to do Fran, or Cindy, or Murph.
You know it's probably not going to be as bad as you think. In fact afterwards you might feel a sense of relief, a release of pressure, and maybe even joy at an unexpected positive result.
Often the torture we inflict on ourselves is far worse than the actual event. Maybe you do this in anticipation of coming to class. Has class ever really been that bad? Or is it the story in your head that's horrible, long and drawn out, and hard to endure. The story you're concocting is the real suffering. That suffering lasts all day leading up to class. Class is actually pretty short. The workout even shorter.
We've been posting lately about scaling and intensity. Today is a perfect workout to put into practice what we've been talking about. Scale weight or reps as needed - there is not supposed to be lots of rest during this workout. Talk to your coach, then go all out and work on intensity.
Today's blog entry comes once again from Dr. Corey Duvall.
Numerous injuries occur to the foot and lower leg. Hammer toes, bunions, neuromas, ankle sprains, plantar fascitis, shin splints, stress fractures and many more!! In the past 50 years, injury to the foot and ankle have risen significantly.
Shoe companies have tried many different products in that time to aid their clients.
At first, the belief was that pavement and stiff artificial surfaces were un-natural so we had to add extra cushioning to our feet (we still have it: think Nike Air, or Shox!!). Injury levels rose.
Then the belief was too much cushioning allows too much movement of the foot. Thus, motion-controlled shoes came about to slow, stop, or limit motion in certain directions. Injury rates continued to rise.
Now there is an evolution towards barefoot and minimalist shoes to allow more motion of the lower leg. Injury rates continue to rise… what gives?
All the above beliefs are correct. Artificial surface, too much movement, and too little movement all stand the risk to create injury. However, you can have the best fighter jet in the world, but if the pilot isn’t skilled at the controls it’s gonna crash and burn. We need the right footwear, but first we need to get the pilot trained.
You weren’t strong ENOUGH: Injury occurs when we aren’t strong enough to do what we ask of our bodies. This is different for everyone, it is relative to what you ask your body to do. Walking on soft ground, running on pavement, sprinting barefoot on grass, and running 3 miles in minimalist shoes require different levels of strength.
Strength does NOT come from our footwear, it comes from our body. All the little muscles around the lower part of the leg act like a marionette for the foot… tendons are the strings to work each little piece and part. If these muscles lack strength, the foot is a stiff clump of bones that slams into the ground… INJURY!! The muscles of the lower leg are very small, as such they are really good at positioning the joint but not absorbing impact. We must ALSO have strong hips/knees to absorb the impact when the foot touches the ground.
Can I hear you running? Does your foot smack the ground? You need stronger knees/hips to absorb the ground softly and quietly. We need strong ankles, knees, AND hips for a healthy foot!!
Being weak leads to being stiff: When a muscle is not strong enough for our activity but we use it anyway, our body starts to lay down extra connective tissue to stabilize and support the muscle/joint complex. This extra connective tissue is also termed scar tissue or restricted soft-tissue.
Get mobile, free the past restrictions: Now that scar tissue was laid down, the muscles stay weaker and stiffer than their potential. Read here for details on how scar tissue can make you weak and stiff. Well applied manual therapy is often necessary to fully rehabilitate once an injury has occurred. Manual therapy is included in most if not all of our rehabilitation protocols at Stay Active Clinic.
Get Strong: The muscles of the lower leg are great for positioning the foot and ankle. Use the foot drills to strengthen these muscles. The hip and knee are great at absorbing impact and creating movement of the body. Make these strong by using squats, lifts, and single-leg strength moves with good technique to prevent future overload and scarring. Stay Active Clinic uses these in most if not all rehabilitation and performance protocols.
Footwear: Now that you have a strong body and are ready to be active you MUST have the right footwear. Talk to a footwear professional to find the best fit for your strong stable body that will support your activities!!
In conclusion, let’s rely less on footwear and more on our own body to be strong enough for our activity… be it weekend hikes, marathon training, or general health/fitness.
Scaling ... that's what we do. Every workout is written with a specific intent or physiological response. Scaling is all about making a movement, or an entire workout, manageable and doable by anyone, while still meeting that specific intent or response. Can't do a pull up? So what! That does not exclude you from participating in the workout. Making things attainable is the responsibility of your coaches while you're a novice, and as you learn, progress, and become a student of CrossFit, you will know how to scale things for yourself. It won't always be the same ... as you get stronger and fitter, you will need less scaling!
Don't think that you can't do it, because you can! Is what we do intimidating? Yeah, it can be. But with good coaching and sound scaling, anyone can come and get better at CrossFit Blacksburg. That's what it's all about ... getting better!
Mobility Homework - we have both lacrosse balls and jump bands available in our retail area. If you want to maximize your mobility homework, you will need these pieces of equipment. So sayeth Kstar!
From Paleo Plan, these look fantastic. Might take a little work to gather all of the ingredients but these look well worth the effort!
Satay Chicken Skewers with "Peanut' Sauce:
2 TBSP fresh ginger root, rough chopped
1 large shallot, rough chopped
4 garlic cloves
1 serrano chili pepper, sliced, stem removed
1/3 cup olive oil
12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into strips
1/2 tsp sea salt (optional)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 (403 fl oz) can coconut milk
1/2 cup almond butter
2 TBSP lime juice
1 TBSP fish sauce
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
In a blender or small food processor, combine ginger, shallots, garlic, and serrano chili pepper. Add oil slowly to create a paste.
Divide the paste in half. Place one half in a large Ziplock bag, along with the chicken strips. Add sea salt (if desired), and cayenne pepper. Mix contents together with your hands so the chicken is coated entirely. Seal the bag tightly.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Place the other half of the paste in a saucepan. Shortly before mealtime, heat the saucepan over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth.
Bring temperature down to medium-low, and continue to cook until a creamy consistency is reached (2-3 minutes).
Thread the marinated chicken strips on to skewers. Grill over direct high heat until fully cooked, turning once (about 5-7 mins).
Jesse's post on jogging by Dr. Duvall sure did raise some debate in the comments on Wednesday!
A few of the posters read the article as saying if you can't run an 8 min mile for 2 miles, well then you shouldn't be running, or even bother starting. But that is not at all what it says. It's the same idea as the post we did earlier this week about proper scaling of workouts, and running is just another workout. Start with a load or distance that you can handle, and progress from there
The main thrust of the Dr . Duvall's blog was against jogging - a sped up walk. The body is not designed to handle the stress of that movement. Dr. Duvall also posted a comment on our site in reply to some of the original posts:
Hey CF Blacksburg,
At first glance, some may seem inclined to feel they should never run when faced with the daunting task of running under 8 minutes for a mile.
8-minute mile is a pace. 4 minutes for 1/2 mile is the same pace as 8 minute mile. I simply start people running at a distance that they can maintain that pace. Instead of running for 3 miles in 30 minutes… spend 30 minutes running fast and walking.
That might be intervals of I'm under 2 minutes, or I'm under C's, I even have 65+ year old clients start at 30 meters under C's. They then rest for the period necessary to repeat that same effort. Eventually, those running 30 meters in 10 seconds can keep 60 meters in 18 seconds, or I'm in C's. Through consistent efforts, good diet and lifestyle, you’ll continue to get faster, and probably much faster than you anticipate!
Be proud of your progress so far. Then find safer, more effective ways of continuing that improvement!
-Corey Duvall, DC
Scaling! Find a distance where you can keep a running pace and form, and work up from there. Nowhere in the post does he say people should not run long distances, but he does say they shouldn't until they can run at a slowed down sprint, not a sped up walk.
Lastly, CrossFit does not believe that all other forms of exercise are terrible, which is why our workouts contain components from almost all modalities of exercise out there - weightlifting, gymnastics (bodyweight movements), and metabolic (running, jumping, rowing, etc.). We just believe that Jogging, a sped up walk, is terrible because it increases injuries while offering no benefit compared to walking the same distance.
And lastly, say Happy Birthday to Jesse on his second 29th!
I wonder if he'll be wearing that in his thirties!
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