It all matters!

Wednesday, July 30, 2014 · Mike Davis

Good morning, Happy hump day to all! Thankfully I was up early this morning doing the stretching stuff for my back as well as my increasing range of motion for my quad and hamstrings. All of which should benefit the range of motion needed to run efficiently and healthy. Not easy to get up at 5am and lay on the floor, but quite necessary. I talked a few weeks ago about Lucian who is a new client and how I directed him to get into a yoga routine. Well he's not exactly enjoying it, but because he wants to succeed he's getting it done and much like me all matters. So often we want the results of discipline and hard work, but we don't want to be bothered or find the time to actually do those things that bring us the results. I am the prime example in that I know a hundred stretches or strengthening exercises yet don't make the time to actually do them. All of these exercises if done over a prolonged period of time would surely benefit my lack of flexibility and weakness due to arthritis in my hip. As I have written about in the past I have been educated by some of the best doctors and physical therapist on the aging process and the effects it has on my flexibility, yet of all the priorities I have, stretching and yoga are not nearly high enough. Just chatting about it at this moment makes me shake my head as I totally understand it all matters. As a running coach I get it and I preach it, but as a busy running coach, fulltime Air National Guardsman and someone with a lot of other interest, I struggle with the discipline of actually doing what I assign others to do. What a confession!! Over the past few weeks I have done much better with the stretching I need to do to help my back and hopefully my hip, but I am still falling far short of the other things that I should be doing on a regular basis. Either yoga or Pilates should be or better put "must be" a discipline in my life and not something that I continue to talk about, but actually start doing! I recently purchased a "Pilates for Runners" DVD that I want to incorporate into my weekly routine and all I have to do is figure out the logistics. Our apartment is not ideal for such exercises so I am trying to figure out a location that will give me no excuses. Foam rolling has many, many benefits that almost every educated runner understands well. You can use one of those simple cylinders to workout tightness and scar tissue that are a result of running. However when I ask my clients if they are using their foam roller regularly, the typical response is: "Not as much as I should". Well once again we know the benefits yet the 15 minutes each day that is a must for runners in particular doesn't happen nearly enough. It all matters as it has a direct effect on healthy and efficient running. Many are like me in that they are pretty disciplined about their training plans, but not so great with the disciplines that are somewhat tedious and don't always give immediate results or satisfaction. Doing the stuff such as yoga, Pilates, foam rolling, strengthening and stretching don't always show immediate benefit or results but over time they help us to move with greater ease of motion and conversely greater ease of motion is exactly what runners need to stay healthy and to even run faster. It all matters yet where is it on my schedule for the week. Let's see, Monday- run after work and training group, Tuesday- client meeting, Wednesday- strength train in the am and group training in the evening, Thursday- clients from 4:30 to 6:30, Friday- date night. Somewhere in there needs to be yoga or Pilates for sure. It all matters! Let us know if we can help you set up a plan that covers all of the disciplines that help you run healthy, happy and efficient. Have a great day! Mike