Wednesday Coffee and Chat

Wednesday, January 29, 2014 · Mike Davis

Good morning Wednesday! Getting out of bed was a bit of a challenge this morning, but I have my coffee beside me and once that's gone I should be ready to work out. Yesterday I went to Planet Fitness and did an interval workout on the treadmill and I must say I pushed myself pretty hard. Been a few months since I've done any type of speed work and now that I'm closer to 51 than 50, it definitely isn't easier! My workout was pretty simple, with a mile at conversational pace, followed by 3 intervals of 5 minutes at 7:08 (with 5 minute recoveries) and finished with a 5 mile cool down. Could have easily stopped after 2 intervals or gave thought to shortening the intervals after the second, but I hung in there and now I have something to build upon. Most runners that don't like treadmill running are turning to intervals to give themselves enough of a distraction to bare the treadmill. I am probably right there with those runners as I definitely get board and feel like it takes forever to get where I'm going. I have to say Planet Fitness certainly packs people in! This morning my legs are feeling yesterday's workout and it will be a challenge to get myself moving for my strength training. I have lessoned my leg work and focus more on core and balance so I should be okay. A couple weeks ago I went to Boston to see one of the top orthopedic sports doctors in hopes of getting some help for my problematic hip. After some x-rays and an examination the doctor pretty much affirmed what I had known in that I have some arthritis in my hip. I was hoping he could offer me some medical solution that would reverse the arthritis and repair the hip, but isn't possible. Instead he discussed with me my approach to managing the arthritis and maintaining my running lifestyle. Thankfully he didn't tell me take up walking, but instead explained that the aging process requires attention to flexibility far more than people realize. Beyond the age of 40 our flexibility decreases considerably and this leads to such issues as arthritis. In my case the location of the arthritis also aggravates my hip bursa and then bursitis compounds my pain. Sounds pretty lousy! All is not lost as I said he discussed some ways I can help myself minimize some of the effects of the arthritis. First and foremost I have to improve my flexibility by a greater percentage than I would believe possible. Yoga would be the logical solution and I may do that, but the doctor talked more about the benefits of Pilates for runners that are over the young age of 40. Pilates offers both flexibility and strength training that benefit runners in multiple ways. Some would say yoga does both and in some cases that may be true, but if you listen to the intent of Pilates it definitely makes sense for runners. I will not go into it in detail as I have reached out to a much more knowledgeable gentlemen to write something for NFLR on the value of Pilates for runners. For now I am focused on improving my flexibility and at the same time I will use this experience to help all those I touch as a coach and through my blog. Well it is time to go strength train and get it done! Hope you have a great Wednesday! MIke