Does heat acclimation and pre-cooling really help?
Well, it’s safe to say that the hot summer days of running are here! With many big races on the horizon, including the Waterloo Classic, it’s important to make sure we do our best to prepare for the additional challenge heat provides. It’s a topic I wrote about briefly in the past, but this week […]
Racing Flats: How light is light enough?
Last month I wrote about how much of a difference light shoes make. In summary, the study I referenced showed losing 100g/shoe will result in just under a 1% improvement in running economy (RE) as long as all other features remain equal. At Health & Performance, this article generated a lot of good questions. The […]
Is festive sugar-loading a bad thing pre-run?
The holiday season is upon us, which means the sugar content in our diets will be on the rise. No complaints here; sugar is delicious! Plus, as runners, we can get away with eating a lot more than our non-running friends. When we run, as most runners know, glycogen (chains of carbs stored in our […]
Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome: Shin Splints!
Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), previously known as shin splints, is one of the most common injuries among runners. A whopping 10-20% of runners will experience MTSS. MTSS presents as a diffuse pain along the inside border of the shin (tibia), typically in the lower 4-6cm. Most commonly, the pain is caused by overuse or […]
Tendinopathy – A Runner’s Achilles Heel
Anatomy The Achilles tendon is a shared tendon of 3 muscles: gastrocnemius, soleus, and plantaris. These muscles originate in the calf and the Achilles tendon inserts on to our heel bone, the calcaneous. Together, these three muscles help us point our toes, jump, and propel ourselves forward when running and walking. The Achilles tendon is […]
RUNNER’S KNEE: What is it & How to Prevent it
The condition commonly referred to as ‘runner’s knee’ may also be known as patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). PFPS is one of the most common knee problems among runners and cyclists. PFPS presents as vague pain and stiffness around the knee, which can sometimes be narrowed down to the inside or outside areas of the kneecap or […]
What Runners Need To Know About Stretching
It’s a common misconception that static stretching as part of your warm-up will help to prevent injury. Static stretching refers to taking the muscle into a lengthened position and holding it for around 30 seconds to increase flexibility and range of motion. Static stretching increases muscular compliance. Compliance is essentially the pliability of a muscle. […]
Progress is Measured in Small Steps
Imagine this – you have a big race to train for, you want a PB time and you are going to give it your all. How would you train for this race? Would it involve running over 200 kilometres a week? Probably not. But that is exactly what Steve Thomas did back in 1982 to […]
‘THE BIG 3’ EXERCISES FOR YOUR CORE
‘THE BIG 3’ EXERCISES FOR YOUR CORE The ‘core’ is comprised of a number of muscles working together to achieve and maintain a stable spine. Having a solid core is extremely important for runners! A strong core and a core with great endurance (most importantly) allow us to move our hips, legs, and arms with […]
From Treatment to Training – It’s All the Same!
Today we are going to discuss anatomy from a biophysiology standpoint, so bear with me here as this blog will become very relevant to you as we tie everything together at the end. The newest buzzword in manual therapy is fascia, but fascia is only one of several substances forming the most abundant of human […]
