Gaston Rehab Associates, Inc.

Running Performance Center in Gastonia, NC

Gaston Rehab Associates and the Physical Performance Center welcome all area runners to the Running Performance Center in Gastonia, NC. Whether you are a runner who has logged over 10,000 miles or a person who just bought your first pair of running shoes, we can help you meet your goals.

Dr. Brian Boyle, PT, DPT, Physical Therapist knows exactly what challenges runners face. Dr. Brian logged over two thousand miles of running a year for 6 straight years from 1994 to 2000, has a marathon PR of 2:48 at the Steamtown Marathon in 2001 and has run hundreds of races 5k to 26.2 mi.

At the Running Performance Center we perform running gait analysis with video motion analysis software, work on muscle balance and symmetry to address injury rehabilitation/prevention, provide physical therapy treatments, discuss proper shoe selection, orthotic prescription, and much more. To find out more about what we do call or to schedule a free consultation call Dr. Brian at (704) 864-4424 or send an E-mail to bboyle@gastonrehabassociates.com. No referral is necessary and you do not need to be injured to receive these services!

Too much wind in the sail: 100m record still stands!

I knew as my wife and I were sitting on the sofa watching the USA Track and Field Olympic Trials on Sunday, something big was about to happen. Maybe it is because I always get butterflies in my stomach when I am around any running event, even watching track and field on TV. I know a little weird, but I can't help it. I guess it is because of all of the years I spent training and racing that I still get that nervous feeling in my stomach, even when I am not competing.  Or perhaps it was because Tyson Gay had just set the American Record in the 100m in the semifinals the day before in a blistering time of 9.77 seconds. Either way, I think I wasn't alone in feeling the buzz. I can only imagine what it felt like in Eugene yesterday at the track before the race, if I was feeling the energy some 3000 miles away.

It was time. The last event of the day and the one probably most watched around the world, even outside of sprinting. The world record of 9.72 sec. in the 100m was just set by Usain Bolt of Jamaica on May 31st, 2008 in New York at the Reebok Grand Prix. Could it be that we were going to see the record fall again? And not only that, but this soon? Gay looked at ease the day before, running his 9.77 sec which was still almost a second faster than his personal best of 9.85 sec which he had run in the same Reebok Grand Prix event in which Bolt had run away from the rest of the field. But to take almost two tenths of a second in less than a month? It took almost 40 years for the record to fall 2 full seconds. It can take athletes years to get a hundredth of a second off. Could Gay pull another tenth of a second off his time to set the record?

As if being shot out of a cannon, Tyson Gay was off down the track and never looked back. No one knew for sure how fast he was going, but I swore I had never seen anyone run that fast before. And I was right. In fact, no human has ever been recorded running as fast. The official time of 9.68 sec went up on the screen and the track erupted. I jumped out of my seat! Tyson Gay looked around as if he knew all along he was capable of being that fast and that the rest of us should have known. The buzz was now an eruption!

Then it happened. One last thing to check before calling it a new world record. The only thing standing in the way of making the record books, actually pushed Gay along.  The tail wind was measured at 4.1 meters per second almost double the 2.0 allowable for world record marks.  And that was that. No world record. A little disappointing, but I still don't believe that any one watching really cared. Not even Tyson Gay. As if being told you only won $950,000 in cash instead of $1,000,000. It was absolutely amazing and one for my record books even if "unofficially."

I do wonder if both Gay and Bolt will be able to keep this up until the Olympics in 5 weeks. World records are great, but from a marketing stand point Olympic Gold still wins every single time. I would hate for either one of them to have peaked too soon in the season, chasing a record only to lose out on another dream.

Multi-sport Athletes: Can you excel in Running, Swimming and Biking?

A N.Y. times article discusses the prevalence among triathlon competitors to be better in one aspect of the swimming, running, or biking than another and the almost impossible nature of excelling at all three.

When you are training, said Gary S. Krahenbuhl, an exercise physiologist and emeritus professor at Arizona State University , improvement depends on physical and biochemical changes in muscle cells and in nerve-firing patterns. And those changes are very sport-specific, he added. The result, Dr. Krahenbuhl said, is that “changes that facilitate performance for one event may actually undermine performance in another event.”

The discussion does continue on and while almost all of the experts interviewed agree that it may be impossible to attack all three specific events the "cross-training" can have a significant effect on the overall health of the individual because it limits the amount of breakdown that can sometimes occur when only one activity is performed repetitively for an extended period of time.

High intensity intervals increase aerobic power

A recent study by Helgerud et al. found on a group of forty healthy subjects, 4 x 4 interval training, had the largest impact on heart stroke volume and aerobic power, when compared to other forms of training including long slow distance (LSD).

The protocol for the 4 x 4 intervals (also known as Fartlek running) was 4 min of running at 90-95% of maximal heart rate followed by 3 minutes of active recovery running at 70% of maximal heart rate (~28 minutes of running). When performed 3 days a week for 8 weeks an improvement in maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max) by 7.2% was seen in this 4 x 4 group.

While LSD is appropriate when attempting to build a base of running mileage, if pressed for time the athlete may want to include intervals in the fashion mentioned above to increase VO2 max. Of course, the best plan of action would be to perform training that is set in advance while taking into consideration how the person feels that particular day. Just running intervals because you feel like it, may not be the best option if you are serious about your running.

Home Remedies to improve Running Performance

I wanted to bring back to life an article that I read in Runner's World in Jan 2001. Ed Eyestone, the head cross country coach at BYU and a former two time Olympian in the the marathon, wrote about common household products that worked to improve performance that you probably already have.

The first is Olive Oil. On race days when the temperature drops below 45 degrees a light layer of this stuff applied to exposed areas on arms, legs and face and help cut the chill by providing a thin layer of insulation between the skin and the elements. Ed reports he won the NCAA cross country title while at BYU at the championships held in 1984 at Penn State wearing olive oil. From my own personal experience this stuff works. I ran the 2001 Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, PA. It was 32 degrees at the start at 8 am October 7th. I wore a pair of shorts, a singlet, hat and gloves and rubbed olive oil all over my arms and legs. I placed 21st overall in a time of 2 hrs 48 min and never felt the cold. Be sure you try this in races/practice before your big day. I had used Olive Oil in 10k's at similar temperatures the winter before and new that I could tolerate 30 degree weather in shorts and a singlet with the Olive Oil without freezing my you know what off.

Another one is Petroleum jelly. An old stand by for runners to reduce chaffing in places that don't like to be chaffed. I used petroleum jelly on my feet and then wore two thin layers of socks and never had a blister in races or practice when using this method. They do make more expensive "glide" products that sound fancy and they may work for you, but for the price good old petroleum jelly works just fine.

Another is Soda. Back in the day before sports drinks and gels, runners needed something to provide carbohydrates while on long runs and during races. Frank Shorter won the 1972 Olympic Marathon drinking defizzed, diluted Coca-Cola. Ed pointed out that Coke has a concentration of 6 percent carbohydrate solution (about the same found in most sports drinks and about the most tolerated by the stomach during performance). What Ed failed to mention is the caffeine that is also found in Coke. Caffeine is a known stimlulant and it effects have been well documented and researched. I have also tried this technique and found that it worked, but again practice is a must in order to get the solution just right and to be sure your stomach tolerates it.

Online Coaching Tool for Runners

Runner's World magazine has an online tool that is designed to be a virtual coach. It allows a personalized running program based on the length of time (up to 16 weeks) you have until your next race, the desired intensity you would like your workouts to be, and also what distance you are looking to run.

While not the same as a real live coach, it does provide enough information to allow for a recreational runner to improve their performance in upcoming races.

Female Athlete Triad

The Female Athlete Triad or the combination of disordered eating, amenorrhea (absence of menstrual period), and osteoporosis is not something to be taken lightly.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has a position stand which reports that coaches should not even be involved in this serious issue other than to refer a suspected athlete to the proper medical provider.

This can be a very complex combination of conditions which are not only sport related but can be precipitated by non-sport related factors as well.

Disordered eating can come from social pressure and is generally seen in young women who equate thinness with social success. There can be a predisposing factor (individual, family, culture) which sets the stage for the disorder, which is triggered by a precipitating factor (e.g., comment on weight), and then maintained by perpetuating factors (e.g., initial success, approval by coach, family or peers). (1)

Sports such as gymnastics, figure skating, diving, and ballet are all examples of sports that value a thin, lean body shape. Even sports like long distance running and cross country skiing are examples in which the perception is that "losing just a few extra pounds" would improve times. (2)

Signs and symptoms of the disorder include:

• weight loss
• no periods or irregular periods
• fatigue and decreased ability to concentrate
• stress factures
• muscle injuries

Other signs of eating disorders include:

• Continued dieting in spite of weight loss
• preoccupation with food and weight
• frequent trips to the bathroom during and after meals
• using laxatives
• brittle hair or nails
• dental cavaties
• sensitivity to cold
• heart irregularities and chest pain (2)

Some things that female athletes can do to stay in top physical condition:

1. Keep track of your periods
2. Don't skip meals or snacks (stock your locker with bagels, string cheese, raw veggies, granola bars and fruits for quick snacks on the go)
3. Visit with a dietitian or nutritionist who works with teen athletes
4. Finally, Do it for you! If you are changing for someone else then you are not being yourself. Find another activity. Remember no one else has to live with damage that you do to your body! (2)

References:

1) Position Stand on the Female Athlete Triad. IOC Medical Commission Working Group Women in Sport
2) Female Athlete Triad. Reviewed by Steven Dowshen, MD and Angela Smith, MD (Kidshealth)

Who are we calling disabled?

So what happens when we make a person who would have otherwise been labeled handicapped, too "able bodied?" He gets denied a chance to compete in the Olympics.

Oscar Pistorius, a runner with double amputation, will not be allowed to compete in the Bejing Olympic Games as a result of a recent ruling by the International Association of Athletics Foundation (IAAF).

Tests were conducted in November at the

Institute

of

Biomechanics

and Orthopaedics by the IAAF with the approval and participation of Pistorius in order to see whether the prosthetics he uses should be considered as technical aids which give him an advantage over other athletes not using them. The results of the tests found that:

• Pistorius was able to run with his prosthetic blades at the same speed as the able-bodied sprinters.
• The positive work, or returned energy, from the prosthetic blade is close to three times higher than with the human ankle joint in maximum sprinting.
• The energy loss in the prosthetic blade was measured at 9.3% during the stance phase while the average energy loss in the ankle joint of the able bodied control athletes was measured at 41.4%. This means that the mechanical advantage of the blade in relation to the healthy ankle joint of an able bodied athlete is higher than 30%.

The IAAF ruling states that "the prosthetic blades known as 'cheetahs' should be considered as technical aids in clear contravention of IAAF Rule 144.2. As a result, Oscar Pistorius is not eligible to compete in competitions organized under IAAF Rules."

Rather interesting and I imagine he will attempt to appeal this decision. Imagine what he would do in the Paralympics if he can compete with athletes of Olympic caliber? His measured mechanical advantage does conjure up thoughts of the potential for just how fast a human can possibly move (mechanical assist or not)? I would love to see Oscar shatter a world record in any of the sprint events just to see what limits can be pushed.

Should your doctor also be an athlete?

Interesting piece in the NY Times discussing the nature of advice given by doctors that are active themselves versus their non-active counterparts. It appears, as in any profession, that what we are most comfortable with we can discuss with our clients. If doctors are themselves athletic it stands to reason that they will be more likely to give advice that is useful or that can get you back to your activity rather than the easy way out of stop the activity or find a new sport.

Energy Expenditure during Marathon Running

A recent study by Loftin, et al. (1) published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research reports that as body size parameters such as mass (often described as weight), fat-free mass, or fat mass increase, the caloric expenditure to run 26.2 miles (marathon distance) increases. In general, larger men tended to require a greater caloric need than the women runners.

Also VO2 max (or the maximum amount of oxygen the body can consume and process during an activity. Higher VO2 max equals increased productivity and efficiency during aerobic activity: cycling, running, swimming) was an excellent predictor of marathon run performance.

The last point has been well documented and in fact most sub 4 min milers have a VO2 max documented over 80 (for a point of reference the average person is generally between 25 and 40 VO2 max).  Oddly enough things like body mass, body mechanics, and efficiency will play into athletic performance and it is not enough to have a high VO2 max to predict performance. Lance Armstrong who has a VO2 max documented well over 80, has never run a sub 4 min mile, however has won 7 Tour de France titles and was unbelievable in the mountain stages when oxygen was limited.

Reference:

1) Loftin M, Sother M, Koss C, et al. Energy Expenditure and Influence of Physiologic Factors during Marathon Running. J. Strength Cond. Res. 1997; 21(4): 1188-1191.