Gasparilla 5K Experience

It happened this past weekend. Saturday March 3, 2012. Everything was in place for the first time for team FITLORENZO to run at the Gasparilla Distance Classic 5K race and we did.

It is surprising that in my case to this point I have played competitive basketball, baseball, track and field, and some other sports. However I have never ran in an official distance race. Of course those who know me well enough know by now that I don't really like running for distances more than 1.25 miles.

Don't get me wrong, I have ran 3 to 5 miles many times (though I really hated it), but never officially 3.1 miles in a competition race like the one we participated in last Saturday for the Gasparilla 5K.

As team FITLORENZO we had a blast. We had fun, joked around, ate some good food and chilled during the mid morning to early afternoon. I was very proud especially of Tracy who's never ran neither in a race, and was so nervous, but finished well and her husband (a firefighter even saved a life so to say). Lisa despite her aching back ran it and did good to.

I'm moved by Jen Kellman leadership during the event, and prior during training, leading practice runs and keeping us on board with our documents, registration and overall race preparations.

However, when it comes to me individually my performance sucked. My best time running so far has been 20:38 or so. Which is very good considering I don't run that much.

But on race day things didn't go according to plan. My goal was to finish this race in a record time for me of under 20 minutes. That would mean that in order for me to finish in that time I would have to run every mile in about 6:20 minutes or so.

I started out my first mile at 6:21.. So I was like YEAH!!! I got this BABY! But then I got greedy and thought I could further improve that time in the following 2.1 miles.

So I followed the crowd that started running through the median, trying to avoid some of the people in the way. Big mistake cause first of all it was like trail running and I wasn't ready for it, second when I realized I was hurting my time came off the median I bumped into someone and landed badly in my right knee which was already recovering from an injury. I had my headphones on, so I didn't hear all the !@$!@%!%!56$#&* I screamed out loud from the pain I experienced, very likely those around me did.

I knew I was down, but not out... never out! After that I tried running but I had to unfortunately run/walk the rest of the way. On top of that for some reason I drank like 2 full cups of water (everyone knows you can't gulp down that much while your running cause it will have a bad effect and it did). Then I underestimated the heat. The day started out nice, breezy and cool; but it quickly went to over 80 with a heat index close to 90.

I didn't think of all these things and kept committing mistake after mistake. I ended up way over my desire goal and way above my regular time.

I can't deny I'm disappointed with my overall performance. As an athlete this is something that stays with you for a while and hurts your pride.

I've dealt with injuries before and this one though painful at the moment was more of a scare than something very serious. I'll proceed with caution these next several days getting back into my training program and trying to avoid anything that would aggravate me even more.

This experience made me reflect on my clients. Many of whom have some minor injuries and/or physical limitations, yet they still show up every day and do their best. It is not an easy task but they endure and as a result they are getting better as time goes by. I always put myself in my client shoes and try to understand to the best of my ability their circumstances, but this particular experience as an athlete and being so competitive I could understand the frustration that goes through my clients mind.

That being said there is nothing wrong with having to modify a particular exercise or your training program to meet your current needs. Especially if the purpose is to help you get better, more mobile, stronger and ready for the next stage. Sure there is something to be said about training hard, and training intensity, but it has to be done in a SMART way.

From my experience it is more of a mindset thing than physical. Once you overcome that obstacle, you will find yourself getting leaner, stronger and better.

As for me, I'll admit I'm still disappointed with my overall performance. I now have a chip on my shoulder and I'll need to run again to get over this. I know I'll have another chance in the next several weeks, so I'm cool.

Today it is my pride that hurts more than my knee. 

Run Out Of Trouble

If you've been running and/or playing sports for a while, it's very likely that you may suffer (if not already) from a sprained ankle, tennis elbow, runner's knee pain, shin splints, strains, sprains and tears. Even if these are not severe one thing is for sure... being injured sucks!

So what can you do about it and how can you avoid most of them?


Keep in mind that it doesn't matters if you run, play sports or just sit at a desk all day the chances of something knocking you over or you knocking yourself out is very high. However there are many things you could do to avoid or reduce the risk of injuries.

First of all you need to stretch properly your muscles and ligaments, which in turn will alleviate the stress on the joints and connective tissues.

One Leg DeadLift - Toe Touch

Strength training is also a big plus because when you run or walk your quad muscles become the primary mover. Therefore the more stronger and powerful those muscles are it will lead to a more efficient running style. Focus on exercises that will improve strength on your quad muscles (rectus femoris, vastus medialis and vastus lateralis). Some exercises recommended are squats, step ups, lunges; also focus on exercises that improve knee stabilization such as single joint 1 leg deadlift, and hip flexion, hip extension, abduction (outer thigh/hip), adduction (inner thigh/hip), and low-back extensions.

What if you already have some sort of pain or discomfort while running?  While I won't be able to cover everything I'll address 2: anterior knee pain and shin splints. However I must clarify if you are experiencing constant pain in your knees or other muscles/joint group get yourself checked out. It could be a tear and depending on the severity of it you may need to take more time off to recover, in some cases surgery becomes the only option.

ANTERIOR KNEE PAIN: It could mean many different conditions, but its usually pain that occurs in the front and center of the knee. In your case since you are a runner it could most likely be what's considered "runners knee, jumpers knee, tendonitis, etc". Which may come from strained tendons and irritation or softening of the cartilage that lines the underside of the kneecap.

People with AKP frequently complain of dull pain, which is worse running, squatting, jumping, getting up from a chair or out of a car, or walking up or down stairs. Sometimes the knee clicks or locks. Sometimes it is swollen.

It may happen because you have flat feet, weak muscles in your quads and hamstrings or maybe they are too tight; it can also be caused by over training or a more severe condition.

Strength training will help make the surrounding muscles stronger and keep the kneecap in place. Depending on how much pain you are or have been you may need to sit out for a while. Use some of the exercises mentioned above to help you get stronger and reduce the risk of injuries.

If pain is acute, ice or anti-inflammatory medication may help. You can use the R.I.C.E. stuff too.

REST - ICE - COMPRESSION - ELEVATION

SHIN SPLINTS:  also called tibial stress syndrome is referred to as the lower leg pain (a burning sensation, swelling and/or tenderness) that occurs either on the front outside part of your leg or the inside part of your leg. It can also be a small tear in the muscle or muscle inflammation.

It may plague novice runners who especially over train (they don't gradually build up their millage READ: ARE YOU RUNNING) or more experienced runners who just over train as well and end up developing small stress fractures, or sometimes it's caused by overpronation or flat feet which may cause the connective surrounding the are to over stretch causing irritation... regardless many athletes and non-athletes complain about it.

If you are very tight you need to stretch and massage the area (your Achilles) or calves if your have either medial shin splints or anterior shin splints. Applying the R.I.C.E. treatment may also help. Performing range of motion exercises and sometimes you might need anti-inflammatory medication.

I hope this information help you improve your running game but also help you reduce the risk o injuries and/or apply proper treatment. Remember if pain is constant you better visit your Dr so you make sure you are not suffering from a more severe injury.

"Dedicated to your success" - Ed

Are You Running

Running is easy, right? If so then that means anyone can just run. That may be true to an extent, however there are many other factors that must be considered. Such as are you an experienced runner, a beginner, are you overweight or do you have any medical issues or physical limitations that may prevent or make running more difficult.

Then there's also the aspect as to if you enjoy this type of exercise. And I say this with much respect to all runners out there - I HATE RUNNING!!

My clients and friends already know this; I do not enjoy running, it doesn't do it for me. Don't get me wrong I love sprinting, playing basketball, baseball and football. But running as a sport or because of passion... hmmmm nope! Running for miles and miles is not my thing.

Yet running is part of our Strength & Conditioning Boot Camp program, and many of my clients and friends are runners. So let me take this moment to say how proud I am of them, because many have overcome difficulties  and taken on the challenge to become runners. Some of my clients like Jen Kellman, could barely run enough around a parking lot about 2 years ago. Now she can run easily a 5K (barely any sweat) a 10K and is getting ready for a half marathon.

And just like her many more are becoming runners, some because it's their passion and others because they see it as their only way of getting in shape.

So let me clarify something; I hope you do not see running as the only way to get in shape and I hope you are not the type of person who's never ran or jogged before and suddenly gets off the couch and decides to run for miles and miles. Doing so will most surely lead to over-training, which leads to shin splints, knee pain, inflammation and other injuries; some which could be serious.

Just like any other goal you need a plan. For example, one of my clients Kathy bought a podrunner and followed the program several weeks into her first 5K! She was ready and she did great!

TIPS FOR RUNNERS:
So if you are  beginner, start out easy and build your runs slowly. Take into consideration the terrain, flat surfaces are always better when you start. Value your rest/recovery days cause you might have soreness in your calf and thigh muscles. As you get better gradually increase the intensity of your training (these tips are recommended by runner's guide, runner's world and other experienced sources - plus its also based on my the advice of some colleagues, and running clients, as well as my professional fitness experience when it comes to proper conditioning).

Sprinting, plyometrics and strength training also helps to condition your body. By strengthening your hamstrings, glutes and low back; you balance out your body ability to move forward, such as when you run.

Stretching is very important, essentially because the more you train the more your muscles get tight. In order to run better and be free of injuries make sure your hamstrings and calf muscles are elastic enough.

Those are just a few suggestions and I hope you enjoy your running. This will be the first of a series of post that I'll be making to answer a few questions I get regarding running,conditioning and fat loss.

As far as running goes for me, I made the commitment to two of my clients that I will run with them in the near future a 5K. I do not know how I got myself into this, but I did. However I won't be running more than that, personally I think its insane to run more distance if I'm not being chased by a dog or my life actually depends on me running and escaping... it is what it is. But I tip my hat off to you!!

I do hope the advice is of value to you and I look forward to hearing how well you do. Keep me posted!

Dedicated to your success!

ed