Best Types of Massages for Runners

As a runner, I know the importance of training and building up mileage. But as a Physical Therapist and a Sports Massage Specialist, my job is also to educate you on the importance of not only properly progressing mileage, but also on the importance of posture, fixing muscular imbalances, gait training, and rest and recovery. One of the best ways for the muscles of a runner to recover is by receiv...

Hydration in Trails

Road running versus trail running differs in a variety of ways from the terrain and elevation to accessibility to basic functional needs like fueling and water. It is important before venturing off on your trail run to know the differences and to be well-prepared in case of issues or an emergency. To avoid dehydration and injuries, we discuss the importance of properly hydrating and the best solut...

Pronator, Supinator, or Neutral

Identify your Foot type: Pronator, Supinator, or NeutralThe sport of running is one that is considered rather straightforward to participate in as it requires very little equipment. While running can pretty much be accomplished anywhere and at any time, the bare essential is usually a decent pair of running shoes. In order to find a shoe that fits your individual needs, it is important to identify...

Brain Effects of the Runner's High

When it comes to running, people may be inclined to associate it with celebrity athletes, particular races, certain brands of trainers, or the fact that it is a good tool for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But there is certainly much more associated with running. There is a science to running. Whether you look at the physics of kinesiology of the gait and movement patterns, to the physiologic an...

Eat well, stay healthy and keep running

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced runner, a balanced diet is not only important for keeping your body healthy, but it is crucial for improving overall performance. Regardless of how hard you are training, eating the right food to keep yourself well nourished is vital.One of the most important things you can do is feeding your body with foods that give you enough calories to replace ener...

What Should Be My Diet During Marathon Training?

There are so many aspects that go into marathon training. First off, there is the decision in making and choosing the right marathon course and season to participate in. Once you have decided where and when you will run, the ultimate commitment for the athlete comes from registering and paying for the race. Once the race has been committed to, next up is choosing the right marathon program and tra...

Signs of Iron Deficiency

Athletes and runners work and train several hours a week to put forward their best efforts when it comes to competing. Aside from intense training, often just daily life just makes us feel overwhelmed and tired when we have jobs and families to tend to as well. In fact, for many of us, we would attribute these feelings of fatigue as 'normal'. So one can appreciate that training, in combination wit...

Anti-Inflammatory Medicines Not Really A Runner’s Best Friend…Know the Facts!

What did we do before Motrin and Tylenol? Quite arguably we just sucked it up and hobbled. But just because anti-inflammatories help to get us through the aches and pains of every day, that doesn't mean we should take them every day. Over-the-counter NSAIDs are really designed for short-term use. But many runners who hit the pavement hard, even when we aren’t feeling like it, pop a Motrin here and...

Avoid These Overdoing it Mistakes! - Give It A Rest Once In A While

If you are an avid runner or training for a race, you might have a hard time telling yourself to sit it out once in a while. Those who hit the pavement even when their body is saying “No,” not only run a high risk of injury, they might be overtraining. And, overtraining can lead to a degradation of the immune system and predispose runners to frequent infections and injuries. If you are making thes...

9 Factual Benefits From Running Revealed

If you are not a natural runner and are considering whether you should give it a try, or as many people do, have a marathon on your bucket to-do list and you need a little incentive, there are a vast number of benefits that you get from running. Not only do you get the runner’s euphoric high that just makes you feel good, but there are also other health benefits you reap. #1 Running helps to enhan...

Why Massage Therapy Becomes More Critical For Runners As They Age

The older I get, the more I marvel at how a child can trip, twist, bend, catch themselves, and end up upright every time. Like a cat with nine lives, children have the agility that is miraculous to those of us who haven’t seen childhood in some time. As you get older, your muscles become more like rubber bands that have been weathered. They aren’t as pliable or strong, and all those inner function...

Does Compression Body Wear Really Work To Keep You Injury Free?

The newest thing in the athletic world is compression everything. About two years ago I started having a hard time with my calf muscles. Every time that I would go for a long distance run, there was almost like a tear in my calf, and suddenly I would have a hard time walking, and running was out of the question. The minute that it would heal and I would be back out on the trail, pop it would go. I...

How free radical damage can radically change your running ability

Even those who aren’t into health have heard about “free radicals”. Not the type that carries picket signs and always have a cause, free radicals are cells in the body that can wreck havoc. A free radical is a molecule in the body that doesn’t have a matching pair. Molecules are comprised of a positive and negative neutron. If one doesn’t have a match, they bounce around mercilessly trying to find...

Three fun and useful running apps

Nowadays there's a whole World of technology inside our phones that can motivate us to get through a tough race and help us reach our running goals. Here are 3 fun and useful iPhone running apps:Zombies Run is a fun app that offers an immersive running experience to those runners that could use a little push to finish their races! You'll be taken through a Zombie attack survival mission, in which ...

Long distance running in pain

Muscle Strain Or Trigger Point, How To Know The Difference Runners are notorious for running through pain. The problem with our stamina is that we often end up injuring ourselves or creating a scenario whereby we are in constant pain. If you are feeling a muscle pull that simply won’t go away no matter how long you have rested it, it may be something other than a strain. When you overwork a mu...

Are Supplements A Good Supplement?

Runners are notorious for getting caught up in the runner’s high but don't forget your nutrition The very reason we love running may be the reason that we end up not taking care of ourselves the way that we should. Whether you are training for a marathon, a 5k, or any event, it is important that you maintain good health. If you don’t pay attention to how you are feeling and what your body needs, y...

Differences Between Jogging, Running, and Sprinting and Their Benefits

There is a complex vocabulary associated with running that can be perplexing for some when discussing running-specific topics. Whether conversing with non-runners or runners alike, some may confuse the terminology related to running. There are several words and phrases used in the running culture from discussing paces (easy to race pace), distances (5k to ultra-marathon), workout sessions (fartlek...

Smart Training for Your Joints Part II

Exercises for the Knees:...

Tips to keep up with your marathon training (or How to train if your event was cancelled)

Many runners are disappointed because marathons around the world have been postponed or cancelled. Training for this type of race requires not only physical effort, but also mental and psychological preparation and it is understandably frustrating not to be able to compete in the most awaited race of your calendar. Even if your race has been rescheduled months ahead from now, don’t let all the har...

How to Prepare for Sleep Deprivation in Ultra Marathons

Athletes who push their bodies to the extremes know they need to work hard and recover even harder. Aside from eating proper nutrients, getting massages, foam rolling, and stretching, sleeping is the fundamental time period of recovery. During sleep, our bodies, after all the exertion we've placed on it earlier, can rest, repair, and recuperate. But perhaps you are setting your eyes on competing i...

5 Protein and Energy Boosting Recipes For After Your Run

Hard-work and dedication help a runner to achieve enjoyment in the sport as well as contribute to a competitive edge in developing strength and speed. With most marathon training programs there are often a couple of weekly high-intensity workouts in addition to a long run session. We all know recovery is essential in assisting with proper muscular repair. This includes stretching, foam rolling, ic...

Five tips to stay fit after 40

There are probably two main reasons you are reading this article: you are approaching 40 or you have already got there. Although growing older is the undeniable natural course of life, ageing is not the golden dream of any person on this planet. Our metabolism will naturally slow down at this stage of life and we need to start making wiser decisions related to food intake, exercise and recovery. T...

How to get back to running after an injury

Getting injured is the reality of an athlete. The repetitive movements put a lot of stress on muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments. The human body is designed to adapt to stress, however training stress should be gradually increased in small doses. When you apply more stress than your body can handle, things go wrong and that can lead to the most common overuse running injuries: lower back pain...

Common Fears Towards Your First Marathon and How to Defeat Them

There often comes a time in a brave runner's life when the idea of running the iconic marathon distance of 42-kilometers pops into his or her head. Perhaps you are this runner. Maybe you have done all your due diligence and have taken the many steps to lead you up to the ultimate decision in signing up for your first marathon. Perhaps you have successfully completed a handful of smaller distance r...

10 Running Myths Exposed!

When it comes to running advice and shared knowledge, there are a vast number of things we all just assume are correct, which might not be. Not only might the myths be stopping you from hitting the pavement and training for a marathon, they might also be limiting your ability to go faster and run harder. Even worse, some of these running myths might actually be predisposing you to injury. So, befo...

Running and Mental Health - Know All the Benefits!

What runners know, and non-runners might not, is the mental peace that comes after making it home after a great run! Most people understand the physical health benefits of running, but there are a vast number of emotional and mental ones too. Not only are runners' brains more focused; they are less prone to depression and anxiety. If you need one more reason to hit the pavement, check out these fa...

10 Things You are Doing Wrong When Running

Running is a sport that comes naturally to most people. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t things that you might be doing that are inadvertently keeping you from excelling when you hit the pavement. To enhance your performance, make sure to avoid these ten things that you might be doing wrong and not even know it!1 Forgetting to stretchThe debate has ragged on as long as competitive r...

Lose Body Fat and Gain Lean Muscle Mass By Compressing Your Eating Time-Window

A recent study released in the Journal of Nutritional Sciences related to an experiment done in the UK poses some exciting information about limiting the window of time you eat during the day. Based on the findings, you can lose body fat and increase lean muscle mass even if you make no other changes besides shortening the time that you allow yourself to eat during the day.If you are running to lo...

Why Collagen Might Be The Answer To Your Muscle, Joint, Or Bone Problem

The newest “it” supplement in the health and beauty industry is collagen. Whenever a new supplement takes off like wildfire, you have to stop and ask yourself whether the reports of its wealth are real or just hype. Collagen supplement manufacturers claim that it can help with everything from skin, hair and nails to gastrointestinal problems. If you have been benched from running or see yourself i...

Pacing Strategies For The Marathon - Why Going Too Fast At The Start Never Pays Off?

You know where the phrase “like you’re running a marathon” comes from? It is because when the starter gun goes off, there is a drive that makes you want to hit the pavement with force and never look back. Most of us have visions of grandeur of leaving the rest of the pack in the dust. But, does a good pacing strategy mean going all out for 26.2 miles, or does it mean finding the best pace to help ...

Should You Stretch Before Or After Running?

There is no denying that tight muscles are a runner’s worst enemy. When a muscle is short and tight, it is much weaker than when it is extended. That makes a tight muscle more prone to strain or injury that can leave even the most seasoned athlete on the bench. It is not uncommon for your muscles to get overworked and to shorten during certain times of the day or in response to a long run, which i...

How To Keep Getting Faster As You Get Older?

What every runner has always anticipated with fear is the day when they can no longer strap on their shoes and do their regular run. For some, it happens at the age of 30, while others age doesn’t seem ever to slow them down. So, what is the secret to continuing to run for a lifetime? There is a mixed science about how age affects a runner. Some of it is antidotal, and some of it is real. What sci...

Doing Too Much?

What Overtraining Is And How It Affects Your Running Goals Exercise is always good for you, right? The truth is that too much of anything isn’t good for anyone. If you are training for a marathon or a racing event and going overboard, you are working against your goals instead of toward them. Training for a marathon is a deep commitment, but that doesn’t mean that you should strap on your shoes e...

The Trending Topic of Virtual Events

Like it or not, the world is facing a coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic. This is a crisis that is unlike anything we have experienced during this lifetime. Considering there is an unknown timeframe to this, we have to face the inevitable facts that the changes we are experiencing are affecting the entire globe, leading to our daily lives being interrupted. Change is everywhere from having to work fr...

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Frequently Asked Questions

Our thoughts go out to all those who have been affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 and to the healthcare workers who are at the front line of the fight against the virus.Many of you will have been affected in your personal life or as runners. Just like you, we are passionate about running, travelling and events. It saddens us to see how the crisis has taken such a toll on the events and o...