myths and truths of stretching exposed! yes - there will be a quiz:

"Despite limited evidence, stretching has been promoted for years as an integral part of fitness programs to decrease the risk of injury (1-6), relieve pain associated with "stiffness" (5), and improve sport performance (4-6). Many different stretching recommendations have come out of the medical literature, and new research has challenged some long-held concepts about common stretching practices. As a result, misconceptions and misinterpretations are common--not just among patients, but among healthcare professionals, as well. Thus, many clinicians are at a difficult crossroads when making sound recommendations to patients."

"In general, PNF stretching has resulted in greater increases in range of motion compared with static or ballistic stretching (26,50-56), though some results have not been statistically significant (57-59). "

o.k. since you're not going to read the whole study, here's the nutshell:

"In general, [proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation] stretching has resulted in greater increases in range of motion compared with static or ballistic stretching (26,50-56), though some results have not been statistically significant (57-59)."

propriocetiwha?

"PNF refers to any of several post-isometric relaxation stretching techniques in which a muscle group is passively stretched, then contracts isometrically against resistance while in the stretched position, and then is passively stretched again through the resulting increased range of motion. PNF stretching usually employs the use of a partner to provide resistance against the isometric contraction and then later to passively take the joint through its increased range of motion. It may be performed, however, without a partner, although it is usually more effective with a partner's assistance."

yes, that's right. it can be fun for the whole family!

yup. still injured. it's been an up-and-down week, with some fairly substantial downs. i decided to stop my armchair theorizing and saw a chiropractor, my regular doctor and a physical therapist - and got three different opinions on recovery times.

my doctor [ actually a physician's assistant ], didn't say much beyond telling me to stay off it for two more weeks and take some anti-inflammatories. the chiropractor and the physical therapist, both pointed to basically the same causes, but differed in how long they thought it would take to recover. apparently, i've had a number or prexisting injuries that have silently been conspiring against me. that they didn't reveal themselves until recently is just part of the cruel joke. essentially, i didn't actually pull my calf muscle, it was just creating a "natural splint" to prevent me from really breaking something, due to an "asymetric dysfunction" between my left foot and my right hip.

nope. no amount of stretching or mindful running was going to prevent the cumulative effects of a car accident where i put my knees through the dashboard, skateboaring induced blown ankles, and the miscellaneous bad mojo that comes from falling off the side of a mountain in new hampshire. that i was able to run pain free for this long is a testament to the power of compensation, but running 10 miles has a way of revealing all those nasty accomodations you've developed over the years. obviously, the question is whether or not i can put things back together again in time for the chicago marathon .

the chiropractor didn't think i'd be running a 10 miler before january, but since i've always been a little suspicious of chiropractors, i decided to go and see the physical therapist. to my chagrin, the pt pointed to the exact same asymetric forces, but was fairly confident that i could still get back into good form in time to run the race in october. so, after some fairly hardcore cranking, pulling, manipulating, popping and shifting of ankles, knees and hips, he proclaimed that i should be able to get out and run a half mile. i was stupified. immediately, almost all the pain was gone. at that point, i could have believed that he could part the red sea. i went home and decided that the following day, i'd try walk-running a few miles. i didn't make it three tenths of a mile before everything fell apart so badly that i wasn't sure i was going to be able to limp back to the house.

luckily, by the time i got to the house, most of the pain, primarily in left knee, had subsided. however, it was the first in a number of experiences that would batter my resolve to keep motivated. this cycle played out a few times over the week. i'd do the self-help exercises, given to me by the physical therapist, go biking for a cardio workout, wake up the next morning feeling strong and pain free - only to take two steps back if i tried to run even a city block. most of the pain in my calf has gone away, and it's now my knee that's causing most of the problems, presumably due to the pt putting my knee back in the position that it hasn't been asked to be in for around ten years.

so, things are looking like they might take awhile to fix and i'm taking things a day at a time. i've been cross training on a bike to keep my cardio fitness up. while everyone else was running 12 miles on saturday, i biked around 30 miles at a pretty good clip. unfortunately, while biking is good for a maintaining cardio fitness, it doesn't use many of the same muscles as running. based on articles like this , i've decided to also start aquajogging :

"Additional support for the fitness benefits of water running is provided by a study from the exercise physiology lab at the University of Toledo, in which trained runners ran in the water five or six days per week for four weeks. These runners had no change in 5K performance time, VO2 max, lactate threshold or running economy after four weeks of water running. Thus, there seems to be very little question that water running is an effective way for runners to stay fit. "

the downside. as is alluded to is this discussion from ultra trainers , aquajogging is stupendously, mind-numbingly boring. if you think running is boring, imagine staring at pool tiles for two hours. ugh.

we'll see how this goes. i've seen alot of positive evidence regarding aquajogging , so hopefully it will help me keep up my conditioning while i put everything back together again.