What happens when I can't run...and a cool conference.

"You can't fit a square peg in a round hole."

It is only a little over a year ago that I started running. During those first few weeks, I remember injuring my hamstring and I could not run for a good month. At that time, I enjoyed my time on the bike or the eliptical. I remember that I really didn't mind at all. The thing is, at that time, I was not yet addicted to running. Actually, I didn't even like running very much and it was almost a relief to not be able to do it. However, this past week it was made very clear to me that I am now officially addicted to running. So, knowing I'd be using the bike when I went to the gym caused major procrastination and in the end, a severe lack of endorphins. BUT, I did go to the gym twice and plan on going today (not so bad).

If it was just the knee, I'd still be running, because it's not serious...but, it's my left foot that remains sensitive (I still have a slight limp). Although it's definitely much better, I know it's not ready for running yet.  

Oh and the other thing I did is buy cheese sticks this week...the last time I bought cheese sticks is like a year ago...I needed a serious treat. 

Having said all that, yes I'm frustrated, but I am not at all discouraged. I know that all will heal and that one day soon I'll be back out there. I just hope it's sooner, rather than later :)

On the cool side, I went to a conference on Thursday called, "New Trends in the Prevention of Running Injuries". The talk was by Blaise Dubois, who is a Sport Physiotherapist and Consultant for Athletics Canada. It was super interesting and based on recent research findings. Here are the points that I retained:

1) Always give your body the time to adapt to any changes. Transition gradually to new shoes, even if they are exactly the same shoe.  Basically, he says that the body can adapt very well (to more mileage, or more hills, or faster tempo, or minimalist shoes, or no shoes) if we give it time and transition gradually. This was the advice he repeated most often.

2) If you want to know what the best running form for you is, try going barefoot. He suggests that what is natural to one person, may not be natural to another. He also mentions that going barefoot forces us to land lightly and to use the proprioreceptors in our feet as a guide (thus, not likely to land on our heel).

3) He is a fan of minimalist shoes, but again, he suggests a gradual transition (i.e., only running a few minutes more in the new shoes each time until our body has fully adapted). He also repeats that going barefoot once in a while is a good way to maintain form. (Living in Québec city, he doesn't do barefoot only).

4) In order to keep the foot landing underneath the body and not in front of the body, it is important to have a cadence that is around 180 steps per minute. Thus, helping us land lightly on the mid-foot and take shorter strides.

Lots of what Mr. Dubois said reminded me of Born to Run (though he's been giving these talks for a few years already  and uses only research studies to back his points - he never mentions the book Born to Run). But, he also feels that running shoe companies are only about making money.  He showed us shoes from 1960 till now and then showed us how the new minimalist shoes are all very similar to the cheap 1960 and 1970 shoes (when apparently, the percentage of injuries was lower).

There is so much more, but you can check out the link to his website. He was funny and showed cool videos...it was a super interesting conference.

I went with UberH and my Super SIL, who were seated on either side of me. Everytime he mentioned that the transition must be done gradually if we want to give our body the chance to adapt, they would nudge me and grin. Yes, I know, I have learned my lesson and will take things gradually. It's hard, because I usually go quite quickly when I learn something new...but running requires patience. Ok...I can do that, I can be patient :)

 No running yet, but I'll definitely keep you posted!

Enjoy your runs, because you can!

Cheers!