Sunday, January 31, 2010

Staying on TOP of Injuries

Common Running Injuries: ANTERIOR NEW PAIN
(from Vaughan Nicholson, Red Hill Physio)

Vaughan from Red Hill Physiotherapy (one of our sponsors) will be contributing to our blog on a regular basis. After coming to training a few weeks ago, Vaughan has crafted his blog around a common injury that many of you asked about.

There are a number of conditions that can cause pain in the front of the knee, pain can be caused by various structures around the knee joint itself or can be referred from the hip or lumbar spine. Two common causes of anterior knee pain in runners are patellofemoral pain (pain around or under the knee-cap) and patella tendon dysfunction (pain below the knee-cap, usually on the tendon or where the tendon attaches to the top of the shin). Both these conditions can cause pain with running and if prolonged can cause pain with everyday activities such as stairs and walking.

Factors that may be involved in the development of anterior knee pain include poor running technique; sudden change in training load; hip, knee and pelvic weakness; reduced ankle mobility and footwear.

Some simple exercises that may help you reduce your anterior knee pain symptoms include:
a) Massage or roller on your quads and outside thigh (ITB) after running
b) Calf stretching after running to maintain mobility in your ankle
c) Strengthening of your hips and pelvis – eg. modified squats, lunges (pain free)
d) Adequate warm up prior to running

Your physiotherapist can provide further specific treatment and exercises. If you are having ongoing anterior knee pain or any other persistent pain that is affecting your running training then you should get a thorough assessment by your physiotherapist or other health care professional.

Should you have any further questions you can contact Vaughan Nicholson at RHP Physiotherapy (formally Red Hill Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Centre) on 38565566 www.redhillphysio.com.au

BRS Core Strength for Runners - This Sunday 7 February
Strengthening your core is one of the key ways to avoid running injuries and to improve your running efficiency and performance.
There are some common misconceptions about what is the 'core' and training for core stability. First the core is simply your abs and lower back 'FALSE' -
Core stability is the muscles that link the core-abdominal region (trunk or torso) to the shoulder girdle and pelvic region.
This means: there are 3 key areas for core stability training.
1. Muscles that stabilise your shoulder blades (scapula)
2. Muscles that stabilise your torso (spine & pelvis)
3. Muscles that stabilise your pelvis

Second, core strength training is only for body builders and people who want six packs 'FALSE'
"Most of the muscles are deep within your torso and start from the hip and go right up to the neck and shoulders. They connect the pelvis, spine and shoulders, when strong they can generate powerful movements with the arms and legs but when an imbalance occurs so can injury."
Core stability is for everyone, more importantly for endurance athletes who perform continuous repetitive movements over long periods of time. Exercising core muscles helps to stabilise the torso, providing a strong and stable base that allows the effective transfer of forces throughout the body.....for endurance running, this means quicker times, for less effort and lower chance of injury.

To guide you on the most effective techniques and exercises to develop a stable core for running, we are introducing a monthly Core Stability session. These sessions will be held on the weekend.

First session:
When: This Sunday 8th February
Where: New Farm Park (next to the Rotunda)
Time: 7am - 8am
What to bring: a water bottle and towel
What ability: we will cater for all abilities and strengths
Cost: $8 members, $10 non-members

We look forward to seeing you there. Please bring along money if you would like to join us for a coffee after the session.

Happy Running
Renae & Matt

Friday, January 22, 2010

Starting 2010 on a high!

Another top week of training, slow runs in the heat, some fast speed work, and hitting the hills! Our NO. 1 piece advice to start 2010 with a bang........Consistency consistency, consistency........the key to fitness and a healthy lifestyle! Keep up the attendance and you will see some great results.

Upcoming Events
Some of you were inquiring about the Twilight run on Sunday 21st March, the first goal for many of you in 2010! Entries are still open, so go to http://www.twilightrun.com.au/ for more details.
Remember to type Brisbane Run Squad in the Team name, the more the merrier!!

New Shoes
Start the year on a high and keep away any potential injuries from old, worn out shoes.
Robson, Glen and their staff at Active Stride, Southbank are experts in everything running, shoes, socks, hydration, running wear, heart rate monitors and more! Remember by being a member of BRS, you are entitled to 10% ! Remember to show your card! http://www.activestride.com.au/

Uniforms
Matt will be putting in an order for uniforms next Thursday 28 January. If you would like to wear a BRS singlet/shirt for the Twilight run, put your order in now. Please email Matt at info@brisbanerunsquad.com.au or let him know at training if you would like to order a running shirt or singlet or a cycling jersey. Please see uniform page for samples and sizes:
www.brisbanerunsquad.com.au/Shop.php

Good luck Kylie
A great turn out at the Ship Inn for dinner last Wednesday night to say good-bye and good luck to Kylie. After only starting running seriously 6months ago, Kylie continued to smash her PBs over her 4months with BRS. Best wishes with your new job! Keep up the running !

Happy Running
Renae & Matt

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Weekly Update

Weekend Hare & Hound
Last weekend was the Woodford Hare and Hound event. 4 Brisbane Run Squad members competed with some great results. After an early rise to be there by 6:30am, with the temperature already 24degrees, Steve G, Matt L, Michael K, and Bill hit the trails for a 9km run through sand, creeks, and over mountainous terrain.

All 4 guys had outstanding results, all coming under 55mins, smashing their estimated time of 1 hr! Congratulations!

Monday Night's Session
This Monday night was the 1st night of our next phase of training leading up to the Twilight UQ Run on 21 March, 2010. www.twilightrun.com.au/. The next 10 weeks we will be concentrating on getting BRSers fit and ready to go for 21st March.
Those of you not competing in this event, of course the training will still be beneficial no matter what your next goal, whether it be general fitness, triathlon, or your next marathon.

Red Hill Physio Visit
Thanks to Vaughan from Red Hill physio who attended Monday night to offer advice on your running injuries. We have formed an alliance with Red Hill Physio and as BRS members, you are entitled to $15 off your initial consultation. Please see their website for more info: www.redhillphysio.com.au Vaughan will be contributing regularly to our blog, so stay tuned.

Kylie is on the Move
Kylie and Michael are off on a new life adventure to Emerald this weekend. For those of you who would like to join Kylie for a farewell drink and/or dinner, we will be at the Ship Inn Wednesday night (13th January) after training 7pm. Please come along to say good-bye!

BRS Training Calendar
As a new year is on us, we have spent some time updating the BRS training calendar, adding events and extra specific training sessions (more to come on this). http://calendar.yahoo.com/brisbanerunsquad
The best way to view events is clicking on EVENT LISTS at the top of the calendar. We will regularly update this so please keep watch!

Happy Running
Renae & Matt

Thursday, January 7, 2010

New Goals

WELL DONE & GOOD LUCK
Wednesday night training saw the last session for our latest goal, The Hare and Hound cross country race at Woodford. Well done to all and good luck to those competing on Sunday.

NEW GOALS
Monday night's training will be the first step towards our next goal, being, The Brisbane Twilight Festival on 21st March. There is the option of a 3km, 10km or 21km long race. Our training will be divided up into 3 phases again, each concentrating on different aspects of running. The race is 10 weeks away, so we should be all ready and raring to go by then.

The training sessions will be designed for the 3km and 10km events. For those of you who are thinking about doing the half marathon 21km event we would recommend extra training sessions on top of the usual Monday and Wednesday nights to ensure you are fit for the event. We can design you a personal training program to prepare you for the 21kms. These personalised training programs will be at a monthly cost, either inclusive or exclusive of Mon and Wed nights session charges, and will be given to you every fortnight based on your individual needs. If you are interested, please see Matt or Renae at training or email info@brisbanerunsquad.com.au

RECEIVING BLOGS
Last weekend I organised a run at Mt Cootha for Saturday. I posted it on the blog, but unfortunately the info did not get through to every one quickly enough. I have had a play with the blog to see if I can get a notification sent through via email if a new blog is posted, but the functionality is not available with this blogger, we are investigating a program to allow us to do this. In the mean time we will email info through to the email addresses of registered members.
So don't forget to read the blog often!
Remember if you are not already a member, you can join via our membership page and receive discounts at Active Stride, Red Hill Physio, All Sports The Gap, and on BRS Uniforms and events.

Happy Running
Renae and Matt

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Pre Xmas Time Trial Results!

On the 21st December we had our second 5km time trial (our last one was 05th October).

In the pre-Christmas humidity, 16 BRS'ers braved it to produce some outstanding results, with most runners improving their previous BRS personal best.

The results have been loaded under the Time Trial link - have a squise, you should all be very pleased with your results.

Special mention to......
Matt Cooper, smashing the 4min/km pace with a 18.18min run!
Peta Densmore took 3 whole minutes off her previous time!!
Peter C, Michael K, Scott G, Kylie, & Bill all cracked the 5min/km pace coming in under 25mins!

Big congratulations to everybody who participated! Keep it up

Happy Running
Renae & Matt