Fiona McMahon PT, DPT
Hello everyone! Here’s a brief little update from physical therapy land about progress for the marathon! We are actually a little less than a month away from race day. We are close to our donation goal, but really need your help to make it. Please click here to support research to end multiple sclerosis. This is go time. It’s where the rubber hits the road and you have to put a little more muscle in your hustle. Typically this is the point at which you start to approach 20 miles training runs and things can go right, which is great, or things can go wrong and you learn from them. I will also give you a quick update on what’s been going on in physical therapy.
Nutrition Mistakes
I had a pretty good learning experience a couple of weeks ago that I want to share with you, so you don’t end up making the same mistakes I made. On my first mega mile run, which I consider anything over 15 miles in this category, I hit the wall so hard I think I might have left a Fiona shaped impression in the brick. I started out a 17 mile run fast, doing about 8 minute miles. I also neglected to do my usual carb load for breakfast. On top of that, I forgot to bring any glucose replacement supplements with me. You know where this is headed. At mile 13 I crashed. I sat on the side of the road and contemplated calling an uber. I managed to make it back but average a 9:30 pace, no where close to my goal pace.
This just goes to show how important it is to have the right fuel whether you’re pounding the pavement. My subsequent two runs 18 and 20 miles respectively went much better. I tried out GU, a glucose replacement gel versus glucose tablets. I’ve use GU a lot, but it has a thick consistency, which can only be described as gnarly, but the stuff works and you certainly aren’t eating it for taste. The glucose tablets were delicious, if you like sweet tarts candies, which I do. The only drawback is I can imagine the dry powder of them to be a little rugged to get down on days where you might end up more dehydrated. I have one more 20 miler to pound out before the big day, so I’m going to try a mixture of both and see how I feel. What’s so beneficial about long runs is not just the physical training, but also learning what works for your body. It allows you to foresee possible problems that could occur on race day and address them before they arise.
Physical Therapy
As I alluded to in my last blog, this fall has been a bit tough with colds and stomach bugs. Jessica was good to incorporate some visceral mobilization work into treatment to allow more sore little digestive organs a chance to heal. She also worked on my sacrum, the bone above your tailbone, to make sure that I had enough range of motion to run efficiently. She then made me work! We did work to activate more core muscles and at the end of treatment, there was a real increase in my core strength!
This fall has been full of surprises health/training-wise, but with Jessica’s help I was able to immediately feel a little better, without taking my eye off my goal of a 8:35 mile pace! If you could use someone like Jessica in your corner, call us at BBPT today.
