First 10K of the Season! Triathlon Blog #6

On Sunday May 4th (one day after Polish Constitution day woohoo!) I ran my first 10K (6.2 miles) race of the season!

The goal was to use the 10K as a training session because in my Sprint Triathlon I will only need to run  a 5K, so this was slightly over kill, but it was for a good cause. The 10K was hosted by Equestrian Connection in Lake Forest, IL. They offer therapy for children with special needs (and other people) using primarily, although not exclusively, horses. I have volunteered here before being a "walker" to support the riders through their therapy. This is one of the most giving and heart-felt organizations that I have volunteered at. They are truly making a difference!

Shin Splint Taping with MVT

My trainer, Abby Kramer and I decided to use some the MVT application of tape to our tibialis posterior muscles to help support our arches during the race (this muscle is involved with a lot of shin splint pain and plantar fasciitis). 






I (WE) started out the race TOO FAST. Well, in our opinion. We started running about a 9:30 min/mile pace (as you will see in my previous blogs I am training closer to an 11:30 min/mile pace). After running for about 1/2 a mile and at a HR of 170 (my training is max 153), I decided to slow down to about an 11 min/mile pace and a HR of 160. But after the first mile, my HR monitor's battery died! So I was left to pace myself for this race...

Needless to say, the competitive athlete in me got the best of me. Without my HR monitor I knew I wouldn't be able to stay in the appropriate range to run, so now it was RACE TIME! Knowing I wouldn't place in the run because I started too slow, I decided to take miles 2 and 3 at about that 11 min/mile pace. I was feeling so good though that during the 4th mile I was passing people up, and that got my adrenaline pumping! So for the last 2.5 miles I increased my pace dramatically... So much that I was basically in a full stride the last mile of the run.

Then something awesome happened: I caught up with Abby. Not only that, but I passed her in full stride with about 1/2 mile left in the race. My brain was racing wondering if I could keep up this pace, until I saw the finish line... I mustered up whatever energy I had left and SPRINTED across the finish line...

My theory of what happened to me physiologically:  By running at a slower pace, I was burning fat, and conserving most of my sugar energy, until I needed it, towards the last part of the race. By not burning through all of my sugar storages early on in the race, I was able to have a strong finish and not completely "burn out" before the end of the race!

Abby and I ended up placing 1st in our age group!  On a somber note, we were THE ONLY ones in our age group....

1:02:36 Time, 10:06 Min/Mile Pace
1st in Male 25 to 29 Age Group
Overall 17th

1:03:51 Time, 10:18 Min/Mile Pace
1st in Female 25 to 29 Age Group
Over all 20th

Well either way I learned three things from this race:

1. I am still really slow (a month into training at my HRR 143-153)
2. I was able to conserve energy and recover better than I have ever before training in this HRR
3. The 25-29 age group is great group to run in due to a lack of competitors ;)

With Diana:  Founder of Equestrian Connection

In conclusion, I was slower in this 10K (10:18 Min/Mile Pace) then my first 10K I ran at age 23 (8:36 Min/Mile Pace), but because I had so much energy at the end of the race and because I recovered so quickly, I am confident that this training is improving my heart's capacity to do work and sustain working at a moderate to high intensity when need be. Therefore, I hope to see my min/mile pace times improve in the coming 2 months of training!

"Motion is Life!" - Konrad Grzeszkowiak, DC

24 year old male won 10K race with a 5:32 Min/Mile Pace! SICK!

Swimming is Hard! Triathlon Blog #4

All GREEN - My favorite color :)

In the next blog I will post my first few Heart Rate swim work outs for my first Sprint Triathlon, but first, THE GEAR:

Trainer Abby Kramer suggested three mandatory gear items and all from kiefer.com "a good discount swim website":

1. Goggles: Speedo - Vanquisher "GET THESE. THE BEST." - Abby, and yes she was right. The googles (female version - does it really matter?) fit snuggly on my face, and they do not let any water in the googles. They work so well that I have to take the googles off between laps so my eyes can breathe! She also recommended getting tinted goggles so when I swim outside in the sun I can have some RAY PROTECTION!
2. Bungee Strap: "A must!" - Abby. They replace the straps that come with the googles, and was Abby right, way easier to adjust and way more comfortable!
3. Jammers: What? Brief looking speedos, "So you don't look like an idiot."- Abby. Thanks Abby!

First time in the Pool: Swimming is hard... This is coming from a collegiate gymnast and professional Polish Folk Dancer of 16 years...

MAD RESPECT! I swear I was drowning most of the 45 minute "swim". But Trainer Abby was optimistic. She saw me freestyle swim and was confident she can fix me!

The rules of THE LAP SWIM:  First, if you have to share a lane with someone, try to get their attention and see if you can jump in; typically people are cool about it. Second, you swim in a counter-clock wise oval in the lane you are in. There are black tiles at the bottom of the pool that you can see with your googles on (Side Note: I am never swimming with out googles again!) and you stay to one side of the black line. This prevents any underwater collisions. ;)

Abby says there are two types of swimmers: Kickers and Pullers. After seeing me swim, Abby said I was a puller and needed to learn three things before I can swim free style again:

1. How to Breathe 
2. How to Kick
3. How to Stroke (Pull with your arms)

Each one is important and must be mastered separately prior to moving on to integrating them.  This will lead to the most efficient swimming possible.

BREATHING:  Opposite from how I breathe while running, Abby had me inhale through my mouth and exhale through my nose. She said it is very important to be able to turn your head underwater and be able to inhale on both sides of you body.  So when you are stroking with you left arm, you breath to the left, and when stroking with your right arm you breathe to the right. Abby stated that a lot of people only breath on one side and that leads to inefficiency and muscle imbalances. See my Corrective Exercise Blog on how to correct muscle imbalances that may be leading to pain and inefficiency!

Abby had me stick my face underwater and with my arms outstretched and touching the wall, she had me exhale through my nose AS I HUMMED (humming aloud my to focus on breathing and not freak out that my face was underwater) and as I ran out of air, I would turn my head to one side, keeping one ear under water, and inhale through my mouth. It took a couple minutes but I was ready to do while kicking...

KICKING:  The dreaded kick board. Any swimmer that is an arm puller, HATES THE KICK BOARD, and I would learn to hate it too... On land, my legs do quite well, but in water, as soon as I rely on my legs alone, I SINK! Abby said this was due to me using my knees to kick the water as opposed to using my hips and feet. There is a lot of technique that goes into kicking, but all you need to know is to grab a kick board (every pool has one) and just try to keep your legs at the level of the water as you kick and breath. This is as far as I got in my first session in the pool. But two more time in the pool and I started stroking with the kick board.

STROKING WITH THE KICK BOARD:  An important progression because it not only teaches you the correct technique of stroking, but it allows you to breathe as you would in the real free style swim. The next progression would be to swim just pulling but that will be a later blog when I learn it!

"Motion is Life!" -  Konrad Grzeszkowiak, D.C.

Corrective Exercises - What they are and how to implement them in your training. Triathlon post 3

Chicago this "spring" is relentless! 80 degrees on Saturday, 30 degrees and snow on Monday!

Any way, this week I spent time on Corrective Exercises and some treatment!

Decreased activity from sedentary lifestyle creates muscle imbalances that may lead to muscular dysfunction and ultimately an injury. These muscle imbalances drive poor posture and improper movement patterns. These improper movement patterns drive inefficiency which will reduce endurance and create chronic injuries. By training the proper movements with corrective exercises, you can  prevent injury, retrain proper motor patterns, and improve your posture.

These types of exercises are the only things (next to training aerobically - See my previous post - Training for a triathlon) that has increased the strength and endurance of my stabilization muscles, has prevented injury, and prepared me for 'the moment' better than anything else I have done in my 16 years of dancing, 8 years of gymnastics, and 5 years of personal training and coaching.

Corrective Exercise Benefits:

• ·      Improve Muscle Imbalances
• ·      Improve Posture
• ·      Train your muscles to work synergistically and efficiently
• ·      Regain your balance
• ·      Strengthen your core
• ·      Improve whole body range of motion and function
• ·      Increase muscular strength, stability, and endurance
• ·      Prevent injury
• ·      Increase the ability to overcome whatever life throws at you (heavy boxes, shoveling snow, a slippery ground, company baseball game, training for your first triathlon ;), etc.)

“We train in all planes of motion to integrate all movement patterns so muscles work synergistically, effectively, and efficiently.” – Dr. Konrad Grzeszkowiak

You can find a demonstration of some corrective exercises on my You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/konraduic

or on the free work out application for your mobile phone or iPad - Cyber Fit http://cyberwalkabout.com/2014/01/cyberfit.html

Dr. Konrad's Corrective Exercises

I am a certified Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES) by NASM and teach a correct exercise class on Tuesday and Thursday morning at Be Optimal Holistic Health Center in Glenview, IL. Check out www.beoptimal.com for details and call to RSVP for a class!

"Motion is Life!" - Konrad Grzeszkowiak, D.C.

Female Gymnast Elbow Case

Left triceps taped using MVT© with decompression strips over painful areas.

This is a sweet case I want to share with everyone. (I had the permission to share the case and this picture.)

15 year old female gymnast that trains 5-6 days a week roughly 3-4 hours a day (one heck of an athlete). Mentions left elbow pain upon movement (primarily full extension) and on pressure over outside of elbow.

Primary evaluation of the elbow displayed posterior radial head on palpation, some muscle weakness (supinator, wrist extensor group, and long head of triceps). No bruising or swelling noted. Cause of injury not stated therefore thought to be over use from the dynamic skills used in gymnastics.

Check out the a video displaying what skill I believe she injured it on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb8VenVjMgI

Some soft tissue treatment was given. Stretches and exercises provided. Only one treatment was administered.

Long story short: Two weeks go by and patient is getting worse. Bruising starting to show, range of motion is now limited and is not able to extend at the elbow (AT ALL!) - stuck in 10 degrees of flexion.

Was referred for X-rays. Unfortunately referral was not administered for about another 2 weeks. Once imaging was taken, X-rays were found to be negative for fracture. Only 2 views were taken though, when elbow series was requested. (Patient had no treatment except for kinesiology taping for pain and reduction of swelling, which was helpful).

Due to some miscommunication MRI was delayed for about another 3-4 weeks. At this point patient is stuck at 90 flexion at the elbow. (Patient had no treatment except for kinesiology taping for pain and reduction of swelling, which was still helpful but not gaining any other results).

MRI taken and was found to be negative except for some swelling. Finally elbow series was taken. VERY RARE Radial head fracture was seen - needed special view.

Patient was assigned physical therapy where physical therapist used manual distraction, soft tissue techniques, and exercises to lengthen biceps and strengthen triceps.

Here the patient is finally at full extension with no pain except on palpation. No cast was used. Soft tissue techniques, exercises, and kinesiological tape using Muscle Vector Taping© technique.

Lesson learned:  All original manual diagnostic testing revealed no fracture presentation. Further evaluation called for a referral. DO NOT DELAY IN REFERRING or GETTING IMAGES. This patient had a difficult time getting the proper imaging done in time.  That being said, with proper diagnosis and confidence is applying the proper treatment the patient is on the way to full recovery. Kinesiology tape used correctly was able to reduce the pain of even a fracture, assist in recovery, and promoted better functional use of the patients elbow!

To learn more about Muscle Vector Taping© visit: https://www.facebook.com/musclevectortaping

"Motion is Life!" - Konrad Grzeszkowiak, DC

Lymphatic Drainage Taping on a Sprained Ankle

"Motion is LIFE!" Lymphatic Drainage Taping on a Sprained Ankle - Using MVT©

One of my gymnasts sprained his ankle while running. I do not have a good picture of all the damage but the whole outside of his left foot is black, blue, and different shades of green. The ankle is about one and a half the size of the other ankle due to swelling. Good news, the gymnast has almost full range of motion, just pain and difficulty propelling forward.

Lymphatic drainage using MVT© technique

Other side of lymphatic drainage 

This style of taping allows blood flow to move more freely by "lifting" the skin away from the fascia (muscle connective tissue covering). By applying the MVT© technique, the tape is applied during a specific movement to help facilitate a deficient movement seen, using manual muscle testing as a diagnostic guide. Sounds more complicated than it is!

Close up of lymphatic drainage using MVT© 

Soon after some treatment and applying the tape, the gymnast regained full range of motion of the left ankle, said the pain was drastically reduced, and was able to push off the foot with much more force. 

For more info about Muscle Vector Taping (MVT)© check out our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/musclevectortaping

"Motion is Life!" - Konrad Grzeszkowiak, DC

Chicago Triathlon Post 2

"Motion is LIFE!" - August 2014 Chicago Triathlon Post 2

On Saturday April 12th I had my fourth run in preparation for my triathlon. It was a gorgeous sunny 79 degree day in Chicago (has not been this warm since last summer!) and my favorite time to run is in this weather. I ran on a gravel trail in my New Balance Minimus trail shoes.


There are some disadvantages to running in this weather:

HEAT -

• heat increases heart rate - because your body tries to cool the blood faster by moving to the skin where you are sweating
• will run slower - due to your heart having to work harder, you will feel more fatigued and will most likely have to run slower
• dehydration is a greater possibility - due to the heat you will probably sweat more and naturally lose more fluid, so if you plan on running longer distances or for longer periods of time, you need to make sure to either have water with you or hydrate really well before the work out and replenish after the workout

WATER - I had about .75 liters of water over 3 hours prior to the run (it is important not to fill up on water right before the run because you feel heavy and potentially queasy if your stomach is full of water) and about 8 ounces immediately prior to running (your kidneys can only use about 6-8 ounces of water at one time depending on your size so there is no point to drink more than this in one sitting - greater chance of going to the bathroom immediately). 

TAPE -  I still had on my kinesiology tape on from my run on Friday (Pic 1, 2, 3) and tape lasted through out the run without peeling and still provided support to my muscles that have been fatiguing and straining through out my training, including supporting my back. I truly believe it is also one of the things that prevented me from being sore before my run on Saturday. My left calf (that was taped) was not nearly as sore as my right one (not taped) - Pic 3 bellow.

     

RESULTS - I had an awesome run on this beautiful day despite the heat! I ran 3.95 miles in 45 minutes and 3 seconds, at a pace of 11:21 minutes per mile. I had some issues with my Timex HR monitor so my average HR was 162bpm (out of my Maffetone HRR 143-153 bpm) but it could also have been higher due to the heat and increased pace that I had. I should have ran slower, but as most runners can attest to, running slow can be boring. BUT, I will be doing a better job at staying in my HRR in future workouts.

PREVENTION - Besides the tape that I still had on my body I am supplementing my Paleo-Athlete Diet (future blog to come soon) with Ligaplex II a whole food supplement from a great company called Standard Process. I have used this supplement with a lot of my athletes, in particular gymnasts, primarily for recovery from exercise/injury, reducing inflammation, and joint/ligament support. I am using it myself for all of those properties. To learn more about this great product and company visit - https://www.standardprocess.com/Standard-Process-Document-Library/Product-Detail-Sheets/ligaplex25275.pdf

Stay Tuned! - More tips on getting back into a healthy and fit lifestyle and my progress training for my first triathlon coming soon!

"Motion is Life!" - Konrad Grzeszkowiak, DC