I have preached the benefits of foam rollers for years to both my elite runners and recreational runners. But it wasn’t until my first 8 mile run that I realized EXACTLY how beneficial they are.  Here is the concept, when you run, or do any activity for that matter, muscles will contract and relax, causing joints to move.  Pretty basic so far.  The problem is that over time, your body develops movement patterns, some of these movement patterns are normal, some are abnormal, but the result is the same.  The more we move, the more we REINFORCE those movements.

The BIG problem is when you reinforce abnormal movements, it will result in injury, but here is the funny part. Even when you reinforce proper movements, but you do it over and over again, as in the case of training for a marathon, you still develop muscle soreness.  That is until your body acclimates to new distance and new intensity.

Tell me if this sounds familiar:

-Tight hamstrings

-Tight IT bands

-Tight shins (shin splints)

Although we perceive them as TIGHT, they are actually OVERACTIVE, and the proper course to treating an overactive muscle group is to RELAX them, and this is where the foam roller comes in.

Using a foam roller 3-4 times a week, (I recommend always giving yourself a day in between use) will help to break down the tight areas (adhesions) in these overactive muscles that are the result of repetitive stress. And if you are training for a marathon, you are putting your body under repetitive stress.  Foam rolling has been a life saver as I have progressed through my long runs.

Shoot me your thoughts and comments.

I have worked with literally thousands of runners and hundreds of marathon runners over my past 12 years of practice.  During that time I have been relentless in calling marathoners “crazy” or “nuts.”  I have recommended everything from group therapy to possibly something stronger like drug therapy.  But recently began feeling slightly guilty, for some strange reason, for being so ruthless without actually ever having experienced what a marathon runner goes through.  

• Why do they do it?
• What is this “Runners high” they speak of?
• What do they know that I am missing?
• Or are they actually just CRAZY!!!

So I decided this past June, that I couldn’t continue to be a hypocrite.  If I wanted to have a foundation of true expertise with which to advice, counsel and possibly even critique marathon runners, I would have to eventually run a marathon myself.

And so that is what I am doing.  I signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon (thanks to some good friends with inside connections, I scored a spot long after the registration period had closed), and began training with the Galloway Metro DC Marathon Training Program.

This blog will chronicle, not just my training experiences, but will look for input from more experienced runners than myself.

In addition, I will share how I have attempted to incorporate every rehabilitation, chiropractic, and physical therapy trick known to man in order to prevent or in some cases, just limit the severity of runners related injury and trauma.  I will tell you what has worked really well, just ok, or not at all.

I look forward to everyone’s feedback and input.