Tag Archives: running form

TONIGHT: Beyond Pink: Strong Women, Strong Athlete

Why does your achilles hurt, and how to fix it

I was contacted by Jason Fitzgerald at StrengthRunning.com to help clear up a lot of the mystery behind achilles issues. Even though this injury can be a major complicator for your training, the mechanics of it are actually quite simple. If you’d like to check it out, check out this link.

UVA Running Medicine 2013: a recap

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What happens when you get 220+ clinicians in the room and talk about running? It was a beautiful day. About 55 degrees and sunny. The remnants of the 10+ in snowstorm on the ground helped dampen the air and made the sun feel even stronger. It’s a beautiful day for a run….but instead,about 220 clinicians sat inside, on their glutes, so they can learn to help you use your glutes better.

The 10^th anniversary of the longest running, running specific medical conference produced a host of content to help “us” help “you.” Do you ever wonder why running is as challenging as it is? How your running would change if you had no gravity to fight, arms to swing, or perhaps even legs to stand on? Dr Rodger Kram led us in 2 enlightening presentations on the energetics of gait. Talks like this completely shift how you think about running.

Dr. Eric Carson reviewed the current and future trends on cartilage repair. Take home: right now, cutting edge surgeons are able to offer some pretty incredible proceedures, and they’ll be even more magic to come in the future.

Brian Hoke, PT helped us think critically through our video gait analysis. Anyone can watch a video in slow motion, but learning what to look for is critical.

Your’s truly helped clinicians through their musculoskeletal exams as they relate to a runner’s needs. No one can tlak about “correct running form” unless you understand that each runner is an individual with unique needs and attributes. If you understand how a person’s body wants to work, you can understand how to help that person run. For those of you who read the screen’s in Anatomy for Runners, that 8-point exam just got a whole lot more thorough: 32-points to be exact.

Dr Sibohn Stattua reviewed the literature on the female athlete triad. Turns out that there is more to it than just low energy intake, menstrual irregularity, and poor bone remodeling…..the triad is turning into a square? That’s right, there is a 4^th “leg” to the triad, and this one might be even more severe of a long term complication from this complex disorder.

Eric Magrum, PT discussed the current research on the #1 injury affecting runners: anterior knee pain. He told us why runners with chronic pain in the knee try to avoid their pain. The problem is that the compensations we adopt to avoid pain in the knee are just as much of a problem as the original cause itself.

Kyle Kiesel, PhD, PT helped us through an eval process to identify core imbalances that affect far more than just the core.

And finally, Dr Bob Wilder guided us through the process of guiding you back to your running in explaining the best return to run programs after an injury.

Clinicans getting to know their feet: a scene from our lab session

And that doesn’t even mention the incredible lab session on Saturday by Brian Hoke, Kyle Kiesel, Dr Mark Cuccuzzella, myself, and the amazing cookies that I ate at the afternoon break. Egos were dropped at the door, and we all got down to the same level to help runners do what they love: run.

As always, the conference returns next year……

Podcast with Jay Dicharry: A discussion with Healthynomics

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I did an audio podcast with Mark Kennedy of Healthnomics.com yesterday. Check out the link, and you’ll get to hear some great discussion on runners as athletes, running form, and footwear. You can even listen to it while you run!

Reminder: webinar on running form, mobility, and strength -Feb 26th!

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Hey gang – Just got back from speaking at a great USATF Level 3 conference in Costa Mesa, CA, this weekend. I’ll have some highlights to post from that event later on. But for today, I wanted to send out a reminder about the USA Triathlon webinar I’ll be conducting tomorrow, Tuesday Feb 26th.

If you’d like to register, please see this link. And yes, we’ll have some Q and A time.

Hope to see you on the web!

Looking ahead to 2013

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For writers, wordpress sends us these snazzy year end reports to see how you are fairing in the e-world. And one thing is interesting in my summary. While the reader base is still growing, the most popular posts on this blog aren’t new. In fact some of the most popular content on here is from last year. This means that people are coming to this site as a reference for quality information. Or it could mean that the “tight pants” video I linked from Jimmy Fallon turned everyone off…..

In any case, I’m not going to discuss the past, because there’s a search engine for that. But looking forward, what’s planned for 2013? More help for you.

Expanded Focus on Athletic skill: My book has been embraced by runners, but its also been embraced by non-runners. Every athlete needs to know how to keep their chassis in tune as they train their engine. Well rounded athletes recover faster from training stress, better prevent injury, and slow the effects of aging on your body. Better foundation = better performance. And a lot of it is just plain fun!
More content on other sports: Guess what? No one knows everything. Looking at other sports can help you learn more about other training strategies and tricks that may help you. And if you are a cyclist or swimmer, you’re really going to be happy looking forward. And we are even going to discuss weights, strength, speed, and power. We are going to make you better.
Current information: I’m speaking at 10 different conferences between now and August. I believe that knowledge shouldn’t stay in the hands of the teacher. I’ll be looking to post relevant new findings being spread around the conference circuit to help us all enrich our exchange of information.

Video: A word is a word. A picture is apparently worth a thousand. Well, sometimes words and pictures still aren;t worth as much as seeing something in realtime. Expect to see more video content on here.

So it’s the New Year. As a reader, you’ve seen every blog out there flaunt their “top posts for 2012!” Well, since there are less than 50 posts on this blog, making a “top 10 posts” post is a little ridiculous. But wordpress sends out these snazzy year end reports to authors letting them know how they are doing. And one thing is interesting in my summary. The most popular posts on this blog aren’t new. In fact some of the most popular content on here is from last year. This means that people are coming to this site as a reference for quality information. Or it could mean that the “tight pants” video I linked from Jimmy Fallon recently turned everyone off…..

In any case, I’m not going to discuss the past, because there’s a search engine for that. But looking forward, what’s planned for 2013? More help for you.

Expanded Focus on Athletic skill: My book has been embraced by runners, but its also been embraced by non-runners. Every athlete needs to know how to keep their chassis in tune as they train their engine. Well rounded athletes recover faster from training stress, better prevent injury, and slow the effects of aging on your body. Better foundation = better performance. And a lot of it is just plain fun!
More content on other sports: Guess what? No one knows everything. Looking at other sports can help you learn more about other training strategies and tricks that may help you. And if you are a cyclist or swimmer, you’re really going to be happy looking forward. We are even going to discuss weights, strength, speed, and power. We are going to make you better.
Current information: I’m speaking at 10 different conferences between now and August. I believe that knowledge shouldn’t stay in the hands of the teacher. I’ll be looking to post relevant new findings being spread around the conference circuit to help us all enrich our exchange of information.
Video: A word is a word. A picture is apparently worth a thousand. Well, sometimes words and pictures still aren;t worth as much as seeing something in realtime. Expect to see more video content on here. Warning: hair and make-up budget is zero dollars.

Here’s to getting out of your rut, and exploring your world – Happy New Year!!!

Runner’s World likes Anatomy for Runners…. now on Kindle

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Call me a retro grouch. I got my first cell phone (kicking and screaming) in 2011. And I like having a book in hand to fold pages, highlight, and scribble. But I’m not the majority. People have been asking for the Kindle version, and its now live. And if you are nostalgic like me, the print version is still there as well.

And if you’d like to see what others are saying, Eliz@beth Maiuolo, a blogger for Runner’s World had a nice review of the book here.

More free books on the east coast, from Two Rivers Treads

Class in session! Upcoming Talks for Runners, Coaches, and Clinicians

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One of my favorite things is teaching. Sure I like the human body and what its capable of, but more importantly, I like the challenge of trying to teach average-Joe runner, their college coach, and their physicians and therapists. Each of these groups has a different education, different background, and different expectations, but they all want to learn to be better. Its my hope that I can offer some specific help to all of them.

I went to a class on teaching once, and learned a thing or 5000 about how we absorb and interpret information. To really enable someone to learn, you had to challenge the student to the point that their previous thought process is shattered. By poking holes in what we think, and replacing them with what we know, your and frame of understanding is shifted forever. Its my job to get you to think critically, so that you can think for yourself.

Since I get lots of people asking when my next talk is, I thought I’d share a few upcoming events in case folks were interested. Always good to cram more stuff in you brain.

Wed Dec 5th, 2013: The Running Event in Austin, TX – the annual conference for the Independent Running Retailer Association. Saucony is gracious enough to bring me in to discuss the mechanics of running. The more your local running retail staff knows about running the more they’ll be able to help you. I’ll also be doing book signings if anyone needs stocking stuffer.

Jan 20-21st, 2013: The Speed Summit in Morristown, NJ, an official USATF Level 3 Coaching Education Seminar. Want to save a few bucks? During checkout, type in “Dicharry” in the code box and you’ll save $10. Also if you print out the form and mail it in, you’ll also save an extra $9 dollar processing fee. I’ll be giving two talks: “How to prepare the body for optimal speed and strength training” and “How to screen for zebras in a field of horses.” But enough about me though….there are some major heavy hitters speaking. I’m really looking forward to this event.

Feb 23rd-24th, 2013: The Running Summit in Costa Mesa, CA, an official USATF Level 3 Coaching Education Seminar. And if you decide to attend, type in “Jay” in the code box during your checkout and you’ll save $10 dollars. An impressive weekend of discussion from some of the country’s most prominent coaches. As for me, I’ll be giving two talks: “Stretching, Strengthening, and Screening: Answers to questions to help your runners run” and “How shoes impact your form and how your form impact your shoes”

March 8-9th, 2013: The 10th Annual UVA Running Medicine Conference: From the Lab to the Clinic. This one really is near and dear to me. This started as a vision a decade ago when Founding-board members Dr. Robert Wilder, Eric Magrum, and myself came together to see what would happen if we had the first running-only medical education conference. Well, what began with 50 people mushroomed to over 240 of the most passionate running-specific healthcare providers in North America gathering to discuss better care for their patients. Its our 10th year! Thanks to all of you for your support over the years as we aim to give you the best experience possible. I’ll present “What to expect when you’re expecting: how clinical lab measures translate to gait.” But don’t come just for my talk! We’ve got a host of talented presenters, including the one and only Dr. Rodger Kram from CU-Boulder. Whenever I get some great brainwave creep into my head that I think is new, I’ll research it and sure enough, Dr Kram already found it out years ago. He’s brilliant and an amazing presenter that we are luck to have. And yes -there is a lab session yet again on Saturday and space is limited. Check out the link for full content.

April 19th and 20th: Care for the Injured Cyclist in Ann Arbor, MI. Yes, time to switch gears – literally. We’ll delve into the finer points of bike fit from both the performance and injury aspect, discuss how cycling contributes to chronic problems, and cover novel ways to improve on-the-bike stabilization and technique drills for efficiency. Don’t have the reg link for this one yet, but I’ll post it when I do.

Whew. that’s a lot for now. And somewhere in here, I need to fit in a ski trip!

Hope to see you in class.

an athlete's body