Your First 5K Road Race!

Marathon Monday is less than a week away! Starting in 1897, the Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon bringing in an average of 30,000 registered participants each year. What better motivation is there to convince you to start considering signing up for a 5K?!

First Step…

Find yourself a race that is located somewhere convenient for you and is on a convenient day/time. A good race reference is www.coolrunning.com. Many races are scheduled on weekends throughout the spring and summer all over New England. An awesome race to consider is the Corrib Classic 5K Road Race just over in West Roxbury.
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Second…

Start training! A 5-kilometer race is equal to a distance of about 3.1 miles. You want to make sure you’re body is conditioned to either jog or walk a distance at least equal to 3 miles. If you’ve never walked or run that far, jump on a treadmill and start with a distance less than 3 miles and gradually increase over 3-4 weeks. Try walking for 1 mile on 2 non-consecutive days of the week. See how you feel. If you feel OK then try walking 2 miles the next week. After 3-4 weeks now you’re up to 3-4 miles and YOU ARE READY! Well, almost!

Lastly…

Just because you’ve completed 3 miles walking on a treadmill doesn’t mean you’re ready for 3 miles outside on the pavement. Try your walk run outside at least one day a week. If distance is difficult to measure in your neighborhood then head to the local high school track. Four times around is equal to 1 mile. Try breaking up your distance into intervals.

Want to try mixing in some jogging?
Week 1: Try walking 2 laps, then pick up the pace and jog 1 lap, and finish by walking the last lap. (1 Mile)
Week 2: Up your game! Walk 2 laps, jog 1, walk 2, jog 1. (1.5 Miles)
Week 3: Bump it up a little more! Walk 2 laps, jog 2, walk 2, jog 2, walk 2. (2.5 Miles)
Week 4: You are up to 3 miles, OUTSIDE! (High-five!)
Now pat yourself on the back for all of your hard work!!

Get ready for an amazing feeling of accomplishment when you cross that finish line after completing your first 5K road race.

– Robbie G., Exercise Physiologist at Dedham Health

February 2013 I hurt my back really bad, and unfortunately because of my stubbornness and my age (I no longer had health insurance) I didn’t end up going to the doctors for 7 months and all my back did was get worse and worse. And again because of my stubbornness I continued to work out and work through the pain. By the time august on 2013 rolled around I could barely even walk let alone work out. I finally got some health insurance and made a doctor’s appointment and later found out that I had 2 bulging disk that were essentially touching my sciatic nerve. The pain was so bad I had to crawl my way around the house because I had this horrible burning pain shooting down my leg every time I walked more than 2 feet.

Why am I telling you this? Well Just want to instill the importance of not only stretching, but core strengthening is to your body. I will admit I became extremely lazy when it came to my stretches and my core work so I can only blame myself for the pain that I was in and now have to deal with a completely numb baby toe and numb side of my foot.

I’m no Longer in any pain from 5 months of physical therapy, I have learned my lesson and it is SUPER important to stretch not only your back and hamstrings but all of your body. Also Foam rolling, if you’ve never done it, try it! It works wonders on all parts of my body and prevents me from being less sore from my work out from the previous day.

Ask any Exercise Physiologist today with help learning new stretches or to introduce you to the foam roller!!

Written by Margie Lamir Hegar, PT
Director of Physical Therapy at DHAC

The medical term for this condition is Adhesive Capsulitis.  It has become one of the more common diagnoses that we treat at Physical Therapy at DHAC.  With the increased incidence of Diabetes, and shoulder injuries related to trendy exercise routines that over stress the shoulder, poor posture while computing, texting and tweeting…. we have increased our risk of “frozen shoulder”.

Here are a few good stretches using the TRX that you can incorporate into your workout here at DHAC to prevent Frozen Shoulder.   You folks with Diabetes, watch closely, because it can happen without warning to you and, what’s worse,….on both shoulders!

Not only is TRX great for strengthening but it is an awesome tool we use regularly in PT to help improve the mobility of those stiff shoulders.  The shoulder moves in many planes, more than any other joint in the body.  Let’s focus on the following stretches, those that tend to get super stiff with frozen shoulder:  flexion, extension, abduction, external rotation and internal rotation. Below is a brief description of each stretch.

Flexion:  Stand with your hands on the handles of the TRX.  Walk forward as your arms rise overhead, lunge one leg forward once you cannot walk any further to enhance the overhead stretch.  Hold for 30 seconds.  Repeat twice.

Extension:  Stand holding the handles down by your hips, walk forward to allow your hands to go rearward, extending your shoulders.  Hold the stretch 30 seconds.  Repeat twice.

External Rotation:  Stand with hands in handles and elbows bent to a right angle.  Walk forward until you look like a goal post, lunge one leg forward, hold stretch 30 seconds.  Repeat two times.

Internal Rotation:  One hand at a time, stand facing to the left with the right hand on the handle, palm facing rearward.  Keep turning left until you feel your arm creep up your back.  Hold stretch 30 seconds.  Repeat twice.  Change sides.

Abduction:  Stand facing left with Right hand on handle.  Walk away from TRX and side bend toward the TRX when you cannot go further.  Hold for 30 seconds.  Repeat twice.