By Dr. Michael Cerami

Injuries can be a real problem for the beginner or advanced runner. Because there are many causes of injuries, you can save yourself some time and money if, before you self-treat, you accurately assess what you are experiencing.

The athlete should first observe the problem with a few things in mind. When did the symptom begin? Did the pain come on suddenly or gradual? How long does/did it last? Have you had it before? Is the pain in the same location? I find that if patients will focus on 3 things; Frequency, Intensity and Duration (FID) it will really help them determine if they are getting better or worse as they work their way through possible solutions. I strongly suggest people write these things down or log them in their phone. It’s too easy to forget or misinterpret problems 3 days after the situation began. Tracking the changes will help your thinking brain create an anchor for your emotional brain so you can make effective choices on whether to continue running, try something new or validate your improvement. Too often we humans go to one extreme or the other; “It stills hurts!” or “I’m all fixed!” We tend to think in absolutes not percentages of change. As difficult as it may be, try and rate the changes from day to day and see what direction you’re headed in.

Think positive but be realistic. If you start experiencing pain less than 4 weeks before your big race you have some options:

1. Take a few days off and see if the problem resolves itself.
2. Continue to run and hope you don’t injure yourself further. (My feeling is that if you are willing to take responsibility for the outcome, experiment if necessary). This approach is a little easier to employ if you don’t have any races after this event so you can recover fully.
3. Self-treat with Epsom Salt soaks, ice, magnesium spray, RockTape, Trigger Point therapy.
4. Seek professional help from a sports medicine therapist or doctor.

I suggest you make your decisions based on the feeling you want AFTER the event is over. If you can’t get over being disappointed if you don’t run, then maybe run but don’t hold yourself to a specific outcome, just focus on completion. I did this last year at the Salt Lake ½ Marathon. I missed most of my training but didn’t want to “bag” the race because emotionally and mentally I really wanted to set a new direction for the year. So I decided to run it and not worry about my time and just tough it out. Even though I hurt like crazy afterward, I felt great inside. Another idea: Make a commitment to a new race so you can keep your fitness base.

The dialogue that we have with ourselves in these moments becomes a fine art of internal negotiation where we can learn a lot about what we’re made of. Life is never linear even though we so want it to be. As an athlete you can enjoy the ride more if you spend some time looking out the window and taking a few notes during your journey.

Dr. Michael Cerami is an avid runner, cyclist and triathlete. He is available for a no charge consultation one Saturday per month at The Salt Lake Running Company (700 East store) by appointment. He can be reached at 801-486-1818 or online at www.utahsportsandwellness.com

Whether you are doing a RAGNAR Relay, Red Rock Relay, 18 Hours of Ogden Relay, or any other relay this Summer, we’ve got all the things you need to have a successful event. Collectively, our staff has over 350 years of running experience and has run over 30 relays.  We will be able to tell you what you do need, what you don’t need, and what you should prepare for.  For more information, come to our Relay Clinic. It will be held on May 24th and May 31 at 6:00 pm.

For starters, here is a handy checklist of MUST HAVES, things we AND most the Relay organizers feel are ABSOLUTELY necessary to have.

• Reflective vest-Required
• Head lamp-Required
• Flashing light (tail light)-Required
• Hydration system
• Extra water bottles
• Energy Drink
• Blister/First Aid Kit
• Bodyglide
• Hat or Visor
• Sunglasses
• Energy Gels/Blocks
• Sun Screen
• Ice
• Warm Clothes
• Drinking Water
• Drenching water
• Real Food
• Cooler
• DEODORANT!!!

The following is a list of things you will most certainly wish you had. These items are NOT required, but will certainly make your experience all the better, and not just for you, but for your van-mates as well.

• Shower wipes
• Extra pair of shoes
• A different outfit for each leg of the relay
• Extra socks
• The Stick or some sort of massage stick
• Compression apparel
• Compression calf sleeves
• Electrolyte supplements
• Running watch
• Heart monitor
• Speed/Distance monitor
• Alternate Hydration System
• Hand held water bottle with strap
• Book/Magazine
• Music
• Wash cloth
• Blanket
• Pillow
• Sleeping bag
• Extra cash
• Advil/Tylenol
• More food and water
• Games/Entertainment
• Camera/Video
• Washable Window Markers

Whether you are a first time relay racer, or a long time veteran, we have the knowledge and experience to help you find the things you need to make your relay a success. If you are a first-timer, don’t worry. You will love the events and you will feel like a hero at the finish!

For more information, we are hosting a Relay Clinic on Thursday May 24th and Thursday May 31st at our 700 E store at 6:00pm. Come with all your questions. We will have course maps for all the major relays, people there to answer your questions (including people who have run your very same legs of the races!)

If you are a runner there are many perks for becoming a part of the Salt Lake Running Company sales team. In fact, this could be the best job you will ever have. If you are passionate about helping others, willing to learn, and have a solid personal running background please fill out our Application and either email it to travis@saltlakerunningco.com or drop it by any of our store locations.

DOWNLOAD APPLICATION

I had the absolute privilege of speaking with Diane Van Deren this past weekend. The following blog post was derived from our conversation.

Diane is coming to speak at Salt Lake Running co. on Tuesday April 24th at 7:00 p.m.  All Attendees need to secure tickets by visiting www.thenorthface.com/speakerseries. General Admission tickets are sold out, reserved seating is $8, and VIP seating is $20 and includes a post-lecture reception with delicious food and a meet and greet with Diane. All money raised will go directly to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The other day I had a realization about how athletes motivate themselves. It happened because BJ made a movie montage of motivational clips for our morning spin class. As the montage went along, I found I couldn’t really relate to it, because it was all about men and their experiences in sport. Men getting huge lifting, hitting things, bonding with other men, getting yelled at by other men. This is nothing against BJ, he is not a sexist by any means, he just made a video that motivates him based on his experiences as a man.

I was already planning to write this blog about how women motivate themselves before this incident, but it made me feel even more passionate about it. It seems there is a wealth of resources for men to motivate themselves (granted not all of these are healthy for their psyches), but women don’t. Mostly women have pictures of skinny, fit women to motivate them. They cut out, “pin”, and look at other fit women’s bodies, as a goal for their fitness. I’m not saying women can’t or shouldn’t do this, but I think its important to understand the possible implications this can have on women’s body image and self-esteem.

I am currently getting my Master’s degree in Health Promotion and Education with an emphasis in eating disorders and obesity prevention. Through my studies I have learned so much about the huge risk women have at developing negative body image and eating disorders. For example, there have been studies showing that young women’s levels of self-esteem and body satisfaction decrease when they start exercising. That seems counter-intuitive. However, many people see exercise as a way to lose weight, control or morph their bodies, rather than doing it for the intrinsic values. This can lead to a decrease in their body and self esteem, as well as an increase in disordered eating (calorie counting and restriction, bingeing, avoiding certain foods, avoiding eating when hungry, feeling guilt after eating, etc). Disordered eating affects a large majority of females but especially female athletes, ranging from 30-67% depending on the study. There are a lot of reasons for this, Western culture’s “thin ideal”, media images, gym culture, and the one I find most interesting, self-objectification. This theory posits that women’s bodies are constantly viewed, evaluated, and potentially seen as objects. As women experience this they can begin to think of their own bodies as objects, making them hyper-aware of appearance, more likely to feel body shame, and not recognize how their body feels. Interestingly enough they are less likely to experience that awesome feeling you get when you are working out, where the world fades away and rhythm takes over called “flow.”

Basically what I’m saying is that looking at other those “motivational” pictures of fit women flexing, can be doing more than motivate you. They encourage looking at other women’s bodies as objects, rather than what they are, bodies, belonging to people, with personalities, and goals. Women are more than just bodies to be looked at, not to say that bodies (of all shapes and sizes) can’t be strong, powerful and beautiful. Yet, looking at these ideal images generally make us compare ourselves, leaving us feeling de-valued.

As an athlete I have struggled with body image, even with steady compliments on my physique, which probably just made me focus on “looking like an athlete” even more. After reading the literature I recognize the sources of this negativity in my life and I finally feel like my body isn’t something to shape and pinch at for fat, or something to be looked at. It feels like my body, that I do awesome things in and I don’t care what people think of it cause I don’t get fit to look a certain way.