Just Another Day in Studville...

Anatomy 102

It is known as the grundle.
Chances are you have never seen your own grundle. You could consider it the South Pole of your torso. Its the epitome of where the sun don't shine. In fact, unless you are performing hand stands at a nudist resort in the middle of the day its unlikely to ever see any sunlight. That's a shame actually since this area could use some fresh air. If you haven't figured out by now which piece of fleshy real estate I'm talking about then I suggest you check out its urban dictionary definition.
Its likely that you have not paid it much attention. But let me tell you why its time we pay our grundle some respect. I happened to be thinking about mine a few times this weekend after workouts. Ever go cycling? Guess what part of you has to be pressed against the seat the whole time? That's right, your grundle. Since it had been awhile for me to do any cycling I felt numbness in my nether regions once I got out of the saddle. And it seems that the northern terminus of the adductor muscles are in the grundle region. Its these adductors that have been flaring up and bothering me for a month now. So after a run I feel the sharp pain down there. Finding the right method of treating these adductor flare-ups naturally involves the grundle. Icing the region helps. Some types of stretching may also help.
Therefore, as endurance athletes it isn't fair to ignore the grundle. It actually plays a vital role in our lives. Take care of it and it will take care of you.

Does running backwards count?

Since I've attributed two IT Band flare-ups over the years to running down a particularly steep hill nearby I have a habit now to run down this hill backwards. Doing so allows me to take it slower and stretch out the muscles in the back of the legs while not over-extending the IT Band. It may sound odd, but it works and I haven't had ITBS since instituting this practice. Anyway, ever since I began this backwards downhill running the thought has occurred to me "Does this actually count as running?" If its not the same as running forward can it be considered running? I'm not going forward and using the muscles in the same fashion. Something this problematic could open up a whole bunch of other debates. When we cycle or use an elliptical trainer we are using many of the same muscles but in a different fashion. Is backwards running another form of cross-training?
So my quest began to answer the riddle of "Is running defined as facing the direction you are going?"
Using dictionary.com I deciphered that the answer is running does not mean you must face the direction you are going. Running is defined as the act of a person that runs. Since that wasn't too helpful I looked up 'run'. Run is defined as to go quickly by moving the legs more rapidly than at a walk and in such a manner that for an instant in each step all or both feet are off the ground. Again, no mention of having to face forward. Following this trail I looked up 'walk'. Walk is defined as to advance or travel on foot at a moderate speed or pace; move by advancing the feet alternately so that there is always one foot on the ground in bipedal locomotion and two or more feet on the ground in quadrupedal locomotion. That's a mouthful and a bit too scientific for me but it says nothing about having to face forward. In fact, it simply states that we need to advance.
Therefore, as these definitions do not rule out going backwards it seems my unorthodox approach qualifies as running.
Now the fun begins. For not only does backwards running count as running, but there is an entire discipline devoted to this technique. Yes, its true! Its called retro running. It has many followers all over this world. And if you want to see something interesting then I suggest you visit  this website that takes the cake for visual stimulation. And I have never before seen a website that is this long!
Most interesting is that there have been studies focusing on the benefits of backwards running, including improving one's balance and reducing the stress upon certain anatomical structures.
This is fascinating stuff!
They even have world records for running backwards over certain distances. And in case you're curious, the backwards marathon record is 3:43. Not bad.

Anatomy 101

Unless you are a pre-med student it seems one thing that the average American doesn't seem to learn enough about is their own bodies. Fortunately, my running hobby has periodically provided me a continuing education in this field of science. I've had to deal with flare-ups to my IT Band several times, a leg stress fracture, and other odd aches and pains. Each time some pain sets in I take the opportunity to find out more about what's happening under my skin. The latest physical annoyance is my right groin area. More accurately, my adductor muscles are inflamed. Which one(s) of the 5 muscles in this group that are  acting up is rather hard to tell. But I can tell you that they can get your attention real quick.
I first noticed some discomfort down there after a long run several weeks ago. Then after another long run I noticed it again. It was minor and didn't bother me for shorter runs, hilly runs, or faster runs. But last week the pain felt like sticking around for awhile. Saturday's long run saw a dull pain and I took Sunday off to give it some rest. Today I decided to test things out with a lunchtime run on the indoor track. Within the first mile I felt it pulling within the first mile. So I shut things down at 2 miles. I see no point in making matters worse so I'm going to play it smart this week and do some swimming and perhaps some light running. And it seems icing down the area should help the inflammation so I'll give that a try.
So while my mileage may be taking a temporary hit at least my brain is getting a workout in learning about my body. 

Benefits from having a Bad Back?

Although I am a fine physical specimen I have suffered with lower back pain for over a decade. My current flare-up is well into its second week but I am finding some relief. 2 appointments with a physical therapist (PT) and a better understanding of the disorder can do that.
In the process I have learned quite a bit about my body. This was also the case when I had a tibia stress fracture in the summer of 2003. Its rather unfortunate that we don't often take to time  to learn about our body until something goes wrong. With the back spams I have learned what causes them, how to avoid setting it off, and how to strengthen the back. So I'm becoming more educated. Please hold your applause.
But there can actually be some physical benefits that come with these back spams. For example, rather than leaning over (bad!) to the sink to wash my hands I am now keeping my back straight and squatting down. This is an excellent way  to strengthen my leg muscles! Add to this my new routine of getting up out of my chair at work periodically for a walk and climb some stairs. A few sets up and down the 7-story building plus the sink squats is building up some serious tree trunks. I'll be setting race PRs left and right soon.
I should point out right here and now that I am NOT dispensing any medical advice. I'm merely summarizing what I'm doing. If you have problems then get thee to a doctor.
Another great benefit comes from one of the key principles for managing your back - strengthening your front. The PT had me start doing an exercise whereby I lie on my back and tighten my abdominal muscles and lift my knees up. So some of these recommendations are going to work my often-neglected abs. You can bet by next summer I'll have the finest 6-pack abs on the beach.