Old School Training

"I've never been really scientific about my training.  I've never worn a heart monitor.  I just go out and run the way I feel, and a lot of my training partners and friends think I'm crazy for running hard all the time and training.  But if I feel strong I run hard.  If I don't I don't, and that's the way I operate."

-Joan Benoit Samuelson

Joan Benoit Samuelson is marathon runner.  She won the gold medal in the women's marathon in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.  Before that year there was no women's marathon in the Olympics.  The longest women's Olympic running distance up until then was 1500m (just under a mile).  Apparently some men that organized the event were afraid that the distance would be too grueling for women.  Others were concerned that women who trained to compete at long distances would no longer be able to bear children.

Samuelson ran the race in 2:24.52 in the heat and smog of summer in L.A.  Her time was fast enough to win 23 of the 30 previous men's Olympic marathons.  Only six women did not finish the race that day, the best completion rate of any Olympic marathon.  (Gabriela Anderson Schiess from Switzerland dragged herself toward the finish line for the last 400m.  Although she finished in 37th place, she became a symbol of courage for many.)

Last week (November 1st) at the age of 52 Joan Benoit Samuelson ran the New York Marathon in 2:49.09, setting a new record for the 50+ division.  She finished 17th overall.  I guess that she was feeling strong and ran hard, the same way that she trains.  She is a woman who listens to her heart... not a heart monitor.

Sub-failure Injury

What is "sub-failure"? Is that like taking a test and getting a D+?

Sub-failure, when it comes to injury, is common. There is usually pain or discomfort involved, but there is not an acute failure of the tendon, ligament, muscle, disc, or bone. It is more of a disruption in the fibers of the connective tissue. This causes a problem in the way these fibers line up and work together.

Imagine a forest full of trees. If a significant portion were cut or burned down, that would be a failure. Now imagine that none of them are cut or burned down... but the ground underneath is so soft and the trees are so big that some of the trees are almost uprooted and are leaning on other trees. We do not imagine a complete failure here, but we do imagine a major structural and functional problem. This could be considered a sub-failure in the forest system.

Now imagine a muscle full of hundreds of thousands of muscle fibers. You might image that a complete failure might include a tear in the muscle, or a tear of the tendon that attaches the muscle to the bone. Instead, what if none of the fibers were torn, but were pulling each other in different directions causing pain, spasm, and discomfort? MRI or CT scan would reveal a muscle "WNL" or, "within normal limits". The person may feel pain, discomfort, spasm, and decreased strength. We do not imagine a complete failure here, but we do imagine a structural and functional problem. This could be considered a sub-failure injury.

Several different studies (1,2,3,4) reveal that an estimated 85% of patients with low back pain do not have a definitive diagnosis. That is because the model of injury is flawed and outdated. When we take a step back to see the forest through the trees we can see that sub-failure injury is a common problem in these cases.

Many health care practitioners who work with athletes can help with this, including chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapist, acupuncturists, and medical doctors. Ask around and find a good one. (Your health care provider will also rule out more rare and serious causes of low back pain.)

Another person who can help your body heal from sub-failure injury is your friendly neighborhood Crossfit coach. They teach you to move your body with proper position and form through full range of motion to train your muscles and joints to work together. They will help, but they can not do it for you. Don’t be afraid to take a step back in your training. Focus on form and technique through complete range of motion. Focus on form first, and then build intensity. The results will be astounding.

Last but not least you should include at least these two things in your arsenal for rehab and recovery. Every Crossfitter should own a foam roller and an ice pack. In true Crossfit style these two items are incredibly effective, widely available, and very affordable. Foam rolling helps break up fibrous adhesions and spasm that prolong healing. Ice reduces pain and inflammation.*

The number one person who helps you heal from sub-failure is you. You eat the food. You get the rest. You do the exercises. Whether or not you ask for help, you work through your own rehab and recovery. How you do each one of these is up to you.

*Contraindications to foam rolling may include fracture, bleeding, burns, broken bones, cancer, osteoporosis, acute infectious disease, open lesions or sores, blood clots, or varicose veins. Contraindications to ice may includeprevious history of frostbite, conditions or diseases of decreased circulation such as Raynaud’s disease or diabetes, metabolic conditions such as gout or rheumatoid arthritis, or if you are really, really cold.

(1) Bigos, S MD "Acute Low Back Pain in Adults" Clinical Practice Guideline No. 14. AHCPR Publication No. 95–0642,Dec. 1994

(2) Devo, R MD, MPH Scientific American August 1998; p 48-53

(3) Kool, Jan et al. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 2004; 36: 49-62

(4) Wiesel, S MD, “Diagnostic Precision Still Elusive. Backletter 2005; 20(4): 48

Squishy Shoes

(Once again I am preaching to the choir to most of the people that are reading this.  Hopefully there is some new information or perspective for those that already know the detriments of squishy shoes.)

Last week we were performing the mighty deadlift.  I was sharing the platform with two others, including a veteran crossfitter and a newbie.  The newbie was appreciative of tips and pointers from myself and the veteran until we mentioned that he might want to do this one barefoot.  He looked at us both like we told him to do something unspeakable with a kettlebell, and then went on about a rant about how the workout is about doing the hard work and lifting the weight and not what you are or aren't wearing on your feet.  I quickly agreed that the hard work is the most important part, and pointed out some of his hard work was being absorbed by his squishy shoes.

Crossfit has challenged me to rethink my shoe choices.  I used to wear a pair of cushioned running shoes.  I thought that I needed the extra cushion due to my size, and my chronic knee problems.  Once again, I was wrong.

In chapter 3 of Redesigning the Brain by Norman Doige, MD he writes that "Gross motor control declines as we age leading to loss of balance, risk of falls, and difficulty with mobility.  This decline... is cause by the decrease in sensory feedback from our feet.  Shoes worn for decades limit the sensory feedback from our brains to our feet to our brain.  If we went barefoot, our brains would receive many different kinds of input as we walked over uneven surfaces."  He adds that as we age "we may start to use canes, walkers, or crutches or rely on other sense to steady ourselves.  By resorting to these compensations instead of exercising out failing brain systems, we hasten their decline."

Squishy shoes... bad for your deadlift and bad for the brain.

(So far, my switch to a pair of shoes with minimal cushion has been a welcome change.   For me it's been a pair of Onitsuka Tigers - Mexico 66.)

Survey Question

The following paragraph is from an article in Sports Illustrated in April 1997; "Over the Edge" by Bamberger and Yaeger.

"Bob Goldman, MD has conducted this survey every 2 years since 1982 and has gotten more or less of the same response each time.  A poll of 198 sprinters, swimmers, powerlifters and other athletes, mostly US Olympians:  'You are offer a banned performance enhancing substance that comes with two guarantees:  1) You will not be caught.  2) You will win every competition you enter for the next 5 years, and then you will die from the side effects of the substance.  Would you take it?'  More than half the athletes said yes."

Bummer.

Now if you had told me that 198 bluesmen went to a crossroads in Mississippi and hypothetically more than 50% would agree to a deal with the devil, I would say that sounds like it’s the nature of the blues business… but 50% of competitive elite athletes? 

Ordinarily this is the point where I would go on a rampage about the devastating effects of steroids and other drugs.  But this survey includes the premise that the user would die after five years, specifically from side effects of their drug use!  And yet more than half of all the athletes surveyed said yes to this “what if” scenario.

Dr. Goldman’s survey was only hypothetical.  The sad truth is that performance enhancing drugs can be used without getting caught… for a while anyway.  Steroids can be used without getting sick from them… for a while anyway.  Total victory for a five year period cannot be promised, but we can look to professional sports such as baseball, and most of the greatest players since Babe Ruth have been known steroid users.  (…so much for not getting caught.)  Few people who take steroids and other performance enhancing drugs will become famous like Manny Ramirez, or David Ortiz, or Barry Bonds, or Mark McGuire, or Alex Rodriguez, or Sammy Sosa, or Roger Clemens, or Andy Petit… but that won’t stop millions from trying.

I love Crossfit for its anti-steroid culture.  Unfortunately, the more popular Crossfit becomes and the more competitive it becomes, the more that steroids and other performance enhancing drugs will permeate our sport.

Bummer.

You Vs. You

You are only competing against yourself.  You might hear the footsteps behind you and feel compelled to run faster.  You could be trying to chase down and finish before the person in front of you.  It may seem as if it is you versus the Crossfit world trying to get the fastest time with the heaviest weight for the most repetitions, but it's just you... you versus you and your times, weights and scores from yesterday.

 

When you are fighting for every last pullup during "Fran" no one is trying to knock you off of the pullup bar.  As you race for 150 wallball shots during the workout "Karen" no one is trying to take the ball from you, or swat it back before it hits the wall.  If Murphy himself could cheer you on for the last mile of a workout God knows he would, but no one is running in the opposite path trying to stop you from the finish line.

 

The person next to you could be stronger, faster, and more agile.  It could be because they worked much harder for a much longer period of time then you could possibly imagine.  It could be because they are "a natural" who was born with the genetic predisposition to become a one man army.  Or maybe the person who flew past you never got their chin over the bar, or did a single honest pushup.  Maybe the score of a person that beat your score was steroid enhanced and drug fueled.  It doesn't matter what someone else does.  It is not you versus them.  It is you versus you.  The goal is not to measure yourself against someone else to make you feel either better or worse about yourself.  The whole point of Crossfit is not to get better at Crossfit.  It is to get better at life.  The goal is to work harder to continually improve yourself, that one day you will surpass any goal you could have dreamed.