Therapeutic Associates Monroe Physical Therapy will be having a booth at the Monroe YMCA’s 8th Annual Sky Valley Classic fun run on Saturday October 29th, 2016.  Race starts at 10 am.  Contact the Monroe YMCA for details and for race registration at ymca-snoco.org/svc.

Join your local Monroe/Sky Valley Family YMCA community

Experience a 10K, 5K, or 1 Mile route through the City of Monroe and the beautiful Sky Valley, Lewis and Al Borlin Parks.

• Chip timing
• Costume contest
• Dog & stroller friendly (5K & 1-mile only)

1. Good running shoes.  The right shoes should not have discomfort during or after the run.
2. Changes shoes after every 350-500 miles, when you see part of the shoe breakdown or when you experience pain.
3. To make it easier on your joints, exercise on a soft track, flat grassy field to protect your joints, or a treadmill.
4. Warm up for 5 min, stretch, perform your run then gently stretch afterwards
5. Pace yourself if you are new at running or it’s been awhile. I.e., Run for 5 min, then lightly jog for 2 minutes.
6. Run/walk “tall”, keep upper body relaxed, hold your arms at 90 degrees, keep your arms beside your body, and breathe into your stomach vs your chest.
7. Layer clothing to exercise in different conditions
8. Get a fitness app on your phone to track your activities
9. Increase your activity 10% each week to increase endurance
10. To prevent plateauing, change your routine, walk on different terrains, perform interval

With the weather shifting into fall comes the desire for many to continue to  lace up their shoes and head outside for a run. Whether you are a new runner or a seasoned racer, here are some reminders to keep you running safely and healthfully.

Do a dynamic warm-up before starting out on your run
This brings blood flow to your legs and prepares them for run ahead so that you may reduce your risk of injury. Dynamic exercises are stretches done while in motion as opposed to remaining still in a static stretch. Click here to view a few dynamic exercises to do before a run.

Perform static stretches after running for muscles that are sore
Common areas of soreness in running are the quadriceps at the front of the thigh, hamstrings at the back of the thigh, hip rotators at the sides of the hips, and calves.  Click here to view stretches that will help with post-running soreness.
 

Remain hydrated
Drink water throughout the day, and if you will be running longer than 45 minutes in the heat, carry water with you, or run a route through an area that has a drinking fountain.  As the weather gets warmer consider running either early in the morning, or later at night to avoid peak sun times.

Avoid the “Too far, too fast, too soon” paradigm
This leads to injury when you increase your mileage, your duration, or your speed too quickly. When training, increase only one of these per weak, and do so by 10%. For instance if you are focusing on mileage, only increase your mileage by 10% per week. This allows for your muscles, tendons, and ligaments to become stronger and adapt at safe rate to increased force during running.

If you have pain that persists for greater than one week, come see your physical therapist.

Therapeutic Associates

Monroe Physcial Therapy

17792 147th St SE, Monroe, WA 98272