I am now in full swing in preparation for the race in Antarctica on March 9th. I am running about 30 to 35 miles per week. I have found a great pair of socks made by Drymax that kept me warm during the recent polar vortex. I also wear a Gore-Tex running jacket and pants. Layering is the key and I use leggings and a long sleeve cold gear shirt underneath, not to mention a balaclava to keep my face and neck warm. Getting used to running in the cold is a challenge not only to find the right clothing, but I have been running in parking lots late at night so that I can best re-create the temperatures of the South Pole. This is supposed to be fun….Right?
Re-Energized
I just returned from an interesting 5 day spa visit. Our San Francisco friends, Barbi and Warren asked us to join them as they had been to this destination before and loved it. They are the newest of our old friends and we were happy to be there with them. The spa idea generally doesn’t appeal to me as it conjures up facials and massages and things that seem to me to be a bit of a waste of time. I have had a change in my thinking (and joined the 21st century, my wife tells me). This spa provided high intensity, focused fitness classes every hour all day long. Sue and I, like most guests, took part in 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. fitness classes and after lunch, backed off and did spa stuff. I was up at 6:00 a.m. and on a hike or run for an hour before 8:00 am breakfast. Ray, a great guy from Rhode Island, and Ed, a young successful entrepreneur from Malibu, were valued partners in this early morning ritual. Sue slept in.
My schedule, which I would receive at breakfast for that day’s classes, I religiously stuck to. There was no competition or awkwardness that can accompany learning something new in front of others. My experience with TRX is a good example of a great work out where I looked ridiculous as I wrestled the two straps on and off my hands feet while trying to stay in a plank. No one seemed to notice or care. We met very nice people largely in their 50s and 60s looking to recharge. The 3 or 4 large French dining tables at mealtime meant you ate and talked with others. The small 30 guest resort quickly made for a feeling of community. That distinguished the experience at Cal-A-Vie. We shared a few laughs mid afternoon over a ¼ glass protein shake or sitting arm to arm on a compact love seat waiting for a treatment. It was intimate, interesting and unexpected conversations often arose. One gentleman asked if I would go into business with him. Thinking about it. Back home in Indiana, I feel inspired and lighter as a result of my week at Cal-A-Vie.
Running Tips: Stretching Your IT Band
Every runner should set a personal goal to have fun and stay motivated during training or running for exercise. Recently, I was forced to update and reevaluate my running goals due to IT (Iliotibial) Band pain.
I’m almost 50 and I have experienced IT Band pain as a side effect of my training. This summer was particular rough on my body. The pain is gone now, but in June I woke up, my thigh felt tight, and one knee ached incessantly. This was a new issue for me, but it is not uncommon in runners.
My legs need regular stretching. I’m tall (and shrinking fast, says my wife, Sue) and I do not have the typical thin runner’s build. Flexibility is the key to my longevity as a runner, and is can be extremely beneficial to you if you want to take up the hobby.
As you can see in the graphic, the IT Band is a fibrous tissue that runs from the hip toward the knee on the outside of the thigh. Soreness can occur anywhere along the thigh where the IT Band sits, but pain is usually felt at the knee. IT Band pain is caused by excessive friction when in motion, especially during a run.
As a tall, not-so-flexible runner in middle age, I must stretch as part of my weekly training or I will not be running pain free in another 5 years. IT Band irritation can take its toll if not properly treated or prevented.
In my orthopedic practice, I see runners with IT Band pain all the time. I see it at all ages, in all genders and at all levels of commitment. This irritating pain is most often due to a lack of flexibility. The pain can be caused by a few things, including overuse or weakness in muscles.
If you are like me and not naturally flexible, incorporate some stretching into your daily routine. Even 5 minutes of good stretching will be immensely beneficial to your workout. At home, I sit on the living room floor fighting off my dogs who think it’s play time and stretch for 5 minutes. That’s all it takes!
I hope you’ve learned enough from this update to start working good stretching into your running habits to avoid IT Band pain. Keep an eye out for future updates on my cross-training for the arctic marathon and an outline of good winter exercises for year-round running.
Rainbow Inspiration
October means crisp invigorating temperatures, bright blue skies and a vivid sunrise. I was running a week ago as the sun set. It was warm, rained for 10 minutes and as the sky cleared, this is what appeared.
Isn’t it beautiful? Running is not only great for your body and physical fitness- it’s also a great, reinvigorating shot of life for your emotional well being. I hope to see many more mornings like this during my training.
Today I ran and felt great. I run short distances in the early morning to wake up. The end of fall is a great time to appreciate cool but not frigid temperatures and work towards improving your running time. I make sure to run 3 to 4 miles a day to keep my legs, head and heart in good working order, and I’ll keep pushing harder as we get closer to the arctic marathon.
My Return to Blogging and the Antarctica Marathon
I’m back from a summer off and excited to get back to the blog. I plan to write an update each Tuesday. My goal is to bring you along through my weekly blogging on my discovery and planning for an upcoming Antarctica Marathon on March 2015.
Antarctica
2015
Soon I will be on my way! Now I am enjoying summer in Indiana!
The Doctor Other Doctors Choose
Walking the Talk
Boston Marathon 2014
Orthopedic Surgeon and Marathon runner Darryl Tannenbaum, advises his patients to stay healthy by staying active. And he walks the talk, or more accurately, he runs the talk.
This Harvard Medical School graduate relocated to the Midwest 20 years ago to practice Orthopedics in Indiana, the state where “the largest hip and knee implant companies in the world are headquartered” to practice medicine.
Darryl will be running his second Boston Marathon, which has a lot of personal meaning. He began running just 5 years ago in his mid forties. “After the bombing last year I wanted to run in a place I called home for nearly 10 years to show my support of the Boston victims and their families. I am not alone. I’m thrilled I got a coveted spot in this race.”Continue Reading
Darryl’s reflection in Service: Aid to Victims
Haiti Feb 27 – March 7 2010
We left for the airport in the USA with some reservations. We knew that we were doing the right thing, but we were all afraid. What other choice was there? We were the luckiest people on earth, able to help and make a difference. “You are an orthopedic surgeon who can help”, my wife said to me as we watched the news which showing photos of the mass chaos in Haiti, from the comfort of our Indiana living room.
The Haiti earthquake was the biggest orthopedic disaster that anyone could imagine or recall. Our flight to PAP airport in Haiti from the states was just three weeks after the disaster. This was not a long flight time from Miami, but it felt like hours. What would we see? On our approach to PAP, we saw destruction from the sky on the coast and city. Buildings toppled over on their side, dirt, and in places it appeared quiet.
What was surprising and most impressive as we made our final approach, were the many US naval ships at sea that we spotted, including the USS Comfort. It was massive, white in color with multiple red crosses on its hull and decks. We landed and were told by Bob Caudle who had our instructions on how to get from the airport to the hospital, we should “look for a dwarf or a one-armed man named Jackson” and that they would get to St. Damien Hospital. I knew right then and there, whatever I anticipated this medical mission to be, I couldn’t possibly have imagined.