Runners: A quick trick to increase your weekly mileage - remembering your rave runs?

Positive Memories Good for Improving Running Performance

by Kathleen Lisson

An amazing run in Washington DC a few years ago... 

A recent article on the Triathlete website by Mackenzie Lobby Havey titled 'Study Finds Recalling Positive Memories Can Impact Performance' discussed the effects of a study published in the journal 'Memory.' According to the study results, college athletes exercised more when they made a habit of remembering good training experiences.

I go through phases where I am super eager to get out there and log some miles, and periods of time when I have to drag myself into my running shoes to stick to my training schedule. I am interested to see if setting aside time to remember great running experiences will help me stick to a hard training schedule.

Read the article here: http://triathlon.competitor.com/2015/06/training/study-finds-recalling-positive-memories-can-impact-performance_117976

Read the abstract for the study, conducted by University of New Hampshire psychologists Mathew J. Biondolillo and David B. Pillemer and titled 'Using memories to motivate future behaviour: An experimental exercise intervention' here: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09658211.2014.889709

mPEAK 3 day intensive mindfulness training for athletes in San Diego

mPEAK Mindfulness Training 3 Day Intensive Meditation Class in San Diego

by Kathleen Lisson

mPEAK Intensive Particicpants - San Diego Meditation Class

I recently attended a 3 day intensive training in mPEAK mindfulness training in San Diego.  Before the training, athletes were asked to read three books about mindfulness, Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges, The Mindful Brain: Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being by Daniel J. Siegel and Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence.

I have taken the 8 week mPEAK class, sponsored by the UCSD Center for Mindfulness, earlier in 2015, so I was interested to see how the teachings had been adjusted to fit into a 3 day format. For more information on the program, visit the Mindful Performance Enhancement, Awareness & Knowledge website here: http://mbpti.org/mpeak/

Kathleen Lisson Headshot and Bio

Kathleen Lisson is a Board Certified Massage Therapist and Certified Lymphedema Therapist with oncology massage training, a trained Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator, MMI Certified Meditation Instructor and ACE certified Personal Trainer. She specializes in reducing swelling after plastic or orthopedic surgery. 

Kathleen has worked as a Primary Instructor at the International Professional School of Bodywork in San Diego teaching Mindfulness and Meditation and lecturing on Massage for Special Populations. She teached Peggy Huddleston's 'Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster' workshop at OASIS and in various locations around San Diego. 

Releasing the Psoas and Pelvis with Active Release Therapy

Active Release Therapy at Fix Body Group in Hillcrest, San Diego

by Kathleen Lisson

I had the good fortune to be worked on by Sam Wagg from Fix Body Group in Hillcrest after my tough Half Marathon run at the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon / Half Marathon in May. Sam invited me back to his office for some treatment, including releasing my Psoas muscle. He used Active Release Therapy, which, according to the ART website, is a "movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves." As a massage therapy student, I was interested in how this type of massage could benefit me as an injured long distance runner.

Massaging my psoas was just one of the ART techniques that Sam performed. I found running easier after he addressed my psoas, pelvis rotation, adductors and hamstrings. I would recommend Fix Body group to a fellow athlete looking to improve his or her performance. I am now working with Brett Buckmaster at Fix Body group to improve my running form and biomechanics. I found myself using my quadriceps and external rotators, including my piriformis muscle, to run instead of my glutes and hamstrings, which was wearing down my body and causing injuries and soreness.

A video of Dr. Leach from Las Vegas performing the psoas protocol is here: https://youtu.be/QQVRrLYa3Xo

Mental Training Tips from Chrissie Wellington in Triathlete World

Meditation for Runners and Triathletes

Meditation Cushion and Running Shoes 

by Kathleen Lisson

In the Triathlete's World article "Chrissie Wellington's Racing Tips," Julie-Anne Ryan shares Ironman World Champion Chrissie Wellington's mental strategies for winning a triathlon. A few of her tips are familiar - I try to chunk a half marathon course into sections in my mind in order to not feel overwhelmed. I liked her idea to listen to meaningful music as she previews the course to create a good memory she can draw upon during the race. Her second to last tip is to stay in the moment. I have found that meditation is great practice for strengthening my 'stay in the moment' mental muscle.   

Do you use any of Chrissie Wellington's racing tips?

Read the Triathlete World article here: http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/triathlete/triathlon-racing/chrissie-wellingtons-racing-tips/6849.html

Where to Get a Running Analysis in San Diego

Where to Get a Running Analysis in San Diego

By Kathleen Lisson

After struggling for years with injuries that stopped my ability to run for weeks and months at a time and last winter's ankle sprain, I am ready to put a stop to my running injuries and build a stronger body. I am running the La Jolla Half Marathon this weekend and want to strengthen my legs to be able to run the San Diego Rock and Roll Half Marathon in May 2015 and run the Triple Crown in 2016.

I have always been fascinated with the idea of getting a personal running analysis, so I made an appointment with physical therapist Nicole Miller at Movement Performance San Diego in Carlsbad. Nicole greeted me and asked about my running history, then put LED markers on my joints and used a high speed video camera and treadmill with pressure/force sensor to record video of my walking and running. The best part was when I could take a look at myself running and really see what my body is doing every step of the way. She then measured my hip strength.

My Running Analysis Video from Movement Performance San Diego

Actually seeing video of my running gave me new insight on how my body moves.

I turns out that my gluteus medius and gluteus maximus are weak and my hip flexors are tight. Nicole gave me a list of exercises I can do to strengthen my hips. I look forward to strengthening my hips and staying uninjured for the rest of the half marathon season. 

How I am activating my hips for long distance running

My Hip Strategy vs. Knee Strategy

by Kathleen Lisson

I'm not a physical therapist, so don't take any of this as medical advice.

I took one huge a-ha away from last weekend's Movement Performance Institute 'Evaluation and Treatment of the Injured Runner: A Biomechanical Approach' class taught by Christopher M. Powers from USC. Long distance runners absorb a lot of shock every time we take a step, and we absorb that shock in our joints and our shoes. Even the best shoes still leave a lot of shock absorbtion for our bodies to handle. How do we handle it? By using our ankles, knees and hips as shock absorbers. Many runners do NOT adequately use their hips to shock absorb, so the burden falls on the knees or ankles. 

From what I heard, we runners can use a 'hip strategy' - let our hips take some of the burden of shock absorption from potentially overburdened ankles and knees. How does this happen? I have been practicing strengthening my glutes with the following exercises. Instead of doing repetitions, I am holding the clamshell, fire hydrant and surfer squat for one minute. 

Clamshell Exercise - https://youtu.be/RNoFmvHkZW0

Fire Hydrant Exercise 




Surfer Squat




Step Down Exercise