Injury Prevention

Due to the physical exertion associated with running, chances are that you will need more sleep than the average couch potato. While the average, healthy adult requires between 8 and 9 hours of sleep a night according to the CDC, athletes are known to sleep for between 9 and 11 hours, depending on their training schedule. Not sleeping enough will not only affect your performance to a great extent but can also end up being extremely harmful as it increases your risk of both illness and injury. While a night of poor sleep may not directly impact your heart, lungs and legs, your brain and its neural system will undoubtedly be lethargic, affecting your perceived efforts and debilitating your performance.
Read More...

So, you’ve made the commitment to take on the trifecta of physical activity: the triathlon. Maybe you see it as a great physical and social outlet? Maybe you’ve decided it is time to see what the hype is about – after all, more than two million people take part in triathlons each year!
Read More...

Andrew Talansky is almost always sore. The 29-year-old spent seven years as a professional cyclist racing for Slipstream Sports. He recently switched to triathlon and now spends hours training both on and off the bike. “I’m using muscles I haven’t used in years,” Talansky says. “My body is constantly inflamed.” Many athletes in his situation rely on common pain relief like ibuprofen, but when Talansky strained a hip flexor last fall, he reached for a bottle of cannabidiol (CBD), an extract from the cannabis plant, instead.
Read More...

The big toe plays a crucial role in standing, walking and many other daily activities. It makes it possible for humans to walk and run upright, and it absorbs forces equal to nearly twice a person’s body weight when walking. With all that the big toe endures, it comes as no surprise that overuse can erode the joint cartilage and cause serious pain and even physical deformities.
Read More...

If you’re bitten by a rattlesnake, you may notice one or two puncture marks made by their large fangs. You’ll usually experience some pain, tingling, or burning in the area where you’ve been bitten. There may also be some swelling, bruising, or discoloration at the site.
Read More...

One of the mysteries of being physically active is when the same workout feels great one week and lousy the next. Why does a routine 4-mile run or hourlong yoga class suddenly morph into the last leg of an Ironman triathlon?
Read More...

Do you experience wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and excessive chest congestion and tightness during or after exercise? If so, you may have exercise induced asthma (EIA). I have had a formal diagnosis of EIA since 1993.
Read More...

After many long hard months of training, recovery prior to that awe-inspiring long distance race is essential. Many runners follow the recommendations of rest, lighter workouts, proper nutrition, ice, stretching and massages, but all too frequently some minor aches and pains just don’t go away. Serious runners and triathletes are always tempted to “work through” that pesky knee pain, that stabbing foot pain, or that calf pain on those arduous hills. I am a victim of that very concept. Although tempting, this runner’s attitude far too often delays recovery and promotes more serious repetitive overuse types of injury.
Read More...