Archive for December, 2012

Amidst the Christmas chaos, I braved the traffic from the South to Makati and successfully made it to the Intercare Blogger’s Night. It was a worthwhile event where I learned about the services that Intercare has to offer (whoa boy, they have a lot!), received a free, and long delayed, consult with popular Chiropractor Dr. Martin Camara, and finally had Rocktape applied on my plantar and calves.

INTERCARE

Before the presentations began, I finally got to chat with Dr. Martin Camara, one of the founders of Intercare, who is an avid mountain biker and triathlete and, surprise surprise, was once a contributor of TBR Magazine. Ironically, we had only met briefly for the first time at the airport last August as we checked in for our flight to Cebu for Ironman 70.3. It was only this evening that we got to talk more about running (he’s a run-walk believer! Woot!), triathlon, and, of course, Intercare.

– Dr. Martin Camara talks about Intercare –

INTERCARE was founded in 1993 and is now a global healthcare service center specializing in pain management, sports medicine and injuries, and functional fitness. Intercare was involved in the 2006 Turin Olympics, 2008 Beijing Olympics, and most recently, the 2012 London Olympics. They also treated athletes at several events, such as the SEA Games and Ironman 70.3 Philippines in 2011 and 2012.

Services offered by Intercare:

• Chiropractic treatment
• Physical therapy
• Myotherapy
• Acupunture
• ICSS
• Ismart
• Rehab consultation
• Optogait
• Kinesio Capture
• Stress management
• Pilates
• Sports Taping

For more information on the services above, visit Intercare’s website by clicking HERE.

After Dr. Camara’s talk, we were all invited to try some of the services of Intercare.

– Banjo of Ulikblogrunner tries out myotherapy –

– Bards of Banana Running learns more about Optogait –

I had tried Myotherapy and Acupuncture at the Intercare Alabang branch way back in 2009 (read more about it HERE), so I decided to give the Chiropractic Treatment and Rocktape a try this time.

CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT

Chiropractic treatment is a natural, drugless branch of the healing arts which deals with conditions that affect our bones and muscles, ligaments and cartilage, and even the nerves.

Since 2010, right before I ran the NYC Marathon, good friend Jim Saret advised me to see a chiro because he suspected I was “misaligned.” Stubborn ol’ me (sorry Jim!), I didn’t visit one because—just as many runners think nowadays—if the wheel ain’t broke, why fix it?

Luckily, this evening, I was treated to a complimentary consult with Dr. Camara himself.  I told him that, while I currently wasn’t suffering from any serious injury, my left leg has been through most of the running injuries: shin splints, ITBS, runner’s knee, plantar fasciitis, and post-tib tendonitis.

– The smart doctor has a few tricks up his sleeve to make himself look taller than me. Hmph. –

Dr. Camara first checked my hips and had me lie on my stomach.  In less than 5 minutes, Dr. Camara confirmed that I was misaligned. My left leg was shorter than the right!  (Whoa boy, you should’ve heard good friend Vima, Kulit Runner, yelling from behind: “Di pantay! Di pantay!”)

Dr. Camara told me to relax and, with a swift twist here and a quick snap there, he corrected my hips and my spine.

– Hip check. It’s at this point that you try your best to suck in all the fat, even the one on your back –

– There was slight pain that lasted less than a second. Nothing we runners can’t handle. Hah! –

Then, he checked my neck and twisted it towards the left and right, too. Honestly, it was slightly unnerving to have my spine and neck treated by anyone, but I just had to remind myself that I was in good hands.

– Upper back and neck. These adjustments made me feel great after –

True enough, when we checked again, my hips had been aligned and my legs were the same length. (Again, you should’ve heard Vima oohing and aaahing!)  I stood up and I felt great; I felt lighter, almost like I had a spring in my step when I walked.

I ran 10k intervals on the treadmill the following day and, with absolutely no exaggeration, I’m telling you it was one of those great runs were you feel like your run is smooth and easy.

Dr. Camara reminded me that it usually took 6 to 8 sessions for a complete alignment.  Hey, after that trial session, I definitely think this is worth the time and money.

ROCKTAPE

After my Chiro session, I hopped on over to the Rocktape room.

RockTape is a special kind of tape known as kinesiology tape. First used by acupuncturists and chiropractors in Japan, today kinesiology tape is used by practitioners throughout the world to treat injuries and improve sports performance.

In the past, I wrote about Kinesio Taping HERE and compared two kinesio tape brands: Muscle Tape and Kinesio Tex Gold HERE.  During our Intercare meeting, Rocktape was also presented as the favored kinesio tape of Intercare; they are also the distributors of Rocktape.

According to Intercare, Rocktape is the best performance enhancing sports tape on the market. It helps enhance performance when applied to a specific muscle group by:

• Promoting blood flow to the muscles
• Promoting lymphatic drainage
• Assisting in the removal of lactic acid
• Reducing muscle vibration

One of the therapists, Mike, applied Rocktape on me. I chose to have them apply it on my left arch since my plantar has been feeling tight lately.  Dr. Camara also had them tape my ankles because he noticed that the left ankle was very inflexible.

My initial thoughts on the tape: The material of Rocktape is slightly thicker than the leading brand, Kinesio Tex Gold.  The weave of Rocktape seems to provide more adhesion and breathability; it also looks more durable.  Dr. Camara said the tape  can stay on for over a week and can withstand a swim in a triathlon.

– Kinesio Tex Gold on the left, Rocktape on the right –

The following day, for the first time in weeks, I woke up in the morning without any discomfort from my Plantar!  It was a-ma-zing.  I tested my “Rocktaped legs” on the treadmill as well and it felt great!  I had a shoot two days after this event so, much to my disappointment, I had to remove the tape so I wasn’t able to test how long it would’ve stayed on.  (Um, definitely longer than KT Tape’s one day of adhesion!)

I plan to head on over to Intercare soon to have myself all taped up again.  Rocktape, you’ve got yourself a new fan!

Intercare Branches:

Makati
Intercare Building,
 8420 Kalayaan Avenue, Makati City.
Tel Nos: (632)890-3378 -79
 | Fax: (632)890-2547 | 
Mobile: 0922-811-3651
, 0917-850-9486
Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
 | Saturday, 8:00AM – 12:00 NN

Greenhills
26-A Eisenhower Street, 
Greenhills, San Juan.
Tel Nos: (632)724-6631
 | Telefax: (632)722-1846
 | Mobile: 0922-811-3650
, 0917-859-9479
Monday, 8:00AM -3:00 PM
 | Tuesday to Friday, 8:00AM – 5:00PM | 
Saturday, 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Alabang
Unit D, Upper GF, Westgate Tower, 
Investment Drive, Madrigal Business Park
, Alabang, Muntinlupa
Tel Nos: (632)807-6863 | 
Fax: (632)809-4163 | 
Mobile: 0922-811-3649, 
0917-866-4156
Monday to Friday, 10:00AM – 7:00 PM
 | Saturday, 9:00AM – 4:00PM

Website: http://www.intercare-centers.com/
Facebook: Intercare

Thanks to New Balance, forty TBR Dreamers were treated to a partially sponsored Chi Running Workshop by certified instructors Lit Onrubia and Cliff Eala from Forward Lean Running.  The workshop was held last Saturday, December 8, at the newly opened The Athlete’s Foot at Bonifacio High Street.

Runners learned proper form and technique so that they could run more efficiently while avoiding injury as they progress with their marathon training.

– Lit Onrubia discusses the basics of Chi Running –

– Cliff Eala demonstrates the importance of engaging the core –

– Planet Sports President and TBR DM participant Anton Gonzales and wife Mia, 2nd time TBR DM participant, join the workshop –

– Lit demonstrates proper lean –

– Runners practice how to run using proper form –

It was a busy, busy time for TBR Dreamers!  Just a few days after our 3rd Bull Session, runners met up once again, but this time for our free running talk: Bull Circle 4 entitled The Doctors Are In: Biomechanics and Hydration for Marathoners held at Ortigas Home Depot just across our sponsor, Secondwind Running Store.

– Full house! –

Our speakers were orthopedic surgeons Dr. George Canlas, officer of the International Olympic Committee Oceanian Medical Mission and Gatorade Sports Science Institute advisor, and Dr. Randy Molo, member of the Philippine Center for Sports working with RP athletes and the Azkals.

Before the talk, Thorlos had a brief presentation about the importance of using the right socks for runners.  Runners were also treated to an inspiring talk from TBR Dream Marathon alumni, Jenny Agahan, who shared her experience running TBR Dream Marathon and gave practical tips on how to run the marathon strong.

– Kalvin from Thorlos gives away Thorlos socks after his talk –

– Dr. Canlas discusses hydration for marathoners –

– Jenny’s talk was insightful and inspirational! –

– Dr. Randy Molo during his talk on biomechanics (Hey, that triathlete who’s encircled in the back looks very familiar!)

– We had the honor of guesting Hector Yuzon and his feet during the talk –

– A few laughs during the talk –

– Can you guess who won the Spibelt during our raffle? –

– with our TBR Dream Runner from Cebu! Cool! –

Coach Lit Onrubia led our 3rd Bull Session, free run clinics based on TBR Dream Marathon training program, at Track 30th in Bonifacio Global City last December 1.  Runners ran for two hours around Bonifacio Global City with various groups depending on their run-walk intervals and paces.

– Briefing before the run in the wee hours of the morning –

According to Coach Lit, “This Bull Session was a crucial step in the TBR Dream Marathon training process as the body typically reaches a new level of endurance once one breaches the 2-hour mark.”

– And there they go! –

– Pace group led by Lit –

– Running buddies –


– New Balance peeps are wonderful partners of TBR DM and participants too! –

– Pace group led by Jun –

– TBR DM alumni Rico Manuel volunteers as pacer! Thanks Rico! –

– Gatorade break! –


– Happy runners! –

– TBR DM alumni Mike Janeo is our regular volunteer pacer too. Thanks again Mike! –

– Stretching after the 2-hour run led by Coach John –

– Nothing like cold Enervon HP after a good run. Seriously, this is my drink of choice for recovery –

– All smiles after the run! –

Guess who just registered for Virgin London Marathon on April 21, 2013?!

I did!  I did!  Just five minutes ago!

Thank you again to Timex Philippines and UK for reserving a slot for little ol’ me in, what I’ve heard, is one of the toughest marathons in the world to get into.  I am beyond excited over this race.  It will be my 9th marathon.  It’ll be my first time in London.  And, this trip couldn’t have come at a better time for me.

As of now, I only know one other Pinoy who’s registered for the race.  Anyone else out there who’ll be running London Marathon too?