Posts Tagged with: "Injury"

Ice is a runner’s best friend.  It’s surely mine, especially after a long run!

Icing an injury can help reduce inflammation or swelling and speed up recovery period. Even without injury, icing a specific body part that’s prone to injury can help prevent problems during training.

TIPS FOR ICING AN INJURY:

1. Ice, ice, ice immediately after feeling the pain! Best if you do it within 24 to 48 hours.
2. Elevate the injured area while icing.
3. Avoid applying ice directly on the skin for a long period of time.
4. Put ice blocks in a ziplock bag, use a bag of frozen peas (better since they conform to the shape of your body), or use a thin towel between your skin and ice.  (Or try the product I reviewed below. No, I don’t get commissions for this!)
5. Try ice massage. The only time you should try ice on the skin is when you do an ice massage (freeze water in a paper cup and use the top portion to massage your injured area while holding the cup upside down).
6. Leave ice on for 15 to 20 minutes only. Take breaks in between and start again if you wish.

ICING: THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY

This is the way I used to ice my foot or legs or any injured area:

INTRODUCING: SENSACARE PACKS

A couple of months ago, I was given a new product to try: SENSACARE, a line of natural herbal hot and cold packs manufactured by a US-based company, Nature Creation.

Sensacare products are great alternatives to ice packs or hot compress especially for us athletes. To use, you can microwave the pack for 1-2 minutes or leave it in the freezer for 1-2 hours. It provides relief for up to 30 minutes.

A bonus: Sensacare products are made with 100% natural herbs and grains which emit a wonderful aroma that promotes relaxation and relieves stress.

The product line includes the following:

– These Sensacare will be available locally –

– Thermoshoes: P3,499 –

TBR REVIEW: SENSACARE UNIVERSAL PACK

I was given the Universal Pack which I used to wrap around my foot as I struggled with Morton’s Neuroma the past months. Even now that I’ve recovered, I regularly use the pack after long runs or when the foot feels a bit sensitive. This pack can easily wrap around the knees, shins, thighs, and even the upper body should you need it.

– Sensacare Universal Pack: P1,799 –

– Heaven for my foot –

What I liked about Sensacare Universal Pack:

• Convenient, easy to use, and reusable. Say goodbye to ice or a wet towel dripping all over the place. Just pull Sensacare out of the freezer or heat it up in the microwave and you’re all set for a mess-free, relaxing therapeutic session. Bonus: you can do it all over again the following day.
• Comfortable. The pack is ergonomically designed to wrap around the body and can be securely fastened with a velcro strap. The material is also velvety soft. I felt like I could sit back and relax without having to worry about the pack slipping or dripping.
• 100% natural. Sensacare packs contain natural herbs and grains. No artificial ingredients or fragrances.
• Soothing aroma. The scent emitted from the herbs and grains such as chamomile, lemongrass, peppermint and more definitely makes a huge difference. It makes the entire experience even more relaxing. You can smell the scent even while it’s in the box!
• Portable. You can leave this in an iced cooler while you’re out running your long runs.  Once done, just wrap it around your foot while having breakfast with friends.  Or, if you often travel (think: marathons abroad), this product is easy to pack and bring along with you. Throw it into the hotel freezer before your run.
• Reasonably priced. The Universal Pack is P1,799.  Other products’ price ranges from P1,099 to P3,499.

My only concern with the product was that the pack didn’t get as cold as regular ice. Despite that, I felt like it was efficient at providing relief to my foot.

I loved this product. I highly recommend it. It’s a great tool for us runners who really must accept that managing injuries is really part and parcel of running life.

Website: http://sensacare.net/

For inquiries, call Salie Guarin

• Mobile: 09228770218/09278379440
• Landline: 636-2847

You know how some of these running shops have this cool sign “Out Running” displayed on their doors when no staff is in sight.  Well, I took the liberty to make my own for TBR.  See above.  (Yes, I still have a lot of time to design completely useless stuff for your entertainment.)

You see, I spent most of the week catching up on lost time with my beloved running.  After two months of sorely missing my free, painless runs when I had Morton’s Neuroma, and now that I am fully recovered (woohoo!) and completely stoked over my NYC Training, I ran almost everyday of this week: Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  I ran a 10k Tempo yesterday (which I hadn’t done in months and I was panting like a dying dog out there but I loved every minute!) and I have a  29k long run pencilled in for tomorrow.

One of my friends told me last night after seeing me run: It was so nice to see you running strong again.  I only have one thing to reply: Oh baby, it feels great to be back!

Disclaimer: To the beginners, do not run daily as I did! Hah!  I really only run 4x a week to allocate time for recovery and to avoid injury.  I just HAD to run this often this week because I missed it too much.  Be back to my regular training program next week.  Be good!

I ran 15k yesterday, the longest distance I’ve covered the past couple of months since Morton Schmorton Neuroma attacked my little toes.

Wow. I was over the moon about hitting the road once again in such pristine weather conditions and among a fantastic group of running friends. Friends would often ask throughout the run: How’s the foot doing? And, I would reply with a smile: Good. Doing fine.

To be honest though, I carried a bit of weight while we were running. Uhm, yes, I still haven’t lost the extra weight I’m lugging around (grrr). But, there was a heavy burden upon my shoulders that my friends weren’t privy to (until now.)

I was a bit worried. Okay, that’s not being honest. I was awfully pissed.

While I could run easy, I was still frustrated that I could’t run exactly the way I wanted to, the way I used to in the past. There was still slight discomfort and my legs didn’t feel like they were back in full fighting form. I know, I know. I should be patient. Things won’t change overnight. But, still, frustration did set in. In my head, I thought: Why can’t I run the pace I want to yet? When will I be able to do so? How much longer must I wait? Aack, the bull in me was raging.

Good thing I stumbled upon this video of Hope Solo, the goalie of the US Women’s Soccer team (who lost to Japan a few hours ago. Sob sob!). In the video, she talks about her shoulder injury: I was nowhere close to where I needed to be…Could I handle the pain? Could I forget about the pain and get through training? Wow, I could completely relate. And, watching her nurse herself back from injury and get back into the game again just gave me…hope! (Pun intended)

Today is the first day I could walk again without limping, discomfort, or pain. I didn’t know how much I took walking (and running) for granted until now.

After 25 days of wobbling like Erap, I can finally say good riddance to my cane and meds!

– I had to buy a cane in Megamall just to get around during the first week of injury. Our rolling computer chair came in handy too as my makeshift wheelchair hah!. Yes, that’s how bad it was –

– Arcoxia – my best friend in times of injury –

– Fastum Gel – I’d put this on my foot after hot compress twice a day –

Next goal: Trying to run again. (Insert sign of the cross here!)

I should have been in Phuket today.  Right this very minute, I should be running towards the finish line.

Or, I could have been participating in my 3rd triathlon, Animo Tri at Ayala Alabang this morning.  Lord knows how hard I trained for the swim portion of that race.

Or, I could have spent my Sunday morning the way I usually do for the past five years, running long and slow in the company of friends.  By now, we should be finishing up a run and heading for a sumptuous breakfast. I can almost smell the coffee.

But, here I am at home patiently waiting for my house guest, Morton Schmorton Neuroma, to get his lazy butt off our couch and head back to wherever he came from.

It’s been 17 days since my last run.  Yes, I’m getting impatient and frustrated. Ako pa?! But, swimming has kept me sane for the past week.  I’m not freaking out because I’m getting some training in with the swim.  At least, I’m not completely losing fitness.  But, there’s also something about the water that’s keeping me calm. Maybe it’s about following nothing but black lines from end to end in complete solitude and silence that’s given me some sense of peace.  Maybe it’s the fact that I feel I’m progressing with a new activity (I can swim 1k now with ease. Me? Who would’ve thought?) that’s distracting me from this long road to recovery.  Maybe I’ve finally matured as a runner and accepted the fact that there will be set backs like this every once in a while.  Whatever.  For now, I’m just going to be following those black lines under the pool and hope it takes me somewhere.