The best book I ever read on running was by Jack Heggie, 'Running With The Whole Body,' where he has a chapter on the development of soft feet, the best way to have happy feet. I now find that my feet tell me all about the general tension in the rest of my body. For instance, if I have tightness on the lateral margin (outside edge) of one or both feet, it almost always indicates tightness in my hip rotators or ... Read more
The feeling of coming home contains a valuable message about who you are. Many years ago (1970s), I left a well-paid job, as a large animal (cows mainly) veterinarian in the Southwest of England, to accept a poorly-paid position in sheep diseases research, in the hinterlands (Scotland). I entered the office of my boss-to-be (Dick), who was away for 3-weeks, to find these simple instructions, "Don't forget to ... Read more
Do you feel your age some days? Well stop that, BAD DOG! I'm finally getting past my subluxated hip, putting all those soft tissues back into line, especially my left hip flexor (iliacus), and starting to sign up for races, which may account for my weird Ironman dream last night. "I'm in an Ironman race, no idea where, and I'm running up a hill (about a 7% grade, which there is no way I could do), and I ... Read more
WORKING ASSUMPTION: the human disease known popularly as plantar fasciitis, in it's early stages, is a state of proprioceptive disfunction. RESEARCH QUESTION: With so many and such diverse treatments for plantar fasciitis being advertised on the Internet, with claims of success for all, what do they each have in common that will permit us to collapse them into a small number of effective and affordable ... Read more
If you haven't sustained some injuries, or made a few enemies, you've never lived. If we learn from our injuries, I must be fairly wise, based on my map, above, though not as wise as Evel Knieval (yes, EVEL, never knew that), I'm sure. As I prepare, mainly mentally, for another trip around the sun, I, like my old Chevy truck (approaching 360,000 miles, and don't tell me my old truck doesn't, in her own way), reflect ... Read more
Muscle happiness comes from regular exercise, adequate recovery, and lengthening (stretching is really not a good term, it leads to the wrong attitude). Furthermore, each muscle has it's own personality, so you have to find a way to make each one happy - just like people! It isn't really about stretching, it's about developing a healthy relationship. Hamstring strains are pretty common in runners, many of ... Read more
There is no reason to neglect your training on road trips, you just have to incorporate exercise into your travel plans. I stopped along the way to continue my training during today's drive, a long one, to the Cleveland Clinic for another CAT scan to check the state of my abdominal aortic aneurysm stent grafts. I'm just getting over realignment of my pelvis, and it is still a bit of a battle to bring my running ... Read more
"Facts and ideas are dead in themselves and it is the imagination that gives life to them." W.I.B. Beverage, cited by Maria Popova. "The miracle isn't that I finished [or didn't, in FitOldDog's case!]. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." John Bingham. Don't underestimate the power of imagination, and the value of inspiration from others. In fact, I read inspiring stories everyday, on Facebook, where ... Read more
Healthy food for a healthy body and a happy planet.
The secret is to be a Jack of All Trades, but master of one. One that will earn you a living if the grants don't come in.
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