Realizing this, the knowledge of how to preserve the integrity of one’s feet becomes paramount in getting to the starting line of the next race. Unfortunately, fashion and business have dictated the construction of footwear, which has led to the most common ailments that sports podiatrists see in athletes everyday.

The average person logs over 110,000 miles on their feet while walking during their lifetime. An athlete, particularly a triathlete can exceed this mileage within a year between regular daily activities, and training, with the difference being the force exerted on the foot during activity.

For the athlete it is three to four times the body weight of the individual. This means a 125lb female runner will exert about 500,000 lbs of force, on her feet, over every mile. Add that up over an athlete’s life and the importance of understanding how to care for ones feet is truly exemplified.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the body created such an organized matrix in each foot consisting of 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles. Still 75% of all people living in the U.S experience a foot injury in their lifetime. This compared to the 3% of the population in countries that do not wear shoes. Why? The answer as Dr. Ray McClanahan, DPM, BS Ed, sports podiatrist and duathlete explains, ‘is directly caused by improper footwear,’ stating that, ‘every shoe available to us on the market is not made correctly.’

Although popular thought differs in the cause of the most commonly seen foot ailments in athletes the injuries remain the same. Dr. Lloyd Nesbitt, DPM, and former President of the Canadian Podiatric Sports Medicine Academy identifies a few of the top ones as being Plantar Fasciitis, Patello Femoral Syndrome, also known as Runner’s Knee, and Neuroma. Practically 80% of all triathletes will have experienced one of these in their career.

Plantar Fasciitis is an inflammation of the ligament that runs from the heel to the ball of the foot. This is typically experienced first thing in the morning or after remaining in the same place for an extended period of time. The pain is generally felt in the heel and at times in the arch.

Runners Knee, or Patello Femoral Syndrome, is the irritation felt under the kneecap as a result of it moving from side to side. Generally, this is experienced only while running, but in severe cases can be the source of constant pain even when walking.

The third, but by no means the last of possible ailments that a triathlete might experience is, Neuroma. This is a pinched nerve that swells and normally occurs in the forefoot (extending to two of the toes). It is experienced by sharp, stabbing pains that are intermittent, (but can also cause cramping, burning, stinging or numbness).

Treatment for all of these is usually the same amongst all podiatrists. The first is to reduce the activity that is causing the pain. For a triathlete, that means you might have too spend a bit more time in the pool or on the bike if running is the problem.

The next step is RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation of the affected area. From here the treatments range from footbeds and pads, having orthotics made, to shots of cortisone and in the most extreme cases, surgery. A sports podiatrist is one of the best ways to determine what course of treatment an individual needs.

Although advanced medicine has been able to identify, name and treat these problems, it is the prevention of them that will keep a triathlete staying on their feet for the length of their career. Prevention is a long road with a fork that is very close to its beginning. With the dominant source of information coming from the manufacturers of athletic shoes, it is a simple look at basic human anatomy and structure that reveals how a shoe should really be made.

The idea of ‘heel-striking’ or ‘heel-to-toe’ running may be viewed as the fundamental problem. Dave Scott and Wes Hobson addressed this in their May 5, 2003 online chat on InsideTriathlon, both being in agreement that they do not believe in this philosophy of running. Unfortunately, this is the pretense by which running shoes are made. Dr. McClanahan identifies three major areas in athletic shoes that perpetuate this running style and its associated ailments noting, ‘9 out of 10 foot problems are a result of such design flaws.’ These are tapering toeboxes, toespring and heel elevation.

The tapering toebox is evident in almost all cycling and running shoes and as McClanahan points out, ‘there is absolutely no scientific evidence that supports a tapering toebox has any beneficial biomechanical advantage.’

Examine the structure of a baby’s foot when it is born, or better yet, look at the footprints on your own birth-certificate. You will notice that the span of toes and forefoot is wider than the rest. Toes play an important role in balance while walking and especially running. Squeezing them and the forefoot into a tapering toebox requires our bodies to compensate in other areas which subsequently leads to foot problems such as: black toenails, blisters, bursitis, heel pain and more.

Joe Umphenour, professional triathlete, illustrates this by immediately getting his feet into something ‘with a bit more space’ after a race because ‘they are so beat-up.’

In addition, shoe design keeps toes elevated above the supporting surface of the ground, called toespring, further forcing the ‘heel-to-toe’ running method. This contradicts the natural alignment of our feet and offsets the internal balancing system that the foot’s tendons operate on.

This imbalance can lead to deformities of the toes known as hammertoes, as well as problems in the lower leg and knee. Dave Scott supports this by stating this philosophy of running, ‘puts a huge load along the muscles that parallel your tibia.’

If the tapering toebox and toespring were not bad enough, add in heel elevation, and athletic shoes become a recipe for foot disaster. McClanahan identifies the problem of heel elevation by stating, ‘the most significant foot fault caused by elevated heels is that shortened posterior leg muscles pull improperly on the back of the heel to increase unnaturally the amount of flattening the arch will undergo.’

Essentially, this drastically increases pronation of the foot and ankle, which has been known to induce the majority of foot problems. To compensate, shoe companies created motion-control technology for heel design. Unfortunately, stabilizing the heel only makes the foot weaker and does not allow the ankle to strengthen and develop properly. Think about having your foot in a cast, does all that loss of motion make it stronger? The answer is an easy, No.

Consequently, proper shoe fitting is the most important preventive measure an athlete can take to ensure the integrity of their feet. The first step in doing so as Dr. Nesbitt suggests is to ‘align yourself with a store that employs a knowledgeable fitting service.’

Dr. McClanahan agrees and says your foot should be ‘measured for both length and width.’ This is not only the length from heel to toe but also the length of the arch, from heel to the ball of the foot. He does add that this ‘is only scratching the surface.’

Every athlete should visit a sports podiatrist for a full exam to help identify any deficiencies. But there are a few general guidelines to help find the right fit for your athletic shoes.

For running, you should have a ½ inch space from the tip of your longest toe to the front of the shoe. Also, the shoe should bend at the ball of the foot very easily. Finding a shoe that does not have one of the above-mentioned features will be very difficult and as a result McClanahan performs ‘surgery’ on the athletes shoes that he works with by widening the toebox and grinding down the heel. As a result, his athletes have not only eliminated foot problems but have also increased their performance.

Cycling is a bit different although a lot of the design flaws are the same. Miles Romanow, service manager at Bikehampton in Sag Harbor, N.Y fits between 2 and 3 dozen cycling shoes per week and suggests a (‘comfortable fit’) for riding. ‘A cycling shoe should hold and support your foot, with (about) 2-3mm of space from your toes to the front of the shoe,’ says Miles. Reason being is that while pedaling you do not want your foot slipping back and forth, adding ‘you also want zero heel slippage.’ (Otherwise, make sure that your toes have the space they need.)

Miles has heard a host of foot injuries from his clients and relayed one story in particular about a guy who thought cramming his toes together would produce more speed, but all he saw were calluses between his toes and red feet.

Socks, footbeds and orthotics can also play a role in shoe fitting. ‘Cotton Kills,’ is an old adage that outdoor athletes live by for their clothes, but for some reason does not make it down to the socks. Wicking moisture away from the skin can prevent a host of foot problems from blisters, to fungus, and warts. Cotton socks do nothing but promote an environment for this to happen. A wool or synthetic blend is your best option here.

Footbeds can also help as Joe Umphenour feels that his footbeds allow him to run even though he has a partially fused ankle joint. Orthotics is another option but one really needs to see a specialist to determine their necessity.

Africans are the dominant runners of today and they come from a country that is not a shoe wearing population. As a result they run from the mid-foot and not heel-to-toe. Changing one’s ways can be difficult, especially for an athlete, but preserving foot integrity should be part of training 101.

The persistence of foot injuries today lends no support to the way athletic shoes are made. Only personal experience and specialists who are also athletes can encourage and help change the way shoes are constructed. In doing so, an athlete can that they will stay on their feet for their lifetime.

If a shoe does not fit correctly, even the most technological bells, whistles, straps and snaps won’t guarantee anything—except sore feet. It is difficult to provide a single method of finding the right fit, but there is one iron-clad guideline that all foot professionals espouse. “Make sure that you are fitted by someone who understands the biomechanics of feet,” says Karen Schwartz, a Certified Pedorthist and owner of Sage to Summit, a running store in Bishop, California.
Here are some guidelines for finding a proper shoe that Dr. Ray McClanahan suggests:

- Purchase shoes in the evening or post-run to ensure a proper fit. Feet tend to swell during runs and throughout the course of the day.

- Make sure you have a snug heel and instep and that there is plenty of wiggle room for your toes. There should be about one half inch from the

- A good running shoe should bend easily at the ball of the foot.

- Tapering Toe Boxes. Some toe boxes taper so abruptly that they compress the toes together. “There is no scientific evidence that indicates that a tapering toe box has any biomechanical advantage,” says McClanahan. “Our toes play an extremely important role in our sense of balance—especially when trail running.” How to tell: remove the shoe’s insoles and stand on them, with socks that you intend to wear while running. Spread your toes apart. No part of your foot should extend beyond the insole.

- Heel Elevation. Look out for a shoe heel that is elevated above the ground. This can contribute to problems similar to those caused by an elevated toe box.

- Toe Spring. The shoe’s toebox is sometimes elevated so far above the ground that it creates uneven distribution of force between the tendons on the top and bottom of the foot. This leads to unequal strength of the tendons between the two and along with a tapering toe box and heel elevation causes deformities such as hammer toes.

Keeping a low profile- Paul Langer, a podiatrist and running-store owner from Minneapolis, Minnesota, notes, “The foot has better proprioception [the process by which the foot’s tendons and muscles quickly adapt to changing terrain] and stability if it remains closer to the ground. Elevating the foot from the ground increases the risk of ankle sprains and makes the foot less able to adapt to uneven terrain.”

The above article was written by Adam Kelinson, a professional chef, three-time Ironman, and the founder of Organic Performance, a nutrition consulting company.

I worked with Adam’s brother for years, and he kept telling me, ‘Susan, I really need to introduce you to my brother … you have so much in common.’ Well, thankfully that introduction was made and I feel very honored to have had Adam submit a guest posting.

Adam has cooked and consulted for athletes, celebrities, and business executives. He has written on diet and nutrition for TrailRunner, Inside Triathlon, xtri.com, Dietwatch.com, and is the Nutritional Director for the Silverman Full Distance Triathlon. Most recently, Adam has written The Athlete’s Plate: Real Food for High Performance, a no-nonsense cookbook that makes it easy to eat well and healthy.

Train hard; stay strong.

Peace.

Susan

Whew. So, yesterday I did a full walk with mom (at least 4 miles since we went a little farther than we ever have before). Eating was ok, but I did have a few too many nuts because I was cooking peanut chicken stir fry and they were sitting out… but, I think I made up for it with a second workout. I did a strong weight session for almost a full hour after dinner. It was awesome! I finally added weights to my squats and lunges, so those are way better with the extra 30 lbs. I also added small ankle weights for my leg lifts and stuff, but they are still pretty light. I think my arms need more of a challenge, but not sure what to do there.

Today the scale was at 169 even. I can’t believe I am still a full pound up from last week, but I will get it off. I am determined to move that scale in the correct direction this weekend, no more backtracking.

Oh yeah, also I was checking out my legs while working out today, and I have to say I am pretty happy with how fit they are looking. If I could just get rid of the horrible inner thigh flab problem, my legs would be pretty nice. Of course, I’ve never been able to get rid of that, but maybe there’s hope.

I just got finished with a half hour office workout including lotsa kickboxing moves, and I did sweat it up a bit for such a short workout. Since we have to be ready to leave the house at 6:30 tonight, I wasn’t sure I’d have enough time to do a full workout after work, so I decided to split it up. I will either do more at home, or maybe hit the treadmill in the gym for another 30 minutes since I probably won’t have time to do the trail, and I’m going to try to do the trail tomorrow anyway.

A few other things going on as I wind down:

• Phantom pain was here full bore this week. If I hadn’t been here before I would have been real concerned. Sore knees. Sore hips. Dead legs. I know it’s a sign of recovery. If I hadn’t been through taper before I would have been concerned.
• That cold I caught last week is still going on. I’m not real excited because it has settled into a nagging scratchy cough. The interesting thing is that when I’m running everything is good. As soon as I stop it sounds like I’m having an asthma attack. I’m hoping it behaves itself for 4 to 5 hours on Sunday.
• The obsessive checking and rechecking the weather forecast has begun. The problem is every time I look, the news does not get better. Last week we started out with partly sunny skies with temps in the low 50’s at the start and mid 60’s at the finish. That has now morphed into sunny skies with temps in the low to mid 50’s at the start and upper 70’s to almost 80 for a high. The only saving grace is we’re running toward the ocean where the temps are 6 to 10 degrees cooler. I better pack some sunscreen. And I better run fast before it gets hot!

All that’s left is a night of sleep followed by a night of anticipatory terror. Tapir! Oh Tapir! Where are you?

P.S. – If you have friends running the L.A. Marathon (it *has* sold out at 25,000), you can track them here: http://live.activeresult.com/msg/MSG-signup.tcl?event_id=24. Once you set up an account, you can track multiple participants. Among some fellow local bloggers that I know are running – check out Ms. V, Bob, anotorias, chicrunner, and L.A. Runner. Also, kudos to the volunteers like Love2Mags who will be at the 20 mile point catering to our needs. I hope we don’t scare you Mags!

The past 2 days I’ve been around 169.6. At least it’s not 170, but it’s still disappointing when I was at 168 a week ago, and had hoped to be around 166-167 this week. Well, I can pretty much whine every day that I’m not where I want to be and that doesn’t help anything.

I went to the gym yesterday for the second time so far. I kicked butt on the elliptical (40 min, lev 6-8) and bike (20 min, lev 4-6) for a total of 613 calories burned! That feels awesome. I love how I feel when I get done at the gym, but I still dread going. I guess the idea of being stuck in a tiny room with no tv or anything to distract me just gets to me. I much prefer being outside, but I do want to continue with at least one good gym day a week to switch things up. And I still can’t wait for the pool to warm up.

I wanted to do a second session last night to get my weights in, but it didn’t happen. Hopefully I can fit them in after my walk today, since that is not much of a workout anyway.

Last night I didn’t munch, but I did have my last piece of wedding cake (with most of the frosting scraped off). I am glad I am done with that! It was good, but wayyy too many calories.

I forgot to mention I also fit in another pair of my smaller shorts this weekend. I totally didn’t think they would fit at this weight, so I think the exercise has helped my body shape more than the scale shows. One of these days I will actually start measuring myself, but I never know if I am doing it right or holding the tape in exactly the same place each time, etc.

For a complete listing of products included in the HVP recall visit the FDA website.

I took Alix shopping today and we went for a walk around the duck pond/park in the middle of the next city [Sorta like central park in NY, but on a smaller scale]. It was nice. But Alix is an extremely negative person who drains the very life out of you. So i think i’ll keep my shopping and walking days to myself from now on.
We went to McDonald’s for lunch and i tried a seared sweet chili wrap from the healthy menu & fell in love! I’d already had a salad [the salads don't quite cut it for me] so with the wrap too, i wasn’t hungry anymore. But i planned on getting another one on the way back out of town Mmmmmm!

Here’s what i ate today:
Breakfast: Muesli and skim milk + half an iced coffee
Lunch: Classic salad with seared chicken and a seared chicken sweet chili wrap.
Dinner: 3 stuffed mushrooms & a Pepsi Max.
Snacks: Sweet chili wrap :o)
I have used 1684 out of my net daily budget of 2000 calories and have 316 [Woohoo, my fav number!] calories remaining. 28% of the calories are from fat, 30% from protein, 42% from carbs and 0% from alcohol.
I walked for approx 30 mins, trying to lose my daughter in the park lol

Going to a friends place tomorrow night for a few drinks. I’m thinking about trying those Jim Beams with coke zero. I don’t like coke zero, but i’ll have a go.
Where drinking is concerned, i think it’s like chocolate. If you are going to have it, you might as well have the top shelf, good stuff. Otherwise, why bother?
But that doesn’t work when trying to lose weight :o/

Well, I am taking almost all the rest of the cake over to my mom today so they can help eat it. I will still have all the evil ice cream to tempt me, but at least I don’t really have to worry about eating that before it dries out like the cake.

I am just going to have to be on my absolute best behavior to get these stupid pounds off. Definitely not looking forward to this weekend’s 3 parties. I suppose I can try to just eat a salad before each event and then chew gum while I’m there. Maybe I have to work out 2 hours a day to get my body to cooperate. Only 3 weeks to vacation. It’s not looking good.

Last night wasn’t the best night. Well, it wasn’t horrible, but it did involve too much junk after dinner. I felt pretty defeated. I am trying to get over it. What alternative is there? The only one is to go back to my old habits and just keep gaining weight forever. That just can’t happen. So I’ll just keep struggling to meet my goals, however slowly I may reach them.

I can pretty much say at this time every day that the day is good so far. My problems are always always at night, sometimes starting between working out and dinner, when I am hungry, but usually just after dinner when I want to eat junk for no real reason. I am going to try my hardest to cut back to my old “one small treat” a night method which seemed to work for the most part. Maybe I should start blogging more at night, when I am struggling.

The only good thing is my working out habits have held. I have not slacked off on that, so that’s something. It does help keep me going somehow, even though I hate it sometimes.

Speaking of taper, I’m keeping my running light this week:

• Tuesday: 30 minute tempo run. (Done. 3.3 miles).
• Thursday: 3 miles. Stretching.
• Saturday: 2 miles with Cal Coast.

That will add to last week’s cutback of 26 miles. My legs should be fresh on Sunday. Everything felt pretty good during yesterday’s quick tempo run. Taper is going quite well!

I wanted to thank everyone for all the comments and ideas of the last few days. Anyone who doubts the value of blogging – send them my way! Just the ability to share ideas makes every minute I spend here worth it! I thought I would share a few answers and ideas today:

• AZ and Brian asked about my normal race day breakfast. Ha ha ha! If you are new to my blog, my “normal” race day breakfast is a gooey apple fritter. Yum! The heavenly mix of carbohydrates and sugar eaten about 30 minutes before a race is guaranteed to deliver a sugar high at the start line.The problem this time is that 2:30 AM thing. Sorry. No Dunkin’ Donuts here on the West Coast. Most donut shops are small mom and pops and don’t stay open 24 hours. That doesn’t mean I won’t try. I’ll drive past the local donut shop in search of my sugary gooiness, but I’ll pack the bagel just in case.
• Jeri mentions that there is good chance that she’ll still be out when I’m rising and she would send a virtual shout to me. Jer – you realize that’s like 4:30 AM your time. Man. I’m hanging with *your* friends if I ever make it to the Dakotas!
• Tea Time mentioned her challenge of fumbling for the Endurolyte capsules on the run. Here’s an idea. Go get some blue painter’s tape and tape the capsules to your gel packets. Then, to get to your capsules, just grab a gel packet! Works like a charm. Here are some before, during and after pictures:

• Steel Springs asked about my choice of gel flavors. I’ve sampled many gels and fueling options and have pretty much settled on Hammer Gel. It’s consistency is a little more liquid, which means it goes down a lot smoother. I’ve pretty much settled on three flavors – Apple Cinnamon (nice and tart), Tropical (sweet and tart) and Espresso (bitter for the latter stages of a race when sweet is not so appetizing). The latter two are also spiked with caffeine (Tropical – 25 mg, Espresso – 50 mg). And as Jill mentions – even if the pick me up is mental – any little bit in the latter stages of a race helps!
• A final note about sodium intake. Some were a little surprised about the link between sodium intake and fatigue/cramping. I’m still trying to get my hands around this as well. I’ve spent a little time doing research and can’t find anything that unequivocally shows the link between sodium and cramping. There are some studies that claim the reduction in sodium (Na+) affects the ability of nerves to communicate with muscles, thereby allowing them to contract uncontrollably. Other studies say that that is poppycock – that our bodies store about 80g of sodium and is very effective at regulating sodium levels. But, one good piece of information came in yesterday from my friend Lori (an ultra runner) - “one of the interesting things was that the difference in the 100K runners(the DNFers, myself included) and the 100M finishers was the amount of sodium ingested. The finishers consumed alot more than the non finishers.” There you go. Real world data.
• Speaking about sodium, Brian pointed out that each gel also includes sodium. I had ignored that earlier. So, with my 6 Enduolytes and 2 gels every hour, my sodium uptake will be about 350 mg per hour. That’s closer to the 500 mg per hour suggested.

Thanks again everyone! Just a couple more runs to go until my victory lap!

Everyone can use these workouts, whether you are beginner to advanced,and even personal trainers can use them in their Bootcamp classes.

You’ll get proven Turbulence Training Bootcamp style workouts that will burn fat with little to no equipment.

Here are just some of the 31 TT Bootcamp Workouts you’ll get:

1. The TT Beginner Bootcamp 2K10
2. The TT Physical Testing Bootcamp
3. The TT Big 7 Circuit Bootcamp
4. The 3-Part TT for Abs Bootcamp Workout Series
5. The 3-Part TT Booty Bootcamp Workout Series
6. The 3-Part TT Adrenaline Bootcamp Workout Series (Advanced!)
7. The TT Bootcamp 300 Workout Challenge
8. The 3-Part TT Beach Body Bootcamp Workout Series
9. TT Metabolic Resistance Circuit Bootcamps
10. The TT Fusion Bootcamp
11. The TT Transformation Bootcamp
12. The TT Fusion Bootcamp

Plus, for personal trainers, you’ll get 4 amazing bootcamp business building interviews with top bootcamp experts, Bedros Keuilian,Steve Hochman, Chris McCombs, and Craig’s personal favorite, an interview with Leanne Ellington.

To celebrate the initial release of these new Bootcamp workouts there is a $20 discount available only through Thursday, March 18 at midnight.

There are less than 3 days left to take advantage of this discount, so if you’re interested now is the time to get the complete TT Bootcamp 2.0 Workout System.

Train hard; stay strong.

Peace.

Susan

Note: Because I feel strongly about the value of this product, CFB is an affiliate for Turbulence Training. This means that should you choose to purchase this product via a link on CFB, a small stipend is paid by the manufacturer. Today, all money generated as a result of these affiliate marketing efforts is re-invested back into CFB.