Strength Running

Running is essentially a series of one-legged hops repeated over and over again. The repetitive nature of running can exacerbate imbalances in any part of our body.  While many mild asymmetries are normal and not necessarily cause for concern, others can make you more injury prone.  

This week’s guest helps runners deal with all types of imbalances. Dr. Sarah Ceschin is a physical therapist from Boulder, Colorado, who I had the pleasure of meeting in person at a recent group run. Sarah works with a variety of athletes, particularly runners and climbers. 

If you ever find yourself in need of a physical therapist, try to seek out one who is familiar with treating runners! As a runner herself, Sarah understands the demands of running and helps runners stay healthy and strong. As a physical therapist, she deals with athlete imbalances on a daily basis and is a tremendous resource to learn how to address them.

In our discussion, we dive deep into the topic of asymmetries and imbalances, including:

• How to define an imbalance, and where you may find unexpected imbalances in your body
• Why some imbalances are normal and shouldn’t make you worry
• How more pronounced imbalances may increase your risk of overuse injuries 
• The unexpected asymmetries you may discover in trail running
• How fatigue accentuates imbalances: picture mile 26 of a marathon!
• The importance of strength work to minimize the impact of imbalances

If you're looking to maximize your strength and durability, you'll enjoy my conversation with Sarah!

Links & Resources from the Show:

• Visit Sarah’s website
• Follow Sarah on Instagram and Facebook
• Learn how to prevent overuse injuries here

This episode is brought to you by InsideTracker, one of the most reputable blood testing companies in the world. They were founded in 2009 by aging, genetics, and biometrics scientists to help you analyze your body’s data and get a firm idea of how well you’re responding to training.

Understanding your body’s biomarkers, from stress hormones to testosterone to Vitamin D, can help you figure out if you’re over-training, under-training, optimally training, or if you have a health issue that might be affecting your running. But the best part is that they give you personalized optimal ranges for each of these biomarkers and a host of ways to improve these markers through diet, lifestyle, or exercise changes.

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