The AlterG Blog

By Kate | Published: January 22, 2010

Welcome to the AlterG Blog!  This Blog is part of our effort to create a community for AlterG customers, patients, clinicians, researchers and fans to talk about rehabilitation, training and helping people achieve their personal health goals. We have been working on the launch of the Blog for some time now because there are so many great stories and insights that we can all share with each other. Thus the creation of ‘Elevated Thoughts’.

Through the blog posts we hope to provide a myriad of patient and athlete experiences, rehab and training protocols and success stories from Anti-Gravity Treadmill users, that can be shared across the world.

“I believe the AlterG will become the standard in rehabilitation and training.”

Dr. Amol Saxena
Podiatric Surgeon
Palo Alto Medical Foundation

We hope you enjoy the Blog and look forward to your comments and support!

-The Team at AlterG

Posted in AlterG Treadmill, Athletic Training, Athletics, Conferences, Events, Exercise, Health and Medical, Orthopedics, Physical Therapy, Protocols, Rehabilitation, Success Stories, Weight Loss | 1 Comment

The Gift of Running | Week 4

By Paty | Published: August 17, 2010

I am very surprised at what a difference it makes to increase my weight ratio from 50% to 55% on the AlterG.  No surprise that once again it was a real struggle to maintain a solid running pace at 55% body weight.

The first mile on day one was tough.  I had some regression in the feeling n function in my left leg and could barely feel my heel strike.  It was a struggle to keep up any type of speed and I spent a lot of time just focusing on getting mentally past the discomfort.  This seemed to do the trick and the second and third mile proved much less difficult.  I questioned my decision to move to the higher weight and considered going back to 50%, but I just couldn’t fathom the thought of going backwards so I committed to the discomfort and decided to stay the course.

By mile four on the third day, I was still feeling heavier and unsure of my decision to go to a higher weight.  I was still struggling and my left foot was really hurting under the impact of the extra weight.  Instead of stopping, I briefly shifted back to 40% weight, which is so easy to do on the machine.  I only needed a few minutes at a lower weight and my foot recovered enough to finish out the week at 55%.  I may not ready, but next week’s goal will be to try for 60% weight.

Week 4 Progress:

Day One –

  • Time: 40 mins.
  • Distance:  miles 3.25
  • Weight: 55 %
  • Speed: Miles 1 & 2 = 7.0 mph, Mile 3  =8.0 mph
  • 5 minute walks to warm-up & warm-down @ 2.5 mph

Day Two –

  • Time: 45 mins.
  • Distance: 3.37 miles
  • Weight:   55%
  • Speed: Mile 1 & 2= 6mph, Mile 3= 7 mph, Mile 4 = 8 mph

Day Three –

  • Time: 45 mins.
  • Distance: 3 miles
  • Weight: 55% (short time @ 40%)
  • Speed: Mile 1 = 6.5 mph, Mile 2 & 3 = 7.5 & 8.5mph

Next week’s goal: Move to 60% body weight varying speeds.

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Making it Happen | First Race Back in Cudahy

By Kate | Published: August 2, 2010

Friends,

A few weeks ago, Briana from Salus, Inc in Delafield, WI shared a very special story with us about an elite runner named Jenny Crain.  Briana was fortunate enough to join Jenny on her 1st race back from her accident a year ago. Here are her notes from the race and details on Jenny’s success thus far.

“Michael and I were elated to join Jenny Crain in her first race back on her road to recovery today in Cudahy.  Jenny is a local elite runner who was hit by a car on a training run in 2007.  She was a phenomenal athlete and a personality cherished by the running community.  See the story below:

News: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/lifestyle/99722419.html

Broadcast coverage: http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/99732574.html

We donned “Team Make It Happen” shirts with Jenny’s picture on the back and had a blast!

We ended up really booking it along the course (I believe Jenny would have it no other way) and it was an amazing experience…nearly every runner talked to Jenny as they passed, telling her good job and supporting her efforts.  I believe Jenny knew almost every runner in that race!  She too was calling out names and encouraging runners as they passed.  Jenny continues to amaze me.”

If you do not know Jenny’s story well I encourage you to read more about her on her website:

www.jennycrain.net
OR read a recent article in Runner’s World at:

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7124,s6-243-297–13329-0,00.html

Jenny is truly an inspiration.  As she continues her recovery, support from friends and the community will continue to be needed.  If you are able to support Jenny with uplifting words on her site or a donation I know it will be greatly appreciated.  What Michael and I have found is that sometimes through a tragic event amazing things transpire.  Jenny is changing lives everyday…I can personally attest to it!

As Jenny would say, “Make It Happen”!!!

Please feel free to comment below if you have a story similar to Jenny’s or would like to wish her congrat’s on her 1st race back!

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AlterG Welcomes Advisory Board Members

By Kate | Published: July 30, 2010

AlterG is honored to announce the formation of its advisory board, consisting of leaders in the fields of medicine, physical therapy, and scientific research. These professionals will help AlterG discover how its innovative anti-gravity treadmill can be applied in the medical, rehabilitation, sports performance, and research arenas.

AlterG will benefit from the input of these industry giants and their activities and contacts will give us the ability to broaden and deepen our worldwide network of users.  A continuing goal for AlterG is to create a shared database of collective knowledge that clinicians can use to optimize their patient and client outcomes.

Brian Cole, MD, MBA

Dr. Cole is an orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist with over 20 years experience. He currently serves as Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics with a conjoint appointment in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. In addition, Dr. Cole is the section head of the Cartilage Research Program and the Cartilage Restoration Center at Rush. He is also the head of the Orthopaedic Master’s Program at Rush, training residents and fellows in sports medicine. Dr. Cole also serves in the capacity of Head Team Physician for the Chicago Bulls and Co-Team Physician for the Chicago White Sox.

In his practice at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, Dr. Cole specializes in arthroscopic shoulder, elbow, and knee surgery. He has a specific interest in arthroscopic reconstruction of the shoulder (rotator cuff, instability and arthritis), elbow, and knee in athletes. In addition to his robust clinical practice, Dr. Cole has served as principal investigator for numerous clinical trials and science research studies. Additionally, Dr. Cole has authored and edited several hundred peer-reviewed publications, including highly recognized orthopaedic textbooks on arthroscopy, sports medicine and cartilage transplantation. His publications include nearly one thousand book chapters, technique papers, and presentations describing the techniques and results of shoulder, elbow, and knee surgery. Dr. Cole lectures and teaches on the techniques of cartilage restoration and shoulder arthroscopy to international audiences.

Bert R. Mandelbaum, MD

Dr. Bert Mandelbaum is an experienced, board certified orthopaedic surgeon who is recognized as one of the top knee injury specialists in the United States. Dr. Mandelbaum joined the Santa Monica Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Group in 1989 and has previously served as Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at St. John’s Health Center.

Dr. Mandelbaum is active in many leadership positions in the community, including Team Physician for all U.S. Soccer Federation teams, U.S. Gymnastics Federation, FIFA World Cup USA (he is currently Medical Director for the U.S. World Cup Team), and Pepperdine University.

Dr. Mandelbaum is a well-published author and a frequent lecturer and instructor. Among other posts, he has served as the Course Chairman of the Annual National Articular Cartilage Repair Symposium for Sport Medicine Fellows since 2000. He is also heavily involved in medical research with current involvement, among others, in a five-year study on ACL Injury and Prevention, which has been supported with a grant from the National Institute of Health.

Christopher M. Powers,  PhD, PT

Christopher M. Powers is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biokinesiology & Physical Therapy, and Co-Director of the MBRL at USC. He also has joint appointments in the Departments of Radiology and Orthopaedic Surgery within the Keck School of Medicine.  His primary teaching responsibilities include the areas of biomechanics and the mechanics of human gait.

Dr. Powers studies the biomechanical aspects of human movement. More specifically, his research and publications are concerned with the kinematic, kinetic, and muscular actions associated with human movement, the pathomechanics of orthopedic disabilities, and issues related to rehabilitation of the musculoskeletal system. He has published over 90 peer-reviewed articles and has received several research awards from the American Physical Therapy Association, including the Rose Excellence in Research Award from the Orthopaedic Section, the Eugene Michels New Investigator Award, the Dorothy Briggs Scientific Inquiry Award and the Helen J Hislop Award for contributions to the professional literature.

Dr. Powers is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (Orthopaedic and Research sections), American Society for Biomechanics, American Society for Testing and Measures, and the North American Society for Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis. In addition, Dr. Powers is on several editorial boards including the Journal of Applied Biomechanics, Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, and the Journal of Athletic Training. He is an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association, serving as President of the Section on Research.

Amol Saxena, DPM

Dr. Saxena is a podiatrist with Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s Sports Medicine Department. One of the nation’s top podiatric surgeons, Dr. Saxena helps world-class athletes realize their dreams and reach their competitive potential. He is board certified in foot and reconstructive rear foot/ankle surgery by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery and is a Fellow with the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Dr. Saxena is Chief of the Division of Podiatric Services for Stanford Hospital and the Fellowship Director for the Foot and Ankle Surgery/Sports Medicine Fellowship at Palo Alto Medical Foundation.

Dr. Saxena has treated dozens of Olympians (including gold medal winners) and Olympic Trials qualifiers, numerous professional athletes, and many of the top area high school athletes. He currently serves as a member of the USA Track and Field medical staff, helping out on the USA Track Medical Committee and providing care to athletes at numerous events. Dr. Saxena is also a consultant on shoe design for numerous medical and athletic footwear companies.

Dr. Saxena has conducted research on chronic ankle pain, Achilles and peroneal tendons, stress fractures, midfoot injuries (Lis Franc) and arthritis of the first metatarsal phalangeal joint (MP – or big toe joint).
He is the author of over 50 articles, abstracts, and chapters, including several in orthopedic journals, and is a frequent lecturer both nationally and internationally.

Kevin Wilk, PT, DPT

Dr. Kevin Wilk has been a physical therapist, researcher, and educator for more than 25 years. He is a leading authority in the rehabilitation of sports injuries and orthopaedic lesions. Kevin is currently Associate Clinical Director for Champion Sports Medicine (a Physiotherapy Facility) in Birmingham, AL.  In addition, he is the Director of Rehabilitative Research at the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham and is Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Physical Therapy Program at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. Kevin is also President of the Sports Section of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and serves as a Rehabilitation Consultant for the Tampa Bay Rays’ Baseball Team.

Dr. Kevin Wilk has published over 125 journal articles, over 75 book chapters, and has lectured at over 400 professional and scientific meetings. He is currently on the review board of 7 journals and has received numerous professional awards. He was also the first non-physician named to a committee for the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM).

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Do You Tweet?

By Kate | Published: July 22, 2010

More and more these days the term “social networking” has become part of our vocabulary and way of life.  There are all sorts of various uses such as, communication with friends and family, promoting business, keeping track of news & events, and even keeping up to date with technology itself as it moves into the future at warp speed.

A myriad of networking applications have been created to make ’social’ accessibility easier than ever, Heck there are even apps for these on our smartphones…But what do they do?

The icons below only represent a few of the applications out there.  Included in this image are:  LinkedIn, Twitter, RSS, Facebook, Delicious, Flickr, Digg, FriendFeed & StumbleUpon…whew!  And this is just a sample of the 100 others available!

So how are these sites useful to you?

Many people utilize these sites for personal use, however more businesses are leveraging them to help spread awareness and promote their own companies.  It’s amazing how many users have registered accounts to more than one of these sites and logging in everyday to access them.  Here at AlterG, we recently polled some statistics from the net to research the amount of web traffic these top sites are getting, and the results are amazing!

We continued with our search on how these sites could benefit your business and I came across the “Social Media Road Map,” a fabulous document that guides a PT business owner into the world of establishing a social networking presence for their clinic.  There are many websites out there that offer guided steps to help you create business profiles…of course, for a nominal fee :)  This document is extremely helpful and absolutely free!

The decision to create an AlterG Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube account was made months ago and so far have been a great success with sharing news among our user clinics, patients, athletes, and fans.  We encourage all physical therapy clinics to set up profiles for their facilities to ’self-promote’ within their community.  Patient stories, clinic services and the company staff & background are all interesting to help create a greater awareness for your facility.

Here are a few examples of physical therapy clinics that have established social networking pages:

We would love to hear how you have integrated social networking into your business promotion – feel free to comment below!

–Kate @Alter_G

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New Journal Article Highlights Potential Benefits of Lower Body Positive Pressure In Orthopedic Rehabilitation

By Jacon Chun MPT SCS ATC CSCS | Published: July 16, 2010

A journal article published in the June 2010 issue of the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation concluded that lower body positive pressure (LBPP) treadmill training devices could be highly effective for rehabilitation after orthopedic injuries and/or orthopedic procedures.

Body weight support has been used historically to unweight the lower extremities in orthopedic and neurologic rehabilitation. The unweighting allows for decreased biomechanical stress to the musculoskeletal system, thus allowing for proper healing in orthopedic conditions. The ability to repeat walking movements safely and improve the quality of movement by modifying pain, also make partial weight bearing therapy an important part of treating neurological conditions.

Using the AlterG anti-gravity treadmill, researchers at the University of Colorado studied the effects of the only LBPP treadmill on the market today on walking. When compared to other unweighting modalities currently available, LBPP treadmill provides a huge advantage in maintaining normal gait kinematics, in ability to precisely measure amount of unloading, and in comfort to allow for use over extended periods of time. The goal of this study was to determine how velocity or weight support changes would affect the metabolic demands and ground reaction forces (GRF’s) during walking.

About the Study

Using 10 healthy volunteer subjects, researchers measured metabolic power, GRF’s, and stride kinematics while each of the subjects walked at 3 velocities (1.0, 1.25.1.5 m/s) and 5 unloading parameters (25%, 50%, 75%, 85% and Full Body Weight).

Results showed that at the faster velocities, peak GRF’s and metabolic demands were higher. Walking at a lower body weight, the peak GRF’s were attenuated and metabolic demands decreased. By manipulating velocity and body weight support, the researchers showed similar aerobic demands could be created on the individual with decreased GRF’s, simply by increasing walking speed at higher amounts of unloading.

The study concluded that this ability to maintain cardiovascular demands with lower GRF’s shows LBPP treadmill devices could help optimize outcomes in future lower extremity treatment programs. While more studies may be needed to determine specific orthopedic indications and prescriptions, the ability to maintain neuromuscular and aerobic stimuli while reducing forces on the LE, by unweighting devices like the AlterG, could prove invaluable in orthopedic rehabilitation.

About AlterG

FDA cleared and built on NASA technology, AlterG is changing the way people recover and athletes train. Our unique technology allows you to run or walk at a fraction of your body weight, so you can dial in exactly where the pain stops and movement feels good again. Leading medical professionals are using AlterG to help their patients recover better and have a smoother return to activity. Top athletes and teams are using AlterG to recover and train smarter, reducing the frequency of training injuries by minimizing stress on their joints, while still building fitness.

A full copy of the aforementioned article can be purchased here.

– Jacon C. Chun, MPT, SCS, ATC, CSCS

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Women Who Run | Cornstalks and Critters: Marathon Training in Kansas in July

By Kimberly Peek | Published: July 12, 2010

“The sun flickered like a strobe light as it rose behind the cornstalks. I had no one to dance with, so I cranked my tunes and ran faster.” –  My Facebook Update, July 1, 2010

As week two of marathon training comes to a close, I’ve made a point to notice at least one thing I enjoy about each day’s run. Marathon training is hard work, but it should also be fun. This week I entertained myself with things I saw along the trail:

  • As I ran past a pond earlier in the week, I saw a bird I think was a sandhill crane. Not being a bird expert, I’m not sure, but it was definitely a bird we don’t see in the suburbs often.
  • A decayed tree formation that looked like a giant rabbit on the trail last summer, is now much smaller and looks like a large dog.
  • There was a critter I still have not identified, that crept along a fence as I ran by.  It wasn’t a cat or a raccoon, and it had a bushier tale than an opossum. Its eyes were big and grey. And it was smart—and very aware of my presence. It followed me with its eyes as I ran along the trail, and it waited until I’d passed the fence before peeking around. I stopped and pulled out my phone to take a picture, but I didn’t get close enough to figure out what this little guy was.
  • And, then there’s the mystery of how I got turned around on today’s 10 mile run. I started out heading east as the sun came up. I was on a section of trail I’d never run before. Each time I ran under a street, I was positive someone was playing a prank by hanging the wrong street signs on the bridge. When I got to the end of that section of trail, I was surprised to see where I was—and to see the sun at my back. How could I have gotten on the wrong side of the sun? I need to pull the GPS map of that run to see how I ran a complete U turn without even knowing it!

The daily surprises I find on my runs are some of the things that have kept me motivated this week. Last week’s highlight—a reunion with my half marathon training group. We did a short Saturday morning run that ended with breakfast. Since we all are so busy with our young kids, it was nice to have an opportunity to catch up.

My mileage is picking up. I’m still running just four days a week. I added a 20 mile bike ride to this week’s plan, and I’ve added a Friday afternoon CrossFit class, in addition to my regular session with a trainer. So far—I’m running strong and injury free!

What keeps you motivated? What’s the neatest thing you’ve seen on a run lately?  Feel free to comment on your running environment below!

–Kimberly

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Good Research is Hard to Do…

By Dev Mishra MD | Published: July 7, 2010

As Chief Medical Officer at AlterG, a large part of my job is to help us organize and oversee the research efforts of our fantastic independent researchers.  We hear directly from some of our customers that high quality research is important to help give scientific validity to the excellent results they see in working with their own patients.  And we agree completely- properly conducted medical and biomechanical research is central to our mission as a medical device company.

And yet there are also times when I laugh because we are questioned about why we are bothering with clinical research at all.  I recall a conversation I had several months ago with a colleague- he’s a fellow team physician at a prominent West Coast university- and he said to me: “Why do you need research?  We already know what the AlterG does for our athletes.  You should just go out and sell it.”  His point was that his university had two years of solid experience with excellent results for their intercollegiate athletes, and focusing on publicizing those excellent results would be all that many people would need to convince them of AlterG’s benefits.

To some extent my colleague’s remarks are right on the mark but we believe the research gives real credibility to AlterG’s clinical usefulness.  AlterG is about so much more than elite athletes.  Kids with cerebral palsy, elderly patients with Parkinson’s disease, overweight individuals unable to exercise in any other way, and a whole lot of orthopedic conditions all benefit from AlterG.  The focus for AlterG all along has been to build a foundation through research in the technology and safety of our products, then branch in to clinically relevant research.  The Clinical Research Summary found on our website is updated quarterly and will give you details on research that’s been completed, published and presented studies, research currently underway, and also research that’s in the planning stages.

A few highlights of the completed research includes:

  • Two published studies showing that a “metabolic prescription” can be made for anyone- the same level of “workout” can be achieved at any level of unweighting by changing speeds
  • A recently presented study showing equations to calculate VO2 based upon unweighting and speed for both walking and running
  • And several studies used EMG activity to show normal walking and running mechanics at all levels of weight support

There are many studies underway in biomechanics, athletic performance, osteoarthritis, neurologic conditions, cerebral palsy, obesity, and orthopedic conditions, and you can read about these as well in the Research Summary.

I’d like to give you some insight into studies that are getting underway now.  Our focus going forward is on high quality studies in core medical conditions.

At Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California, an exciting study is set to start in which the researchers will be measuring the actual forces inside the knee joint in four total knee replacement patients.

  • With this data, AlterG will have the only evidence in the world showing the actual joint compression forces occurring inside the knee with partial weight bearing, and total knee replacement patients just might have a way to return to jogging for exercise…
  • Other long term studies are starting up in ACL reconstruction, rehabilitation after total knee replacement, hip arthroscopy, running speed, and several others.

As much as we’d like to have the results to give you right now, good quality research is hard to do.  A well conducted clinical study takes anywhere from 6 months to two years to collect the data and several more months to analyze it, and then present it to a peer-reviewed audience.  So for all of you interested in the research- hang in there a bit longer- we’ll have some great stuff for you.

– Dev Mishra, MD

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The Gift of Running | Week 3

By Paty | Published: June 28, 2010

This was a tough week.  I tried to move to 55% body weight, but I wasn’t ready.  In my usual fashion, I want to push it along to lower weights faster, but I have to remember to be patient and allow my body the time it needs to acclimate to the higher weights.

It’s frustrating to not have a road map that will show me exactly what I need to do to get back to 100% function.  If it were a matter of a number of miles to run or sit-ups to do or physical therapy sessions, then I would just show up, do the work and move on.  Unfortunately, I never know if I am doing enough or whether what I’m doing is the right thing.  I go through long plateau periods where I’ll work very hard and see no improvement in my gait or motor functions and then I will have a random and surprising breakthrough with some noticeable improvement.  It can make one crazy to try to predict how to effect consistent improvements and outcomes.  I may never figure it out, but I’ll keep pushing even for minor results, because every little improvement helps to increase quality of life.  I noticed minor improvements in my gait after the last session so I can’t help but think that the higher weight is the way to go.

My progress this week wasn’t very exciting, except that I was able to stay consistently at 50% and felt less winded and more at ease during the runs.  It was more of mental game to run through the discomfort for the first few miles of each session, but at the end of each run, I started to feel the endorphin rush and gained more confidence in each step.  I had a fair amount of foot scuffs or trips and had to hold on to the handles on the front of the AlterG a few times due to fatigue, but the anti-gravity treadmill is such a safe environment to run in that I don’t worry about falling.  The shorts are zipped in to the inflatable bag and keep me safely suspended over the treadmill belt.  It is quite easy to recover from minor and major trips and it makes me feel very safe.  This is a huge advantage, because, I ‘m not distracted by the fear of falling.   By the end of the week, I was coming along and while I wouldn’t say it got easy, I feel comfortable enough to push toward raising my running weight to 55% next week.

Week 3 Progress:

Day One – 4/26/2010

  • Time: 45 mins.
  • Distance:  miles 3.88
  • Weight: 50 %
  • Speed: Miles 1 & 2 = 6.0 mph, Mile 3 & 4 =8.0 mph
  • 5 minute walks to warm-up & warm-down @ 2.5 mph

Day Two – 4/29/2010

  • Time: 47 mins.
  • Distance: 4.15 miles
  • Weight:  40 % – 50%
  • Speed: Mile 1 & 2= 6mph, Mile 3= 7 mph, Mile 4 = 8 mph
  • 5 minute walks to warm-up & warm-down @ 2.5 mph

Day Three – 4/30/2010

  • Time: 45 mins.
  • Distance: 3.2 miles
  • Weight: Miles 1 = 40%, Mile 2 & 3 = 50%
  • Speed: Mile 1 = 6 mph, Mile 2 = 7 mph, Mile 3 = 7.5 & 8.5

Next week’s goal: Move to 55% body weight varying speeds.  Please feel free to chime in with comments on how your AlterG workout is going!

–Paty

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Fall Marathon Training Kicks Off in the Heat. A Few Thoughts on Hydration

By Kimberly Peek | Published: June 24, 2010

This week marked the beginning of Fall Marathon Training, my second attempt at a marathon. This time around, I’m taking a more conservative approach, hoping to make it to marathon day injury-free. As I ran along the trail in the early mornings, grumbling because it was humid and already 70 degrees, I thought about how my approach to hydration has changed since last summer.

First, I’ll throw this out there—I am the most loaded-down runner you will come across on the trail. I take my hydration belt on every run, no matter how short. I like knowing I have water when I need it. (And, that’s not all I carry: I have sunglasses, music, Aquaphor, a phone, tissues, hand sanitizer, BandAids, my Road ID, and a small towel. My friends make fun of me–and it might scream “Rookie!” to many–but these are needs to me.)

With all this gear, one would think I’d be prepared for almost any emergency. In theory, this might be true. But…the biggest lesson I’ve learned so far is that it doesn’t do any good to carry a beverage if you don’t drink it!

Just after completing the Lincoln Half Marathon this spring, I fell to the ground when a calf cramp crept up one leg and hamstring, and then the other. When the cramp reached my abs, and I couldn’t straighten my legs, I panicked. I was alone, rolling on the ground in pain, screaming—and no one would stop to help me.

Finally, two incredible college students stopped; the young man just happened to be interested in physical therapy as a career. One student gave me a giant bottle of water to drink, while the future PT stretched my legs. Twenty minutes later, I could stand again. It was a painful, frightening experience, one that changed the way I approach race day.

As I talked to other runners and researched in the days following the run, I learned that I had been running dehydrated for over a year. I was shocked when I learned how much I should have been drinking.

I am not a medical professional, so I’d encourage you to talk to the appropriate experts and form your own opinion. (There is a lot of information online about hydration–and also about the dangers of taking in too many fluids). Here are a few things I learned:

1)    Most people do not drink enough water on a daily basis, which is why it’s important to not enter race week under-hydrated. Drink lots of water every day—not just the day or two before you run.

2)    You’ll find conflicting information about how much water to consume immediately before a run, but most experts say you should drink a minimum of 16 ounces two hours before the event.

3)    The majority of articles say you should drink at least 6 ounces every 20 minutes.

I still have a trouble consuming this much before and during a race, but the full body cramping episode provided the proper motivation to try harder. I drink more water on a daily basis;  I’ve switched to running with a sports drink (not one of the sugary store brands);  and I use Hammer’s Endurolytes to keep my electrolytes in check.

A few weeks ago, with my new hydration plan in place, I ran a hot, hilly half marathon. I felt the best I’ve ever felt after a long run—I was able to eat solid food afterward, and I didn’t have to spend the afternoon in bed. It wasn’t my fastest finish ever, but feeling strong after running a half marathon was a HUGE victory to me.

Sometimes I feel like running is one big science experiment—experimenting with hydration and fuel and distance and rest days to get my body to perform its best. I wasn’t able to run the spring marathon I’d planned on, but I am determined to make it to race day this fall.  I have my training plan in place—and if all goes well, when I use the AlterG this time around, it will be for speed work, not rehab.

Please continue to follow me on the AlterG blog as I prepare for my first marathon. I’d love to hear about your experiences with race hydration. How much fluid do you consume on a run? And, what are you training for right now?

Feel free to comment below!

–Kimberly Peek

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Makin’ It Happen

By Kate | Published: June 15, 2010

A local elite runner in Wisconsin named Jenny Crain was hit by a car over 2 years ago and is slowly re-learning every day to day activities.  Recently she was able to start using the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill at Salus Inc. in Delafield, WI .  She was a high-profile runner and we have listed a few links that talk about her journey using the AlterG and road to recovery.


To read more about Jenny:
http://www.jennycrain.net/

Also read an article about her in Runners World:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-297–13329-1-1X2X3X4X5X6X7X8X9X10X11-12,00.html

Jenny will be contributing to this posting to update her progress, recovery and road to Makin’ It Happen!  Please feel free to comment below if you have a similar story to Jenny’s.

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