Join us this Thursday night at 7:30pm here at Future Track for an Injury Prevention and Stretching Clinic presented by local Sports Specialist Brett Darrington.

This workshop is free of charge and open to anyone interested in learning how to avoid some of the most common running and fitness related injuries, as well as learning some of the best stretches to perform and how to perform them.

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to steve@futuretrackrunning.com. This will be an interactive workshop, so please dress in workout apparel in order to fully participate.

Get your track gear this week – either spikes or trainers – and save 25% on any adidas Duffle Bag.

Show up to the meets in organized style – available in multiple colors.

Get all Timex Heartrate Monitors at 20% off the suggested retail price this week only.

These heart rate monitors can be used to target your training, and ensure that each workout you do achieves exactly what it’s meant to.

Limited to stock on hand. Offer expires 2/14/10 at 4pm.

“I got my swim trunks, and my flippie floppies, I’m flippin’ burgers you’re at Kinko’s straight flippin’ copies!” – The Lonely Island, I’m On A Boat

If you’re on a boat, you need some flippy floppies  – So come to Future Track this week and get your Teva Flip Flops at 25% off with your purchase of any regularly priced shoe.

“I’M ON A BOAT, I’M ON A BOAT, EVERYBODY LOOK AT ME ‘CAUSE I’M SAILING ON A BOAT!” with my brand new Teva flip flops…

Welcome back to the discussion about barefoot running. In the last two installments we discussed the ideology of barefoot running and some of the benefits you can expect to gain if you introduce barefoot running into your training program. In part III of the article, we are going to talk about about some of the downsides and risks that are associated with barefoot running.

Introducing a barefoot running routine into your training program can be a great way to improve strength and reduce the risk of injuries in the long run. However, the initial risk of injury is far higher than a runner that simply runs in performance training shoes.

The training shoes that we sell at Future Track are designed for specific foot types, arch heights, and biomechanics. We help you to identify exactly what you need by addressing these three categories with the goal of helping you maintain proper joint alignment. Improper footwear and lack of support are the leading causes of running injuries; finding the proper shoe for your body’s mechanics is essential in reducing the risk of injury.

There is a fallacy that running is bad for your knees. While many people experience knee pain from running, there are simple solutions to prevent knee pain from occurring: finding the correct footwear to help maintain joint alignment throughout your workout, practicing a regular stretching routine, and identifying any muscle imbalances in your legs.

People believe that the impact forces related to running are the cause of knee pain. Not completely. Most knee pain can be linked to improper support from footwear. It’s estimated that 80% of the population over-pronates to an extent and that is what causes a majority of knee pain. (Pronation is the  collapsing of the arch to the inside)

Proper joint alignment during the running stride would align the ankle and knee in a straight line while all of the body weight is loaded on one leg (called a neutral position) – the knee should flex straight ahead. The hips and shoulders should maintain a relatively level horizontal alignment and there should be no side to side flex at the waist.

A foot that is under-supported by a training shoe would not be able to maintain this kind of joint alignment. As the foot over-pronates (past the neutral position) the shin and lower leg will rotate to the inside causing additional stress on the stabilizing muscles of the lower leg and quadriceps. The knee is a hinge joint – meaning it should work like the hinge on your car door, moving forward and backward. Once you start introducing rotational forces to this joint, you are going to experience pain due to the stress applied to the muscles, tendons and ligaments. The dropping of the arch will cause the knee to rotate and flex to the inside, the hip will drop and the shoulder will elevate. This position is unnatural and puts unnecessary stress on muscles, tendons, and ligaments – eventually overloading these tissues and leading to injury.

The impact forces associated with running are estimated to be somewhere between 3-7 times your body weight – depending on the efficiency of the runner’s stride. So a woman that weighs 130 pounds will experience somewhere between 400-700 pounds of pressure upon impact. That is a mind-boggling force. But the more mind-boggling thing is that the human body is extremely efficient in absorbing that impact – if the joints are aligned properly. Joints will flex, muscles will contract, tendons will stretch and the bones of your feet will spread; all working together to disperse the staggering amount of force experienced upon impact.

Back to barefoot running: if 80% of the population over-pronates while running, then they are going to experience the loss of joint alignment when running barefoot. And that 400 pounds of force will be transferred to the soft tissues of the lower leg. This stress on the muscles, tendons and soft tissues of the lower leg is exactly why there is a high risk of injury from running barefoot.

Most of us would not be able to walk into a gym and benchpress 300 pounds. In fact, if we tried, we would most likely injure a shoulder or wrist, or break a bone because our bodies are not accustomed to that high level of stress. It would take a long time of consistently going to the gym and progressing the amount of weight we lift and how many times we lift it in order to get to a point where our body was strong enough to lift 300 pounds.  Running long distances barefoot is like benchpressing 300 pounds.

If you try to run 1, 2, 3 miles or farther barefoot (or with barefoot running shoes like the Vibram five fingers, Nike Free, etc.) you are trying to lift 300 pounds before you can benchpress the bar.

The risk of injury is high when you jump right into barefoot running. You need to gradually introduce the stresses of barefoot running by starting with 100 meter repetitions on a soft surface like a football or soccer field. Over weeks you can progress to more repetitions, then to farther distances. It should take you a few months to get to the point where you can run barefoot for just one mile continuously. This slow process allows the muscles to adapt to the stresses of trying to maintain proper joint alignment without the aid of a training shoe. It will also gradually increase the strength of the muscles in your feet and the stabilizing muscles of the lower leg.

People that progress their barefoot training too quickly are almost guaranteed to end up with an injury – regardless of how experienced you are at running. The fact is that training shoes do weaken the smaller muscles of the feet and stabilizing muscles of the lower leg. These weak muscles are not prepared to handle the high impact forces efficiently, which transfers those forces to the bones and can result in stress fractures.

There are definite risks involved with introducing barefoot running into your training routine of which you need to be conscious. If you gradually introduce barefoot running into your training routine, you will have a high probability of achieving the long term benefits discussed in part II of this article. In the final part of this article we will discuss ways to introduce barefoot running and a sensible progression that will help to ensure a safe and successful transition.

With the advent of web 2.0 technologies, social media and communities online, running has taken a techno turn. Many companies are using the latest technologies to help you track, plan and share your training using your computer and internet. Virtual running communities allow you to find training partners, chart your progress, and challenge runners thousand of miles away to beat you to a goal.

Over ten years ago we saw the first adaptation of GPS that allowed runners to track their mileage with precision. These units were big, and the software was clunky but it got the ball rolling on the possibilities that technology could provide for runners. As the technology improved, we saw integration with heart rate monitors and altimeters that showed how changes in elevation effected heart rate and pace. Cool information to see, but overall pretty useless for the common runner. For most, a simple wrist watch was all they needed.

Nike was the first company to really acknowledge the potential benefits that the latest internet technologies could provide for runners. When they teamed with Apple to create the Nike+ hardware and online running community, they captured the essence of what runners want: a way to plan and track their training, and a way to meet other runners. Running can be such a social activity, and this platform  allowed you to meet runners from all over the world and was the perfect solution to the lonely runner’s problems.

When Nike+ was introduced a runner needed the accelerometer chip and an Apple iPod to track their training. The chip communicates with your iPod and stores the information from your run, including pace and distance throughout the run, as well as average pace for the total run. You are then able to upload all the information to Nikeplus.com to store your training information, share it with your friends, and chart your progress. The online interface is beautiful, intuitive and streamlined with buttons to post your training on social networks or challenge a friend to race to a distance goal – whether that be running 20 miles in one run, or race to be the first to run 1,000 cumulative miles.

Nike recently rereleased the Nike+ Sportband which eliminates the iPod from the equation. The Sportband is a wristband that houses a USB chip, which doubles as a watch face. The face displays time, pace, and distance so you can track your progress on the run. Then when you’re finished you simply detach the USB chip and insert it into your computer. The information is then uploaded to nikeplus.com and you can track your progress and analyze specific workouts.

Nikeplus.com also features training programs that you can use to achieve certain goals. It has programs that will give you a training program to run your first 10k, or train for the Boston Marathon. This takes a lot of the guess work out of planning a training program for those of us that don’t have a masters in exercise science.

The latest technology to enter the scene is the adidas MiCoach. This product, which will be released in March of this year takes the essence of Nike+ and makes it more technical. The product contains four pieces: an accelerometer chip that attaches to your laces, a heart rate monitor, the MiCoach pod that attaches to a waistband or shirt, and an earphone that allows MiCoach to communicate with you.

MiCoach does everything that Nike+ does like track distance and pace and store it, but introduces the heartrate monitor component. This is really what makes MiCoach more technical than Nike+ because MiCoach communicates with you based on your heartrate and effort level.

Ignoring the distance tracking capabilities that is shares with Nike+, the MiCoach website will actually develop a training program for you based on your max heart rate and goals. It then schedules your workouts based on effort levels which is distinguished by different color zones. These zones are based on your max heart rate and are calculated as percentages of your max HR. The zones are blue, green, yellow and red, indicating different efforts. Blue zone is the easiest aerobic zone, green is a little more difficult, and so on. An easy day on your training schedule will keep you in the blue zone the entire time. A threshold workout will get you into the green zone, and intervals into the yellow.

The really ground breaking thing about MiCoach is what it does on the run. Once your workout is loaded on the MiCoach pod, it will verbally instruct you as to which zone you should be in through the ear piece. If you’re running too hard, it will tell you to slow down. If you’re not running hard enough, it will encourage you to push it.

If you’d rather not have soothing british women telling you what to do while you’re running, that’s ok too. You can switch the MiCoach pod to the Free setting which will simply collect the data from your run and eliminate the instructional coach.

MiCoach is compatible with any MP3 player, so you can still listen to music on the run. Just plug your MP3 player into the MiCoach pod, and insert your headphones into the pod, and it works seamlessly. The audio quality is not compromised, either. MiCoach will automatically lower the volume of the music if it needs to instruct you during the run, and when the nice british lady is finished, your music returns to the original volume.

One aspect of MiCoach that is lacking right now is a community like Nike+ has. However, according to articles I’ve seen, adidas is planning on launching a MiCoach community sometime in June which should allow you to add and challenge friends, much like nikeplus.com does right now.

All in all, this technology seems to be perfect for any runner. If you need help planning your training it provides programs for you based on your ability levels and will help you keep your effort level in check. Or if you’re an experienced runner, you can simply use it to track your training with not only distance and pace, but effort level as well.

MiCoach should be arriving at Future Track sometime in March.

This week you get the superior cushioning of the Puma Complete series of training shoes with their Cell cushioning Technology at 20% off. The Complete Vectana and Complete Velosis are priced to move. Come try out these cushy and stable shoes.

Pamper your footsies as you train for your upcoming marathon! This week, but 3 pairs of Feetures Wool & Bamboo or Injinji Toe Socks and get a FREE $8 Bodyglide to foil the friction of overly-friendly shirts and shorts.

Offer expires 1/17/10.

All trail shoes in stock are 20% OFF!! That’s right – Montrail, Merrel, Asics, Brooks, Mizuno, Inov8, adidas and Pearl Izumi – all models are 20% off. If you’re trekking the trails this winter or planning on pounding the packed paths in the spring, you want to get the traction, stability and durability of a trail shoe. And now is the BEST time to take advantage of the biggest selection of trail shoes in the area at 20% off!

But hurry, the offer ends this Sunday – so don’t miss it!!