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Just one more mile. Come on, push it! You can do another mile.

My mind is always getting in the way of things.  At times I seem to think that I’m closer to a cheetah than a human being and end up pushing myself way too much.  ITB band syndrome, plantar fasciitis and tendinitis? I’ve suffered from each of these injuries usually as a result of overtraining.

As I’ve been talking to my fellow runners, overtraining is a major hurtle for so many of us because we’re competitive and patience isn’t easy. So today, I thought I would share with you a chat I had with Dr. Steven Cohen, Director of Sports Medicine Research at the Rothman Institute and Medical Director of the Philadelphia Marathon.

Our trusted doctor, Dr. Steven Cohen.

Philadelphia Marathon: What is the most common injury you see in your patients?

Dr. Cohen:  Definitely overuse injuries.  Marathoners tend to develop stress fractures from overtraining and patella femoral syndrome. Patella femoral syndrome is pain around the kneecap and increases with physical activity such as running. Tendinitis of joints from the knee, hip and ankle and ITB band syndrome is also very common. The most prominent injuries are in the knee.

PM: What advice could you give to runners to prevent these injuries?

DC: Proper footwear and training. Make sure you have the best form [of sneakers] available for your foot type and I recommend a gradual progression in mileage. Many runners increase their mileage too soon, which results in stress injuries. If you think you’re developing a stress injury, slow down and decrease your mileage. And, of course, if you’re in pain, see a doctor.

PM: I always hear about icing and heating your muscles. When should you use heat or ice to prevent injuries?

DC: You heat your muscles before a workout to loosen them up and ice muscles after a workout to prevent inflammation. Heat helps with stiffness and difficulty stretching.

PM: When do you recommend cross-training?

DC: It’s difficult for anyone’s body to take stress seven days a week, so cross training helps the body maintain its condition without added stress. If an athlete needs to work out seven days a week, I recommend lower impact activities like biking or swimming two or three days a week between running days.

PM: What about lifting?

DC: Lifting with your upper and lower extremities is recommended, but it’s also important to understand why you are lifting weights. Is it to increase endurance? Or to build strength? If you are building endurance, you should do higher repetitions of lower weights and if you are building strength, use lower repetitions with higher weights.

This conversation certainly helped me in my training and I hope it helps you, too! If you have any questions for Dr. Cohen, please comment back on this post!

Happy running for this week.

Dr. Steven B. Cohen is a sports medicine surgeon.  He serves as a team physician to the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Joseph’s University and has done work with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and the University of Pittsburgh athletic program. Dr. Cohen was recently named one of Philadelphia magazine’s Rising Star MDs Under 40.

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Sometimes you set out for a run and you never know whom you’ll meet along the way.  Recently I was warming up to begin a long run on my favorite route, I ran (no pun intended) into Ruby Gettinger. 

If you are unfamiliar with Ruby, she is a sweeter-than-sugar 500-pound reality television star who is documenting her journey to lose weight on the Style Network.  In June, she kicked off her “Ruby’s Walk Across America” national tour right here on Kelly Drive to promote physical fitness and fight obesity.  Looking better than ever and more than a hundred pounds lighter, Ruby greeted me with a hug and said she still has more weight to lose, but she enjoys walking because it doesn’t cost anything and it’s fun. 

This chance meeting inspired me to write about a way that most people don’t normally think about completing a marathon: by walking it. 

In 2009, Team Prevention Walk It! is back for its third year at the Philadelphia Marathon. By providing expert advice, training schedules, mentorship and team building opportunities, Prevention magazine is ready to help participants in the 2009 Philadelphia Marathon walk a half or full marathon again or for the first time.

Walking is a great way to lose weight because — as Ruby said — it’s free, accessible and enjoyable. And if you need some additional motivation, here are some more reasons why walking is a great activity:

1. People who walk 30 minutes a day are more likely to notice health benefits, such as weight loss and increased energy levels, and maintain their weight.
2. It reduces your chance of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and cancer.
3. It lowers your chance of depression. According to a study at the University of Texas at Austin, people who walked for 30 minutes reported a reduction in negative feelings 30-60 minutes afterward.
4. Walking is green! It reduces traffic congestion and promotes sustainability.
5. It offers an opportunity to connect with friends, family or neighbors regardless of the level of physical fitness.

To learn more about Team Prevention Walk It! or to sign up to walk the Philadelphia Marathon instead of running it, visit www.prevention.com/team.

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A few years ago Nike and Apple released a running shoe and iPod combo which tracks your running distance, time and pace while playing your favorite music. One of my favorite things about this combo was the introduction of the PowerSong, a song that is meant for “instant motivation.”

Everyone has a PowerSong. I could only imagine how many people have “Gonna Fly Now” (the Rocky theme) or “I Will Survive” on their iPod.  This is the song that when you think you can’t push it any more, you say to yourself, just one more mile, and then hit play for your PowerSong.

The PowerSong is not only a song that inspires you, but it is also quite telling about your personality.  Some people have a slow Jack Johnson or smooth Maroon 5 song while others reserve a dance remix of a Beyonce song or a macho AC/DC song like “TNT.”  Would you rather cool down when you have another five minutes to run or have a boost of adrenaline?

For me, my PowerSong is Michael Jackson’s “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” from his Thriller album.  I remember dancing with my mother to this song as a child and through the years, it’s continued to bring a smile to my face.  Especially in light of Michael Jackson’s recent death, this song has become even more special to me and the masses as Thriller has hit number two on the Billboard charts this week.

And as always, this blog is interactive, so I’d love to hear about your PowerSong(s) and share a poignant playlist for a future post.

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Photo by Ricky Fitchett

Enjoying leftover pie, attending summer parties or scoring some extra Zs; these are some of my favorite things.  Unfortunately, they also serve as roadblocks between me and my PR because it’s easy to blow off a day of running to do something else. 

As the Philadelphia Marathon is just a few months away, I thought I would share some tips of how I stay motivated during the dog days of summer.

1. Write down your goals. It’s always easier to get where you’re going when you know where you’ve been. There are lots of sites like Nike.com, HalHigdon.com or JeffGalloway.com which provide great training schedules and serve as a guide to track your progress. I think it’s extremely rewarding to see how far I’ve come since my first day of training by reviewing my running log. And here’s another tip: according to a famous study published in the Harvard Business Review, people who put their goals on paper are ten times more successful than those who do not!

1. Cross train with fun activities on your days off from running. Summertime is a great time to train for a marathon because most people spend more time outside than they do in the colder months. Fitting in a bicycle ride or swimming a few laps outdoors are fun ways to stay in shape. I recently invested in the Aqua Jogger and found that it has made a world of difference in my training.

1. Dedicate your run to someone you love. I picked up this tip from my yoga teacher. When I don’t feel motivated to do my run, I think about how my grandmother or best friend would want to see me succeed in reaching my goal and it has been an awesome source of inspiration when I need it most.

1. Use the buddy system.  Sometimes it’s easy to tell yourself that you don’t feel like working out, but when you have someone who is setting aside time in their busy schedule to join you on a run, it’s harder to say no. I love going on a long run with a friend because conversational running is one of the best ways to set a good pace and ensure you’re not moving too fast or slow.

1. Reward yourself. When you work hard at anything you do, you should recognize that it isn’t easy.  Whether it’s a 26.2 necklace, a hearty banana split or a photo to commemorate your achievement, a reward is a powerful tool in staying motivated and providing a means to an end.

If you have any tips, please comment on this blog post, too. I would love to hear how you stay motivated!

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