Welcome back to another edition of "...Or we can blaze!" Just a brief update before I start talking about a study.
When last we talked, I was, unfortunately, again talking about injury setbacks (seems to be a theme... maybe I should rename this blag 1001 different running injuries, and how to go about developing them). Well, folks, injury has struck again. This time, it was in the form an angry hamstring. I was enjoying an easier Sunday stroll with my roommate Nick and good friend Eric Loveland, when my hamstring decides that it was going to contract, and then not relax. This was by far the worst hamstring issue that I have ever had. It snuck up on me suddenly, and made it nearly impossible to finish my run (against my better judgement, I somehow hobbled my way back home; had I known for sure that someone would come and get me in a reasonable amount of time, I may have just started walking). Luckily, the injury only required a couple of days off, and, a week later, it is basically non-existent. So not too much harm done.
Also notable on that run was the fact the Eric Loveland (who should now be referred to as Eric "Superman" Loveland) got hit by a jeep from behind. I would like to embellish, the story a little, and tell you that Eric got completely blindsided and hit full on by the Jeep, shattering it into a million different pieces, and walking away unharmed (which is why you should call him Superman). But the truth of the matter is that the Jeep, which was coming up from behind way to fast on way too snowy roads, giving way too short of a warning with its horn, and not being patient enough to make sure we were out of the way before it passed, only clipped Eric's shoe, knocking him on the ground and banging up his knee. Sure, Eric's knee got a little bunged up, and I'm sure his heel felt a little off kilter for a while, but, considering how serious it could have been, things turned out pretty okay for him.
Back to my training. Since getting over the hamstring issue, I've actually put in some pretty good runs. Now, I've been running san-watch, so I can't say that I've put down any amazing workouts or anything like that, but I can say that running has, for a change, felt effertless and it has felt like I've found a pop in my stride that has been missing. Plus today I put in 17.25 miles, which didn't feel all that difficult (until the last few). So what this probably means is that in a few weeks I'll be writing about another overuse injury, as that seems to be what happens when I start feeling good- I start too over-train. :)
Finally, too the title of my blog. As many of you know, not only am I a runner, I am a science enthusiast (for those of you that can't tell, that is a bit of sarcasm, considering that "enthusiast" doesn't quite mean the same thing as "I've decided to make a career out of science and go to graduate school to get my Ph.D. in biochemistry). As such, I enjoy perusing the science literature, and my interest always perks up when two of my loves, running and science, intertwine. Well in the journal of Science Translational Medicine (Feb. 1 2012 edition) this week, there was an article on how massage may actually have a biochemical basis for enhanced recovery. A news release can be found here, and here is the original article. The authors looked at genes differentially regulated (i.e. either more or less mRNA, which makes proteins, was produced) in legs of subjects who, after a bout of aerobic exercise, had one leg massaged and one leg, the control, that was not massaged. They found a number of genes that differed in the massaged leg compared to the subjects non-massaged control limb. Additionally, a number of pathways that function in recovery were turned on in the massaged leg to a higher degree than those of the non-massaged leg, suggesting that massage aided in the recovery after exercise. Interestingly, scientist found that a pathway that leads to mitochondrial biosynthesis was turned on, which makes me wonder if not only does massage aid in recovery, but does it actually increase the benefits one would receive from a bout of exercise.
Like almost all scientific studies, there are a few caveats. For instance, from what I understand, the subjects were not regular exercisers, but rather underwent a single bout of exercise (actually two- one initial to measure VO2 max and other parameters to define the second test experiment, done two weeks later, where the biochemical measurements were taken). But this study does give credibility to massage as a form of recovery, and does point in the direction of many directions for future studies: does massage aid in the recovery of the habitual aerobic exerciser? Does the type of massage (deep tissue, athletic, gentle, etc.) matter? Is self massage as effective? Foam rollers? How frequent?
Well folks, I hope you enjoyed this post, and until next time, as always, blaze on! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment