Volunteer at the 2012 BC Summer Games in Surrey! The Games will be held from July 19-22.
For more information and registration, check out the link - https://www.bcgames.net/sry2012s
Since it was first published in 1999, The Beginning Runner’s Handbook has helped more than 35,000 participants at community clinics across Canada - and thousands more runners around the world - realize their goal of running 10K.
BUY The Beginning Runner’s Handbook!
This easy-to-use, practical guide is completely updated in this fourth edition. It now includes a revised RunWalk program that gives runners a choice between running 10K or running and walking the distance, depending on their individual goals and fitness. Tried and tested by thousands of new and experienced runners, the thirteen-week program was developed as a training regimen for the Vancouver Sun Run by SportMedBC in conjunction with sport medicine doctors, therapists, nutritionists, and trainers.
Watch SportMedBC’s Lynn Kanuka’s interview with Fanny Kiefer on Shaw TV’s Studio 4.
A new chapter on preparing for 10K events, including charity runs, reflects the popularity of getting fit while giving back to the community. Expanded and enhanced sections include cross-training options such as trail running, group fitness classes, and boot camp sessions as well as information on running through pregnancy. In this updated edition, there are facts about barefoot running, minimalist shoes, and links to online sources of information and running communities.
Combining expert advice, handy training tips, and answers to commonly asked questions, as well as testimonials from runners of all ages who have met the 10K challenge, The Beginning Runner’s Handbook is like having a running coach in your back pocket.
With the start to the RunWalk and Sun Run InTraining programs and many others making New Year’s resolutions to start a running program, here are a few reminders on how to make it to the starting line of your event - injury free - and able to perform to the best of your ability. SportMedBC’s Manager of Performance Dr. D'arcey Musselman gives us her tips:
1. Focus on Good Posture
Good posture involves proper body alignment for maximal function and efficiency. If the body is not in optimal position, the muscles and joints must work harder for each action. This inefficient movement costs more energy.
Running with good posture and proper biomechanics will minimize stress and strain on the muscles and joints, which helps improve performance and decreases the risk of injury.
2. Proper Footwear
It is essential that runners wear the appropriate footwear for running. The biomechanics of running is vastly different to other sports, such as basketball or tennis, and as a result requires the proper footwear to meet the demands of the sport. Running shoes are designed to protect your feet from the road, cushion the landing and support your feet. Running shoes have highly specialized built-in shoe features which allow you to run many miles day after day more comfortably and with less chance of sustaining injuries.
Since runners are unique in their foot biomechanics (how much they train, their running style), there is no perfect shoe. One of the best ways to ensure you are getting the proper running shoe is to visit a RunWalk specialty store. They can help fit you in the appropriate brand and model for your needs.
3. Stretching
Stretching is an effective activity that helps enhance performance, decreases the likelihood of injury and minimizes muscle soreness. Stretching should be included as part of the training warm up and cool down with each having a different purpose. The purpose of stretching prior to exercise is to help prevent injury. This is done by lengthening the muscles and tendons which in turn, increases the range of motion. It also helps prepare the body and mind for more strenuous activity. Stretching after exercise is primarily to aid in the repair and recovery of the muscles and tendons.
As runners, tight muscles can contribute to poor dynamic posture and lead to inefficient running mechanics. Generally the body areas that require stretching attention include the calf, lower back, hip, groin, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, shoulders and neck. These stretches do not need to take very long. To perform a stretch, get into the proper position and hold for 20 to 30 seconds. There should be no bouncing or forcing of the motion. Go as far as you can without feeling pain, hold and repeat.
4. Recovery Strategies
Running at any level of intensity depletes the body in many areas and requires a variety of recovery strategies in order to continue conditioning the body optimally. This is sports recovery - the conscious act to help the body return to its optimal exercise state. A few recovery strategies include cooling down, post-workout nutrition and rest.
Cool-down routines are important. These routines give the muscles a chance to keep the blood flowing through the body which helps reduce lactic acid buildup, allows the body temperature and heart rate to gradually return to normal and reduces the potential for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).
Post-workout nutrition involves replacing the resources that were used during running. These are primarily water, carbohydrates and electrolytes. Rehydrating yourself after your run is the most important step you can take. If you neglect rehydrating, your recovery will be stalled significantly. Carbohydrates are your fuel and also vital to the recovery process. There is scientific evidence to suggest that the first hour after you exercise is the time that your body responds best to glycogen replenishment (i.e. carbohydrates). Electrolytes (sodium, potassium and calcium) are also necessary to replace before muscle recovery can occur.
Rest is an essential part of training and is just as important as working out. Rest is the key to preventing overtraining and the potential of injuries. Muscles break down with training and then rebuild to get stronger. This implies that damage to the muscle is the stimulus for change. So don’t feel guilty taking time out to rest, it is part of the training program!
5. Core Stability
The “core” is the term used to refer to the trunk or lumbopelvic region in the body. Muscular support in this region is critical to maintain the integrity of the spine and to support the body. When applied to running performance, strong lumbopelvic region will improve your form, reduce the likelihood of injuries and improve running performance.
On Wednesday, February 15th, SportMedBC RunWalk Coach Lynn Kanuka and Sport Physiotherapist Timberly George hosted a SportMed Webinar on the aches and pains experienced during RunWalk training.
The webinar addressed common injuries, and offered some great cross training tips to keep you healthy and fit!
Watch SportMed Webinar #2 - February 15th
View our first webinar from January 10th!
Looking to improve your health and increase your level of physical fitness? Confused as to where to start? Over the past fifteen years, SportMedBC has trained almost 50,000 people just like you to go the 10K distance and take part in one of North America's largest 10K events - The Vancouver Sun Run.
Sun Run InTraining clinics cater to all fitness levels, from the beginning walker wanting to get off the couch to the experienced runner looking for an improved 10K race time. You will start slowly and gradually build strength and stamina. Your focus over thirteen weeks will be to improve your overall health and fitness while remaining injury free.
Check out what some Sun Run InTraining participants have to say in this inspiring video:
With SportMed RunWalk training programs, there is something for everyone.
Sun Run InTraining clinics begin the week of January 14th, 2012 and continue for thirteen weeks. Clinics are available thoughout the Greater Vancouver area including Bowen Island, Gibsons, Squamish and in the Fraser Valley, as well as in the interior of the British Columbia - Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops and Salmon Arm.
Your clinic registration fee - $139, plus HST - includes:
- Sun Run InTraining Logbook
- New Balance Lighting Dry Tempo Long-sleeve shirt
- 13-week detailed training programs for all levels
- An individual entry for the Sun Run
- PowerBar performance kit
- Supported training sessions led by SportMedBC-trained leaders
- Weekly fitness workshops on nutrition, injury prevention and more
List of 2012 Sun Run InTraining clinics.
Questions about Sun Run InTraining? Click here.
Prefer to train for the 10K on your own? Train with us online either for the Vancouver Sun Run or another 10K event of your choice. Click here.
While Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby received most of the attention in his return from concussion problems, another Canadian Olympian made a post-concussion comeback.
26-year-old North Vancouver native Robbie Dixon made his return to ski racing on Saturday, placing 25th in the Men's Downhill at the Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup event in Alberta.
It was Dixon's first race since Dec. 29, 2010, when he crashed during a downhill race in Italy, suffering a serious concussion that has kept him out of competition for nearly a year. Last December, Dixon lost his balance on a turn, slid downhill and slammed face-first into the netting.
While Crosby's therapy and rehab was busy and well documented, Dixon's was different, as he did as little as possible to deal with the head injury.
“You take away all your technology, no reading, no computers, no books. You spend time in a dark room,” Dixon said. “Really what you want to do is the least amount of stimulation for your brain. It's a tough one because you can't really do anything.”
Second place among Canadians on Saturday, Dixon is feeling confident about the Canadian National Team and his result.
"I'm pretty happy with the approach and my mental state. My head was feeling good and right now, it's just about getting consistency."
Switzerland's Didier Cuche won Saturday's race. At 37 years old, he became the oldest skier to win a World Cup alpine race.
- with files from The Globe and Mail
Photo: Canadian Press
As the controversy of fighting in hockey grows, SportMedBC’s Safety Coordinator Seb Hartell gives us his thoughts about on ice safety and how things can improve moving forward.
"In the ongoing battle to prevent concussions in hockey, many experts are questioning the role of fighting and whether it belongs in the game. Thursday night sparked more controversy. Pittsburgh Penguins forward Arron Asham caught Washington Capitals winger Jay Beagle with a solid right hook that knocked Beagle to the ice. Asham then taunted the Capitals forward and the debate picked up.
Some people are calling for fighting to be banned from the game. Concussions and head injuries are under the microscope and the NHL has taken steps in an effort to lower the number of head injuries. An increase in penalties, the famous rule 48, and stiffer suspensions for violent hits to the head have been the biggest changes that the NHL has implemented. But aren’t bare knuckle, unsanctioned fights causing exactly what the NHL is trying to prevent? No fighting might mean less head injuries!
Many people close to the sport suggest that fighting actually reduces on ice violence. If fighting is banned, players wouldn’t feel the immediate repercussions of their actions on the ice. If a player tries to deliver a cheap shot or a dirty hit, you can bet that he’ll have to answer to a big-bodied enforcer and have to skate with his head up at all times. But do two wrongs make a right? Players know the risks that they are taking when they get into fights. It’s their choice.
I can see why people like fighting in the game. I’m not alone in standing and cheering when two guys get into it. When you’re watching a game, the food gets put down, conversations stop, everybody wants to watch two guys go at one another. It’s entertainment and the league knows it. But is there a way to make fighting less dangerous?
The Ontario Hockey League banned players from purposely removing their helmets before a fight. If the helmet accidently falls off, the fight continues.
Hockey fights have often being referred to as “dropping the gloves.” What if they forced the players to keep the gloves on? Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts forces the participants to wear gloves, why not hockey? Devastating, unprotected blows to the head would be reduced and fighting wouldn’t be taken out of the game, seems like a pretty good compromise.
What do you think?"
Photo: Getty Images
The 2011 SportMedBC Annual General Meeting and Conference - entitled Best Practices in Social Media - was held Saturday, September 24th at the North Shore Winter Club.
We very much appreciated the support of a number of practitioners who have a special interest in social media and were available to participate in the keynote address and two workshops which preceded our AGM. Thanks to all of those who contributed, participated and attended. We have received nothing but terrific feedback.
For those of you who might not have had the opportunity to attend, we wanted to pass along a link of our 2011 SportMedBC Annual Report for your reference.
The Annual Report provides an overview of the work we are doing to promote optimal sport health on the strength of the Best People, Best Practices and Best Programs in sport medicine, sport medicine and sport science. We are proud to present this on behalf of our more than 580 practitioners, a network which grew again for the sixth consecutive year.
On behalf of all of us associated with SportMedBC - our Board of Directors, our management team and the dynamic community of medical and paramedical practitioners who make up our network here in British Columbia - all the best for the balance of 2011 and in the months to come.
Sincerely,
President & Chief Executive Officer
SportMedBC and The Vancouver Sun are seeking mature, active and enthusiastic individuals to be InTraining Clinic Coordinators.
InTraining is a gradual 13-week RunWalk program that provides expert advice, guidance and companionship on the road to improved health and fitness. The program meets the needs and interests of all exercisers, from the walkers and first-time joggers to the experienced runners wanting to improve their Vancouver Sun Run 10K race time.
If you are an experienced runner or walker, have a keen interest in physical fitness and have great motivational and organizational skills, you are an ideal candidate for an InTraining Clinic Coordinator!
Clinic Coordinators supervise the implementation of the InTraining Program for the Vancouver Sun Run; lead the weekly education session, provide leadership to the volunteer leaders and liaise on a regular basis with the host centre’s programmer and SportMedBC.
The position requires you to be present at all designated sessions for your host clinic centre, and regular email access in order to ensure efficient and cost-effective communication with both participants and SportMedBC.
As the program’s frontline person, you will ensure the delivery, overall “quality control” and consistency of the InTraining Program.
The program begins the week of Saturday, January 14, 2012 and continues for 13 weeks, which leads participants to the Vancouver Sun Run on Sunday, April 15.
Clinic Coordinators receive an honorarium, an entry to the Vancouver Sun Run with a souvenir run T-shirt, leader garments and education support, including CPR training.
Deadline for applications is Friday, November 4, 2011.
For more information please contact:
SportMedBC RunWalk Manager
Tel: 604.903.3883
SportMedBC and The Vancouver Sun are seeking active, enthusiastic individuals who have a passion for running and/or walking for our 2012 Sun Run InTraining Program.
The community-based program introduces walkers and runners of all levels to a 13-week training program. InTraining is a program that meets the needs and interests of all exercisers from walkers and first-time joggers to experienced runners wanting to improve their 10K race time.
Volunteer RunWalk leaders help make the InTraining Program a welcoming experience even for the most uncertain participants. Volunteer leaders share an interest in physical activity and understand the challenges of starting a new exercise program.
Leaders should be fit and have the energy to motivate others to follow their RunWalk training schedule regardless of the weather or other circumstances. It is important however, that the motivation to become a leader is to help participants achieve their goals, not for leaders to further their own goals for completing a 10K.
Under the guidance of a Clinic Coordinator, InTraining leaders work as part of a team that leads novice runners and walkers to the safe and successful achievement of their fitness goals and the completion of the Vancouver Sun Run.
As a volunteer leader, you must attend the SportMedBC training session in January 2012. All volunteers will receive an entry to the Vancouver Sun Run (April 15, 2012), a souvenir T-shirt, a long sleeve technical training shirt, and education (including CPR training).
We are recruiting leaders for our four InTraining programs – Walk10K, LearnToRun10K, Run10KFaster, and NordicWalk10K.
Clinics begin the week of Saturday, January 14, 2012.
For more information please contact:
SportMedBC RunWalk Manager
Tel: 604.903.3883