Category Archives: Uncategorized

Recently No Limits athlete Ken was in a photoshoot for ATB. Here is one of the great Ad’s that was created. Looking good Ken!

We need Tim in one of these Ad’s.

Back in March 7 I hit a jump skiing and ended up having a fracture of my lower leg.

Looking back this was not one of my better decisions.
This sidelined me for 7 weeks until I had my last xray showing that the bone had healed.
Which was 2 days before I departed for the No Limits Wildflower training camp.

Once in Sunny California I found that I could swim, bike and run slow. I think there is something in the air down there.

As I was walking around in crutches and a cast I kept wondering how this camp and race would go. I never did cross the idea of the camp off. I am a bit stubborn that way. In the end I was able to complete the camp and the race and get across the finish line to receive my finish medal. Those silly things become very valuable when you are unable to get one.

Throughout my downtime period I had support from so many people that I feel I need to acknowledge them.

1st to all my athletes who had to put up with me sitting on a chair while I coached from the deck and floor and not being able to run during my brick classes. This was very hard for all of us. So thank you!

2nd to Mary for coming in to sub some of my classes. I thought I could do it all. Nope. Thanks Mary.

3rd to all the brick athletes who helped me open up the store early Tuesday and Saturday mornings.

4th to the staff of Tri-It for assisting me with whatever I asked of them.

5th to the amazing support from the JCC staff and community. Really unexpected and I loved it!

6th to the medical staff who got me back training so quickly. Louise, Kevin, Lori and Rob.

7th to my family for putting up with me and my limitations while slowed down.

8th to all the people I did not know who asked how I was doing and how it happened. It is crazy what strangers will do.

For me to go from crutches and a cast to the finish line of Wildflower in such a crazy time leaves me speachless. It has been a crazy ride and I am looking forward to getting all of you faster than you dream and get across your finish line with your arms held high.

Once again Thank You for all of your support!

To continue from the previous posting regarding Wildflower here is what happened on Day 2. We had three athletes racing in the Olympic distance event. Ian, myself and Tina. Ian and I are in the same age group so we were lucky to start the race together. I always know at the start of the swim I will see Ian somewhere on the bike course as he is a much faster swimmer. Ian was out of the lake in 21:57 and I was out in 25:11. The bike course is quite hilly and can be a lot of fun after 5 days of solid training. We both rode well and I managed to lead Ian into T2 by a couple of mins. As most know this was my 1st week back training after having a fracture of my lower leg. I knew my leg was fine to push the bike so I did. I rode like I was going to walk the 10 Km. At the start of the run I held to a conservative pace as I did not want to push my leg and when Ian went by on the run he yelled an encouraging word and I knew I would see him at the finish line much later.

Ian had a great run finishing in 2:26

I finished one of my most memorable races in 2:28.

Tina had a great day as well swimming the 1500 distance in a time of 27:54, Bike of 1:31, Run of 55:19 for a 3:00 finish!

Already looking forward to Wildflower 2013!

Not too long ago was the Calgary Police half marathon. No Limits had a few athletes in the mix.

Many were using this race as stepping stones to other events like Great white north or IMC.
Kent was very pleased with his run after doing the appropriate gradual training following an injury.
He finished in 1:32

Raf set a personal best for the police half course finishing in 1:36.

Louise is gradually building up her mileage with her sights on GWN. Today Louise had a good run finishing 3rd in her age group and 15th woman in a time of 1:38.

Lucy had knee surgery early in 2012 and this was a big dream of hers to complete a half marathon. Lucy finished in a time 2:15 which is 5 minutes faster than her goal time. Once week later Lucy was off to Vegas to compete in the Women’s only Irongirl competition and had lots of fun!

Up in Edmonton Ken competed in the 5 Peaks running event and finished 6th in his age group and 25th overall. Ken is getting used to racing faster and leaving nothing in the tank.

Over to Winnipeg we saw another Police half marathon take place. This time we had Chris competing and he had a strong run finishing in 1:25 which was good enough for 4th in his age group and 13 overall. This is a great start to his IMC training.

If you have any photos from your races please forward them to me so I can post on the site.

Next race is Mother’s Day 10 Km and then things really get busy!
Here we go.

Wildflower training camp is now in the books. We had a wonderful week training in California. We were very sorry to hear that one day the Calgary weather was snow. No sign of snow or rain where we were.

New this year we ventured off to ride to the ocean and visit the small town of Cambria. Here we dipped our toes in the ocean and then later enjoyed some clam chowder before venturing off for our 14 Km ascent. We were very lucky to have a strong tailwind push us up the climb. So much so that there were times when I was in my aero bars. Gotta love that.

When it came down to race day everyone was ready!

The weather lived up to the California expectation and we had sun all day with a nice breeze to keep the spectators and racers from melting away.

In the end we saw great races from everyone.

Kevin lead the Charge with a finish of 5:20

Followed by Chris in 5:37

Then Mike in 6:22

Lesley in 6:25

Paul and Mary in 6:31

The team of Tanya (Swim/Bike) and Monica (Run) finished in 6:28

At the end of the day everyone was pleased and looking forward to sampling some of the local wines.

More from the race will be posted shortly to see how Ian, Tina and Coach Todd did.

Yes the rumour is true! No Limits has gone pink this year. At least for the ladies.

The 2012 gear arrived today and is ready to roll on the roads.

This year we have the following to choose from:

Cycling Jersey and Shorts
Race Singlet and Shorts
New Jacket (this is soooo soft and comfy and will be a great warm-up jacket)
Socks (only in Blue and very limited)

Check out the video below which has George and myself as the models.
Please email me if you would like to look great this year on the roads / pathways and races.

Go Bubbles!!!

Due to a few of No Limits athletes recently having calf strains (including myself), Todd asked me to discuss this injury. As calf cramps are similar in that they can develop suddenly in the same region while exercising, I have added a few words on that topic too.

Calf Strain

The calf muscle consists of two main muscles, the more superficial two-headed gastrocnemius and the deeper soleus. The muscles unite at the bottom to form the Achilles tendon. The combined action of the calf muscles are critical to the running stride as the calf first acts to provide shock absorption for the impact of foot strike and then contracts to propel push off.

Exercise induced calf strains are most commonly found in the medial head of the gastrocnemius. 1 The gastrocnemius is considered at high risk for strains because it crosses two joints (the knee and ankle) and has a high density of fast twitch muscle fibers which are associated with power and speed. When the muscle is fatigued, sudden stretch or forceful contraction of fast twitch fibers can result in sudden strain. Muscle fibres can tear at a microscopic grade I level or more severely as a grade III strain. Pain is of immediate onset, followed by muscle spasm and tightness of the calf that can last for several days. Gastrocnemius strain will appear to recover quickly but will tend to reoccur with early return to running unless full strength and flexibility is regained.

The soleus muscle is considered at lower risk for injury. 1 It crosses only the ankle and is largely comprised of slow twitch muscle fibers associated with endurance function. Soleus strains also tend to be less dramatic in clinical presentation when compared to injuries of the gastrocnemius. Classic symptoms are of lateral calf tightness, stiffness, and pain that slowly worsens over days to weeks.

Calf strains tend to occur either because of weakness or tightness in either of the gastrocnemius or soleus muscles. Running faster or longer than normal, fatigue and running style can all contribute to calf strain onset.

For either gastrocnemius or soleus strain, treatment over the first three to five days should consist of rest, compression, elevation and ice to manage pain and swelling. After five to seven days, stretching and gentle muscle activation exercise should begin. Ten to 14 days after the injury, the developing scar tissue is strong enough to tolerate more aggressive rehabilitative exercises. Single leg heel raises and heel raises on a step are typical early phase exercises. Progression to adding weights and hopping/jumping exercises (plyometrics) will help rebuild the strength of the muscle fibres and connective tissues as well as retrain neuromuscular coordination required for running. Conservative resumption of running is generally safe when single leg hopping is painfree. Time frame for recovery is usually two to six weeks depending on extent of initial tissue damage.

Calf Cramp

Calf cramping is different from the calf strain in that no muscle fibres are actually injured. Exercise- associated muscle cramps are generally described as a sudden, painful involuntary muscle contraction that occurs during or immediately after exercise. 2 Traditional beliefs have been that muscle cramping was caused by overheating, dehydration and electrolyte depletion but current research has not supported this hypothesis. An alternative theory is that of ‘altered neuromuscular control’. 2, 3 This hypothesis is based on evidence that suggests that the development of muscular fatigue results in altered muscle control that leads to the involuntary reflex contraction or cramp

Muscle cramps during running seem to occur with higher intensity of activity and are consequently associated with racing more than training. Cramping also tends to occur toward the end of races and with races that have hillier profiles. Poor pacing strategies are also predictive of cramping. 3 A 2011 research study on muscle cramping in Ironman Triathletes found higher incidence in faster racers, those with previous soft tissue injuries, taller athletes and those with a family history of cramping. 2 Muscles that are most likely to cramp are those that cross two joints like the gastrocnemius (crosses knee and ankle) and the hamstring (crosses hip and knee).

Not to say that proper hydration is unimportant, but the best way to prevent cramping may be to focus on appropriate and even race pace. Race specific training like hill repeats, speed intervals and tempo runs will help strengthen muscles and prepare them for race efforts. Specific strength exercises for the calf as described in the calf strain section (heel raises and plyometrics) also make preventative sense.

If you experience cramping in a race or training, the best treatment is stretching. Ice and massage can also help with post effort management.

Louise Taylor
Physiotherapist
BMR PT, MClSc PT
The Downtown Sports Clinics – TD Square
thedowntownsportsclinics.com
300, 304. 8 Avenue SW
Calgary, AB
403.233.7007

References