One of the first steps taken in the treatment of Achilles tendinopathy is typically an exercise regimen that aims to eccentrically load the tendon. This typically consists of sets of straight leg and bent leg heel drops at the edge of a step. Dr. Håkan Alfredson pioneered this technique, and a few years ago I listened to a podcast interview on BMJ Talk Medicine in which he describes how he developed his version of the technique which emphasizes painful eccentric heel drops. It’s actually a great story about the lengths a runner (Dr. Alfredson himself in this case) will go to return to the sport, and I won’t give it away the details here (you can listen below). I’ve been meaning to share this podcast here for a long time, and was reminded to do so after recently chatting with a friend and former colleague whose running career was halted by a chronic Achilles injury.

In the podcast Dr. Alfredson also discusses specific eccentric loading protocols for mid-tendon vs. insertional pain, other treatment options for Achilles tendinopathy should conservative management attempts fail, the dangers of cortisone injections in managing pain from AT, and a particularly interesting observation on the possible role that the plantaris muscle might play in some cases of medial Achilles pain.

If you’re not familiar with the plantaris, it’s an interesting muscle because the muscle belly is small and the tendon is very long and its insertion is variable, typically attaching either into the Achilles tendon or onto the medial calcaneus. What’s more, the plantaris is actually absent in some humans (~7% lack it according to this study). In contrast, it is a fairly large muscle in the cats I used to dissect with my students in A&P lab. I found Alfredson’s discussion of the plantaris interesting because it’s another example that highlights human variability and how that might influence individual injury risk.

Anyway, enough of an intro. If you’re interested in this subject, I encourage you to listen to the podcast:

And for anyone interested in what these eccentric loading exercises look like, here are a few videos (if you currently suffer from an Achilles injury, please see your doctor or therapist for proper diagnosis before attempting this as treatments differ for different types of Achilles injuries):

Straight legged heel drops:

Bent-knee heel drops:

You can listen on-line here: http://runnersroundtablepodcast.blogspot.com/2013/07/rrt-131-hokas-and-minimalist-running.html

You can download the podcast from iTunes here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/rrt-131-hokas-minimalist-running/id287953154?i=163846599&mt=2

I recently listened to interviews with Jay on two separate podcasts, and I thought I’d share them here since he is a wealth of knowledge on all things running and his philosophy on form and footwear very closely aligns with my own (he is a recurring “character” in my own book).

Here are the podcasts:

First, Jay did an interview with the folks over at Trail Runner Nation. Jay covers a lot of ground in the interview, and the title “Make running more fun!” is excellent advice! You can listen on-line here, or download the podcast from iTunes.

The second podcast is a slightly shorter interview with Jay conducted by Mark Kennedy of Healthynomics. You can listen on-line here, or download the interview from iTunes.

And if you haven’t read it already, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Jay’s book (see cover above), Anatomy for Runners.

Enjoy!

If you need something to listen to on your long run this weekend, head over to Cesar’s site and download the show – he has it available in a variety of formats.

To download the episode direct from Itunes, click here.

Enjoy!

One of the topics we focused on quite a bit was foot strike, and I tried to make the point that a single-minded focus on foot strike may not be wise given that it is only one aspect of the overall running gait. I also wanted to make it clear that I do not believe that every runner must run solely on their forefoot, and that mild heel striking is likely just fine if other aspects of form are good. I worry that the recent intense focus on forefoot striking has runners forcing the issue and causing themselves more trouble than if they just left things alone.

Here is the link to the podcast on the Trail Runner Nation website: http://trailrunnernation.com/2012/05/heel-striking/

Here is the direct link to download the podcast from Itunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/dr.-peter-larson-so-youre/id484661268?i=115576192

Here is the link to directly download the audio file (right-click link and “Save As”): http://trailrunnernation.com/podpress_trac/web/6381/0/larson-heel-striker.mp3

I hope you enjoy the interview should you choose to listen! As always, comments are welcome!

To give it a listen, head on over to Mark’s interview at Trail Runner Nation.

If you’re interested in listening, you can visit the Geeks in Running Shoes page to download the audio file.

Alternatively, you can download the podcast episode on iTunes.

I was fortunate enough to have recorded the audio of Blaise’s lecture, and he was kind enough to give me permission to post the audio as a podcast here on Runblogger. Below are links to the audio at Itunes, as well as a direct link to a downloadable MP3 file. Blaise is an informative, dynamic, and entertaining speaker, and I encourage you to give the lecture a listen.

Itunes link: click here

Direct MP3 link: click here

To learn more about Blaise and his work, you can visit his website at www.therunningclinic.ca. You can also sign up for his mailing list – he writes often on topics relating to form, footwear and injuries.

To listen to the audio of the panel discussion in .mp3 format, click here. Alternatively, you can right-click here and save the file to your computer.

To download audio of the panel discussion from iTunes, click here.

Video of the panel discussion is provided below courtesy of Newton Running.

I’ve recently been listening to a podcast by a friend and fellow minimalist and dailymile runner named Ted Beveridge (@AirForceTed on Twitter – see picture at left). Ted is an amazing runner with an inspirational personal story of weight loss accomplished by getting active and changing his eating habits. His podcast, You Don’t Have to Run Alone, details his running adventures, his love for military aircraft, and lately, his thoughts on food and the epidemic of obesity currently occurring in the United States.

I was listening to one of Ted’s “Food Rants” on a recent episode of his podcast (Episode 19 to be exact – here’s the Itunes link), and was impressed by his willingness to express his emotions on the topic of childhood obesity as forcefully as he did. He is a guy that truly cares about the welfare of our nation’s young people, and he gave a passionate explanation in that episode regarding why the obesity epidemic is potentially even a problem from a national security standpoint.

I felt compelled to send a message to Ted regarding his rant, and he was kind enough to place it as the opening segment to his latest episode (#22), in which he and Megan from the Run Vegan Run podcast discuss their thoughts on nutrition and obesity. Ted’s podcast is well worth your subscription, but at the very least I recommend that you check out episode 19 and episode 22. I’d love to hear what you think!

Just a quick post here, and sorry for the short notice. Christopher McDougall, Steven Pribut, and Amby Burfoot will be on the Diane Rehm show on NPR tomorrow, July 12, at 11:00 AM. The show is titled “Running in America”, and the description from the Diane Rehm Show website is as follows:

“Millions of Americans run to lose weight, stay in shape or relieve stress. But many suffer injuries that keep them off the road and out of commission. A look at barefoot running and other trends gaining traction.“

Looks very interesting! Hopefully I’ll be able to give it a listen, but if not, I’ll try to dig up a podcast link if/when it comes out.

To listen or subscribe via RSS: http://feeds.feedburner.com/RunbloggerRuncast

To listen or subscribe via Itunes: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?i=80594539&id=348528478

Alternatively, you can listen directly here:

Links related to Runblogger Podcast #18:

-Here are links to the 4 marathons that I’m considering as options for Fall 2010:
1. Hampton Smuttynose Rockfest Marathon
2. Clarence DeMar Marathon

-Fleet Foxes – The closing song, “White Winter Hymnal,” can be downloaded from the band’s web page at Sub Pop Records.