Shin Splints

As the winter sports for high school and college are upon us one of the most common injuries for winter sport athletes such as runners and basketball players is shin splints. Shin splints is caused by very small tears in the leg muscles at their point of attachment to the shin.  There are two types of shin splints:

1. Anterior shin splints - Occur in the front portion of the shin

2. Posterior shin splints - Occur on the inside (medial) part of the leg along the tibia.

Anterior shin splints are due to muscle imbalances, insufficient shock absorption or toe running.  Excessive pronation contributes to both anterior and posterior shin splints. 

Symptoms

The pain may begin as dull aching sensation after running.  The aching may become more intense, even during walking, if ignored.  Tender areas are often felt as one or more small bumps along either side of the shin bone. 

Causes of Injury

1. Tightness in the posterior muscles, which propel the body forward, places additional strain on the muscles in the front part of the lower leg, which work to lift the foot upward and also prepare the foot to strike the running surface. 

2. Hard surface running (school hallways, basketball gyms), or worn or improper shoes increases the stress on the anterior leg muscles.  Softer surfaces and shoe cushioning materials absorb more shock and less is transferred to the shins. 

3. The muscles of the foot and leg overwork in an attempt to stabilize the pronated foot and the repeated stress can cause the muscles to tear where they attach to the tibia. 

4. Rapid increase in training for speed and distance (very common in indoor track training). 

Short Term Treatment

1. Ice immediately after running, never before. 

2. Reduce mileage and intensity for 7 to 10 days; never run through pain!

3. Avoid hills and hard running surfaces

4. Assess foot strike and identify any pronation.  If so, seek correction maybe orthodics or inserts.

5. Gentle stretching of the posterior leg and thigh muscles. 

Self-enforced treatment of shin splints, as with most overuse injuries is successful in most cases. 

Long- Term Treatment

Persistent problems may warrant a visit to a sports-medicine specialist who may prescribe the following treatments:

1. Strengthening and flexibility programs to correct muscle imbalance.  These exercise should be done only in absence of pain. 

2. Orthodic devices.

3. Anti- inflammatory medications.

4. Physical therapy involving ice massage, ultra-sound, and electrostimuli to reduce pain and inflammation

The best means of prevention of serious athletic injuries is to maintain good muscle strength and flexibility. 

All athletes need to be aware of the first symptoms of shin splints.  Instead of trying to work through them just make sure you ice, stretch, and seek professional advice for any further treatment of the injury.  If an athlete decides to ignore the symptoms if could result to severe shin splints and it can end up being a season ending injury. 


 

Football: Penn Wins Ivy League; Bryant upset Robert Morris

Congratulations to Sophomore quarterback Billy Ragone (Penn) and Sophomore running back Jordan Brown (Bryant) for leading their respective teams to huge victories this past week.  These two FLSP athletes continue to put in great performances week in and week out.  Brown led Bryant to a major upset victory to league leading Robert Morris (27-21) with 138 yards rushing on 28 carries and two touchdowns.  Ragone led the Quakers to their second consecutive Ivy League Title by beating Harvard (34-14) by throwing a touchdown pass and rushing for another touchdown.  Congratulations Guys!  This is a credit to your complete dedication and hard work you two put in year round!!! The following are links on game results and highlights.

http://www.bryantbulldogs.com/sports/fball/2010-11/releases/20101113zk8ods

http://www.pennathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=1700&ATCLID=205030276

A Busy Weekend for FLSP Runners

It was a busy weekend for six FLSP runners as they competed in New England Cross Country Championships and Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships. Congratulations to  Lindsay Crevoiserat who won the New England High School Cross Country Championships in Vermont Saturday.  The following are the runners who competed and their places. 

High School

Sr. Lindsay Crevoiserat (Glastonbury)  1st place (NE Champion)
Sr. Cara Dorris (Glastonbury) 12th place
So. Megan Bobinski (Holy Cross)  99th

* There were 255 finishers in the race. 

Prep School

So. Sara Iannone (Taft) 20th place
Fr. Samantha Glass Hotchkiss) 21st place

Junior Olympics

13-14 yr old (youth) division 
Colleen Iannone  21st place

*Top 25 advance to regionals

These girls are not done yet.  Lindsay and Cara will run in the Nike Regional Championships.   Sara and Megan will compete in the Foot Locker Regional Championships.  These races will be held on Thanksgiving weekend. 
Colleen Iannone advance to the USATF Junior Olympics Cross Country Championships in Rhode Island on Sunday November 21st. 
Congratulations to all the girls for a successful season.....and its not over yet!!!

Ragone Named Ivy League Offensive Player of The Week!

Congratulations to FLSP athlete Billy Ragone (Penn) who was named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week.  This is the second time this season that the sophomore quarterback received this award.  The Penn Quakers will be playing for the Ivy League Championship against Harvard at Franklin Field in Philadelphia this Saturday. 

http://www.pennathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=1700&ATCLID=205026947

FLSP Runners Advance to New England CC Championships!

Five FLSP runners will be competing in the New England High School and Prep School Cross Country Championships this weekend.  Three runners will be in Vermont for the New England High School Championships and two runners will be in Deerfield(Ma) for the New England Prep School Championships.  The following runners are the FLSP runners that will advance (top 25 qualifies).

High School
Sr. Lindsay Crevoiserat (Glastonbury) 2nd
Sr. Cara Dorris (Glastonbury) 12th
So. Megan Bobinski (Holy Cross)  24th

Prep School
Fr. Samantha Glass (Hotchkiss) 7th
So.Sara Iannone (Taft) 9th

Congratulations girls and good luck!!!

Other Weekend Performances

- Colleen Iannone finished 44th out of 273 runners in the Middle School Cross Country Championships on last Saturday!  A great season this year for Colleen. as she now gets ready for the State Junior Olympic Championships this weekend. 

- Sophomore running back Jordan Brown (Bryant) had a another great day at the office.  Brown rushed for 130 yards on 24 carries and 2 touchdowns as Bryant defeated St. Francis (Pa) 48-10.  Brown now has 1,173 yards (leading the conference) 16 touchdowns (leading the conference) in just 9 games!

- Sophomore quarterback Billy Ragone (Penn) completed 11 of 16 passes for 182 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead Penn over Princeton 52-10.  Ragone also had 9 rushes for 80 yards and 1 touchdown run (54 yd TD).

Congratulations to all of the athletes mentioned above on exceptional performances!!!

Why Do I Think the 400 meters Is "The Best Race"

The 400 meter dash is an endurance sprint incorporating the speed of a sprinter and the endurance of an 800 meter runner.  This is why I love this race.  Its a hybrid event, and that is why I feel that the best athletes and the hardest working athletes run the 400 meters.  It is considered by many to be one of the most demanding and grueling of competitive events.  Running the 400 meters is about speed management.  The ability to distribute one's speed and energies in the most efficient manner over the total racing distance becomes the primary concern in reaching success in this event.  No athlete in the world is capable of running the 400 meters from start to finish all out.  Good pace judgement in effort and distribution is a must!

Training 

The 400 meters is an oxygen-deficient event.  This means that the level of oxygen absorption is below that which is necessary to supply the ATP (adenosine- triphosphate) requirement.  The energy used during the 400 meter sprint is derived from the breakdown of high energy phosphate compounds and from splitting glycogen to lactic acid.  Didn't mean to drop all this science on you but in other words is how to train a 400 meter athlete to handle the stress of the event.  Coaches must know this and teach it to the athlete!!!  Proper training will help the athlete learn to deal with the stress that they will face toward the end of the 400 meter sprint.   Severe exercises imposes great stress on the body, and it must learn to adapt to this stress or it will break down.  This is why I always mention to athletes, parents, and coaches that recovery and nutrition is the most important part of a training program!  Now with proper rest and nutrition, the body will adapt to the stress of the training and it will be able to perform during athletic competition. 

Now you know why I love the race so much.  There is science, management, and intelligence involved in training and running this event.  There are not many athletes out there that have the courage and will to do this event, and that is why the 400 meter is "The Best Race".   The following are sample workouts for different segments of the training cycle. 

Off Season/ Tempo Endurance/ 6x300m with a 2 minute rest. (Aerobic Fitness)

Early Competitive Season/Speed Endurance/5x200m with a 5- 7 minute rest (High Oxygen Debt)

Mid Season /Event Runs/2x450m with a 10-15 minute rest (Helps race strategy)

Late Season /Top Speed/6x60m flying starts/ Speed Endurance/6x150m with a 5-7 minute rest. (Leg turnover)

Pre-game and Pre-meet Meal Tips for Athletes

I get many questions on what an athlete should eat before games or before track meets.  The best thing to do is to keep it simple and plan your meals daily and not just on the day of the game or meet.  Here are some tips on pre-game and pre-meet meals.

1. The closer you are at start time the less fat and oils you should east as these food types slows down absorption.
2. The closer you get to start time, the smaller the volume.  But, you want to eat enough so that by game time or race time hunger doesn't become a distraction.
3. Water, preferably non-carbonated and possibly other electrolyte drinks such as Owater or Pedialyte.  No energy drinks before games or meets! 

Remember to practice your pre-game or pre-meet meals year round and do this with your pre-workout meal.

Brown recieves Golden Helmet Award!

Jordan Brown received the Golden Helmet Award by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston. This award was given at a luncheon today at Harvard University.   The link below has an article and the video presentation. 

http://www.bryantbulldogs.com/sports/fball/2010-11/releases/20101103jol7js

Launch

Just launched my new blog site.  Here everyone will get my comments on anything in the Fast Lane (FLSP) World.