SSPLITPLIT TIME TIMESS OfficialOfficial PublicationPublication ofof thethe StateState ofof FranklinFranklin TrackTrack ClubClub April-JuneApril-June 20072007 Vol.Vol. 30,30, NumberNumber 22 In This Issue…Creeper Marathon Results…Side Stitch Prevention…Girls on the Run…State Parks Tour Schedule Check out the new SFTC forum at www.runtricities.org Split Times, page 1 SFTC Board President…………………… Steve Pastorek THOUGHTS From The 423-753-6181(H) President – Elect………….. Matt Studholme EDITOR 276-623-1209 Treasurer…………………...Jason Goodman 423-753-3017 Secretary……………………Brenda Fox 423-247-5491(H) Past President……………...David Fox 423-247-5491(H) Anyone out there looking for a new challenge? Maybe something to break up the monotony of the same Dist. 1 (J. City area) Rep….David Sullivan old racing schedule? Perhaps something a little different (Exp. 12-08) 423-737-2046 (H) from your home town 5K? How about taking over as Dist. 2 (Bristol area) Rep….Maria Studholme Split Times editor?! Just kidding (well…maybe not)! (Exp. 12-07) 276-623-1209 Actually, I was thinking of something….dirtier. Oh, get Dist. 3 (K’port area) Rep…Mark Skelton your mind out of the gutter. How about a new race (Exp. 12-08) 423-345-2335 (H) destination? One with sand, sun and water. Myrtle Race Walk Rep……………Bobby Baker Beach? I suppose that would be fine but I was thinking 423-349-6406 (H) of something a bit closer to home. Something with a lot fewer mini golf courses and a lot more trees. Have you Important Contacts guessed it yet? King & Queen……………. Matt Studholme 276-623-1209 Well, I can’t have my readers (all two of you) Membership……………… Nicole Goodman dying of suspense so I guess I’ll just tell you. How about 423-753-3017 giving the Springmaid Splash X “stream” Challenge 10K Webmaster……………….. David Fox a whirl? This year’s event will held at 8:30AM on August 423-247-5491 25, 2007. This race has it all (if you are really sick in the Equipment………………… Tandy Fleming head that is). You start out in the middle of a huge field 423-361-3049 with about 400 other wackos. At the sound of the gun Volunteers…………………. Bob Townsend you bolt across the pasture, trying to be one of the first 423-257-6188 50 or so runners through the gate. You then funnel onto a one lane “road” that is primarily composed of grass Split Times Staff clumps and sand (nothing like sprinting in sand to build Editor: Rob Schoborg up those quads). After a few hundred yards, the course 623 W. Maple St. takes a turn and you plunge into a creek. Given the Johnson City, TN 37604 summer heat – this sounds great – until you try running 423-926-1265 (H) through waist deep water over slippery rocks. Let’s just 423-439-6295 (W) E-mail: [email protected] say the old sense of balance gets a work out! Once out of the water there is more sandy, rocky trail then – you Split Times is published quarterly in March, June, guessed it – another dunking! After floundering through September and December. The deadline for contributions is the second stream, you get to the real “meat” of the the 10th of the preceding month. course. You climb – a lot. The scenery would be beautiful except that you are too oxygen deprived to CLUB WEBSITE ADDRESS notice. Helpful volunteers steer you around switchbacks WWW.RUNTRICITIES.ORG – at each one you think “this has to be the top”. Take heart, you will be right - eventually. Of course, what goes up must come down…and down you come. The gravity Cover Photo: (Kathleen Withrow and assist is nice…until you hit the last steep, rocky stretch. Svetlana Luttrell at mile 18 of the Virginia At this point you are wishing for some anti-lock brakes Creeper Marathon - photo by R. or, perhaps, an anchor. Once you hit the flats, your jelly- Schoborg). like legs are in for a treat – a nice cool dip. Back across the stream you stagger. As the volunteers cheer, you blast up the opposite bank. Then it’s more sand and rocks until you make the fourth (and last) stream crossing. By now, your legs will be quivering and you should be seeing stars (unless you have blacked out completely – if so, you can have a nice, quiet rest while you wait for the EMS). In the final stretch, you round a small pond Split Times, page 2 and then head in to the finish. Then it is time to relax: get a drink, have a snack, pour the sand out of your shoes and think “why do I do stuff like this?”. Because it’s a BLAST, that’s why! Rob Scenes from the 2006 Springmaid Splash X “stream” Challenge. Photos by Michelle Duffourc Side Aches By Bryan Whitesides MPT, OCS Most of us have experienced the wrath of the side ache demons. What causes side aches (or stitches) and how can you get rid of them? Although the cause isn’t well known, most doctors think that the pain is related to the structures that hold the abdominal organs in place (visceral ligaments) or that the pain is related to the diaphragm, possibly a muscle cramp. The answers to how you can get rid of a side ache range from altering your breathing to drinking water upside down. One popular sports medicine doctor stated that 30% of runners breathe out as they strike with their right foot and that this causes the ligaments that support the liver to be “stretched and hurt” (I couldn't find any research that verifies this claim). The doctor advocated breathing out as the left foot hits the ground to avoid a side ache, and to cure the side ache he suggested putting your fingers into the right side of your belly to push your liver up. I actually tried the foot strike technique on my next run and concluded that I would become neurotic if I stuck with this program. However, I have had some luck with applying pressure to the sore area. Doctor Darren Morton at the Avondale Centre for Exercise Science in Australia has been doing research on side aches, or exercise related transient abdominal pain (ETAP), for the past six years. Of the sixteen studies published in the medical journals, nine were written by Dr. Morton. The Doctor is determined to find out more about this extremely common condition, which he states nearly 60% of runners have experienced. According to Dr. Morton side aches are most likely an “irritation of the parietal peritoneum…perhaps exacerbated by friction.” The parietal peritoneum is the outer lining of your abdomen, if you could reach beneath your abdominal muscles, you would be touching the peritoneum. Dr. Morton presents the case that side aches are not related to the diaphragm because breathing capacity is not lowered during a side ache, and horse back riding has a high incidence of side aches although breathing is not vigorous. He also argues Split Times, page 3 against the theory that the pain arises from the ligaments that support the abdominal organs because swimmers frequently experience side aches, and swimming does not strain the ligaments. So, when your training partner asks why you are doubled over in the middle of a run, you can intelligently tell them how irritated your parietal peritoneum is. Perhaps repeating the phrase “parietal peritoneum” ten times, quickly, will alleviate the pain, or at least distract you for long enough to regain your composure. Unfortunately, there is very little research on how to prevent or relieve a side ache. Much of the information on the Internet is based on the theory that side aches are caused by a “pinched diaphragm” or a “muscle cramp of the diaphragm,” which according to Dr. Morton may not be the underlying cause. Based on Dr. Morton’s research some suggestions can be made. • Run regularly - people who train more days per week tend to have fewer side aches. • Don’t eat a large meal 1-2 hours prior to a run. • Avoid fruit or high carbohydrate / electrolyte drinks prior to or during a run if you are susceptible to stitches (try diluting a drink like Gatorade in half). • For those who have a more rounded posture in the mid back, performing stretches to improve your posture may be helpful. • Anticipate fewer side aches with each birthday (one of the few benefits of aging). In addition to Dr. Morton's findings runners often report some relief with the following strategies. • Slow the pace or briefly walk. • Reach overhead and leaning to the opposite side to stretch the stitch. • Apply moderate pressure to the stitch for about ten seconds. Hopefully, with a better understanding of side aches, researchers can provide us with improved methods to prevent and relieve this condition. Until then, keep running! To share your remedies (or failures) for side aches, please visit our forum at www.injuredrunner.com Bryan Whitesides MPT, OCS (Bryan is a physical therapist and founder of The Injured Runner LLC, he has been running for over 20 years and is now old enough that he rarely experiences side aches). I'm Going to Be Last . but IT'S OK! By Donna Bays Well, I'm proud to say that I have checked off "Run a 10K" from my goal sheet. After a brief Crazy 8 celebration period, I realized it was time to get serious. The Eastman Road Race was just seven weeks away. My goals for the 10K were a little different from the Crazy 8 race.