May 30, 2004
Dear Coach -
i love running mountains, really high ones like you did when you lived here (i live in Colorado and am trying to get into the top twenty of the Imogene Pass Race this year.) i came close (8 minutes) from your ascent time on Mt. Audobon last summer! i love your newes book but THE WINTER ATHELTE still remains my training bible...wow i can't believe how fun you have made my workouts!
my question: my back hurts during long descents off of mountains. i know you broke your back and still came back to get in such great shape. any quick suggestions?
as you say in Direct Lines; I bow to you!
your fan and friend, Tim
Dear Tim -
i know you will crack the top 20 of Imogene and many other mountain races if you stay consistent and true to your workouts.
since it sounds like you already have a high level of fitness and are studying my programs i will assume you are already doing yoga, that is most important to long term health for the back for runners due to the high concussion factor, particularly in mountain running.
one secret i use for curing back aches during training runs (i never did this during a race!) was to drop into a Yoga Squat or "Malasana" (page 103 of TBT book) and breathe several deep Ujjayi breaths into my lower back. 90% of the time, that did the trick.
if not, then i would invert myself into a Handstand up against a tree or something. This inversion flushes the acidic chemicals from the dense lower back muscles and also refreshes the lymphatic drainage, freeing up energy flow through the lower back (see photo).
Coach Ilg inverts himself during a training run in New Mexico to help ease out some back pain.
Photo by Ananda
Supplementing your SUNRIDER Herbs with Wu Chia Pi will help increase muscular endurance and strength...a great herb for all athletes, but especially endurance athletes!
Give those three WF mountain yogi tricks a go and see if they work for you!
Cherish your Sweat, Run your Dreams...
i bow to you,