[Diana]

Diana on March 21, 2021 at 3:13 pm · in reply to: Long term covid chest pain with exercise #52262

Thanks Thomas for your recommendations and concern. I like your holistic/alternative approach. I haven’t gotten bloodwork done, but I am also scheduled to see a pulmonologist, as well as the throat specialist. I am hoping the issue is in one of those two ballparks and they can offer advice or treatment.

I may also try the essential oils, especially since my sense of smell is still minimal, and I’d like to help improve that over time. Thanks again Thomas and madanyang, and I will post again when things improve. I have to believe it will get better! 🙂

[Diana]

Diana on March 20, 2021 at 8:39 am · in reply to: Long term covid chest pain with exercise #52233

Hi Dr. Summer,

Thanks for checking in. My symptoms have not improved over the past month. I am still experiencing chest pain and tightness at rest and especially after exercise, though I have now stopped all aerobic exercise for the time being. I tried using an albuterol inhaler before running for a week and felt no difference.

I did not get an ECG (too expensive) but I did get a lung function (spirometry) test. The results were overall normal, but “increased airway resistance when the lung volume is taken into consideration, suggests possible variable extra-thoracic upper airway obstruction”. I have an appointment coming up with a throat specialist to address this.

I also did just receive my first vaccine, and am hoping that might help drive the lingering virus out of my body. If you have any insights or comments about those courses of action, I am all ears. Thank you again for checking in. It means a lot.

Diana

[Diana]

Diana on February 24, 2021 at 4:48 pm · in reply to: Techniques for Injury Prevention? #51215

I recently heard this podcast from “The CoachCast” by TrainingPeaks and thought it was very enlightening on the topic of injury prevention. It is about “pre-hab”, basically doing a 20 minute session of physical therapy style strength and mobility work daily to prevent injuries, as well as potentially getting an assessment of, and working on, your form in sport.

Dialing in Prehab with Physical Therapist Nathan Koch

Hope you like it!

[Diana]

Diana on February 24, 2021 at 8:35 am · in reply to: Long term covid chest pain with exercise #51184

Hi Thomas,

Thank you for your insight. That is just what I was hoping for, a recommendation about how to go about, or not go about any, exercise. I will try some breathing meditations, and I am scheduled for an ECG in a couple weeks. I’ll see if it includes spiroergometry.

Thanks again!

Diana

[Diana]

Diana on February 23, 2021 at 9:11 am · in reply to: Long term covid chest pain with exercise #51146

I should also mention I took a week entirely off last week and the chest pain went mostly away, then returned when I’ve resumed exercise. Also, I’ve been taking my resting heart rate each morning in bed and it has been normal.

[Diana]

Diana on February 23, 2021 at 9:00 am · in reply to: Chronic low back pain #51145

Thank you Pete and Dada for the advice. Becoming cognizant of my pelvic tilt while skiing has been a big game changer. I’ve also been working on some core and single leg combined stability with a PT, as well as post-ski rolling and releasing. When the injury was acute (when I originally posted) the PT and strength were not relieving pain. It was a sports massage that did the trick and gave me instant relief! From there, the PT and strength have proven very valuable to keep me strong and pain free.

Thanks again for the detailed advice! I really appreciate it.

[Diana]

Diana on February 16, 2021 at 6:00 pm · in reply to: Zone 2 and ADS – Should I Run Trails, or no? #50927

Hi,

Just a personal perspective here. I, like you, live in a place with fantastic trails with lots of vert (Lake Tahoe area) and am aerobically deficient. I’ve been venturing from my normal trail hike/runs to doing one run per week on flat terrain on the bike path. I think it’s good for higher leg turnover and running economy, and I can run the whole time under AeT with a couple minutes faster pace. I’ve resisted the pavement for so long, but now I actually find it fun because I get to go faster! But not fun enough to do it more than once a week!

[Diana]

Diana on February 9, 2021 at 11:03 am · in reply to: Calf Pain – Persistent. Solutions? #50638

I am a big fan of rolling for calf soreness. It sounds like your issue may be more severe than rolling can fix, but it can provide relief and is great regular maintenance.

I like to do a move where I start on all fours (hands and knees), then use my right knee as if it’s a tennis ball to press and roll mostly in the center, then all over my left calf. Then switch. I find this method gives the option of creating more pressure than using a foam roller. If your calves are sore, it will hurt so good.

[Diana]

Diana on February 5, 2021 at 2:28 pm · in reply to: Upper body strength #50474

I also have an anecdote. I was an avid climber for 8 years and could never do a full pull up from a dead hang, which was embarrassing so I just avoided them further! I also could barely do push ups. In recent years I got a pull up bar for the house and have progressed slowly but surely to being able to do pull ups. I’ve got a couple tips:

-Its best to have a bar that stays fit into the door frame, not a detachable one, because I found that I rarely got motivated to do pull ups when the bar was in the closet and needed to be hung up.
-I second Rachel’s tip of a band hitched to the bar to put your feet in and get a boost. I use a retired bike tube with too many patches and it works great. With the assist, it’s so much easier to build up the strength and get your body used to the movement.
-I do a few sets with my strength routine twice a week, plus one or two pull ups here and there when I walk under the bar throughout the day. I think this really helps because in addition to the functional strength, there’s a component of your body getting used to the movement. I also get really fatigued doing sets, so doing them 1 or 2 at a time with long rests helps that.
-For push ups and pull ups, I found that the specific movement needs to be trained neuromuscularly, so doing just a few of them more times a week worked better than a big set once a week, because I was unable to do a big set at all. I always got fatigued quickly and then could not do any more push or pull ups, even with a minute of rest.

[Diana]

Diana on January 29, 2021 at 2:29 pm · in reply to: Front Bindings Locked On Downhill? #50078

Thank you Lindsay! That addresses my issue, which is that I’m used to stomping the toe piece tabs with my other ski, which takes them all the way to release mode. Using hands instead should make it easier to click them into ski mode without releasing them fully. Awesome!

[Diana]

Diana on January 28, 2021 at 1:47 pm · in reply to: Front Bindings Locked On Downhill? #49997

Scott,

At what point in the transition is it most efficient to unlock your toe pieces? I ask because when I unlock my toe pieces (on Dynafit ST Radical binding) by pushing down on them with my other ski or pole, they usually release fully to the point where I pop out and have to reset my boot in there completely. This feels like a significant time suck, so I’m wondering if there’s another way? I typically do it at the end of the transition, after ripping my skins with the toes and heels locked in.

Thanks in advance for your insight.

Diana

[Diana]

Diana on January 27, 2021 at 7:25 am · in reply to: Contraceptive pill and performance #49726

Kelly McNulty is doing great work on the topic currently. Unfortunately, as this paper concludes, since this topic has been ignored for so long, there isn’t sufficient research compiled yet, so there are not agreed upon recommendations:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-020-01317-5

She also has an Instagram and podcast called “The Period of the Period” educating on the topic of female reproductive physiology in sport.

One thing to look out for is that if you are on an oral contraceptive and do not have a period, should you develop overtraining syndrome or REDS (relative energy deficiency in sport), you won’t get the first tell tale sign of losing your period. Mina Leslie-Wujastyk is a pro climber who is speaking out about this issue:

https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/relative_energy_deficiency_in_sport_-_a_cautionary_tale-12345

Dr. Stacy Sims, the top expert on female physiology in sport, recommends against oral contraceptives, saying they are risky and may inhibit performance, but again, there is not sufficient research at this time to give proper guidance. Let’s look forward to that changing!

[Diana]

Diana on January 26, 2021 at 5:45 pm · in reply to: Contraceptive pill and performance #49800

Hey there,

I have replied to this topic twice with relevant resources, once last week and once this week, and neither have posted. I’m wondering if they got screened for some reason?

[Diana]

Diana on January 12, 2021 at 8:42 am · in reply to: Understanding AeT and Cross Training #49194

Hi Scott,

Do you have any insight on this topic for running/skiing as a seasonal combo? I imagine the movements are more similar than running/cycling, but I would love to hear more from your experience. Just to clarify, by skiing I mean ski touring as well as nordic skiing.

[Diana]

Diana on December 21, 2020 at 9:29 am · in reply to: Running versus x-country, Peloton, hiking, snowshoeing #48432

Hi there,

I am also a Tahoe area resident, and I’ve been having a great experience so far this winter doing a lot of my aerobic base training on classic skis. The past couple years I’ve only been skate skiing, and I realize that dragged me into too much unintentional Z3 (moderate intensity). What I love about my classic skis with skins (no wax!) is that I can slow down and just walk steep hills, then return to kick and glide when the pitch eases up a bit. Plus it mimics backcountry touring nicely. Enjoy your winter base time. It’s the best!