ITB Anonymous: Session V

Hi, my name is mis_nomer and I have a problem.

I went to see the sports doctor at National Stadium this week. I was nervous about seeing the doc 'cos I felt like an impostor. After all, I'm not exactly an athlete. But I felt a little better when the person after me was an auntie whose sport was "aerobics". Sports is for everyone; it is just hard to imagine it so.

Anyway, it turns out that my ITB problem may have a biomechanical origin. My left leg is 1 cm longer than my right, and my left knee naturally tilts inwards. This means that every time my foot hits the ground, it rolls inwards and the ITB strains to keep the knee straight. After a while the ITB rubs against the bone and becomes inflamed.

I was a bit appalled to hear about the discrepancy in my leg length, but the nice doctor assured me that a 1-3 cm discrepancy is normal and the only reason I feel pain is because small discrepancies become magnified when you multiply it over in long distances. She thinks that thrice daily stretching will help, followed by short runs (starting 3km, increase 10% per run) in the new year. Hopefully, my body will know how to compensate for the quirks in my leg structure. If the pain comes back, I'll have to consider making an insole.

These are the four ITB stretches she recommended:

For the ITB, this is her preferred stretch. This stretch reaches the hip as well, so if you suffer from hip ITB, this is a good one to do.



This is my preferred stretch. I find it hard to feel the stretch in the one above because I'm fairly flexible and have to lean really low to feel anything at all.



This is another one.



This stretch is good because I can do it while I am sitting at work.



You mustn't forget to stretch your calves and quads too.

I had a lot of questions to ask the doctor and she gamely answered them all.

1. Can I swim the breaststroke? What about cycling?
"Everyone is built differently. Of course the frontcrawl is the best for swimming because the breaststroke shortens the ITB, but if it doesn't bother you, go ahead and do it. In your case, it may be that only running/ walking is the precipitating factor." Whoohoo!

2. What do you think about the Walt Reynolds' ITB Special?
"I can't comment on that because we haven't tested it out."

3. How long must I stretch for?
"Three times daily: morning, afternoon, night; and don't forget to stretch before and after your runs." What! I was thinking along the lines of five minutes before and after my runs!

4. How can I stretch for hip ITB? (on behalf of Smole)
"All of the regular ITB stretches work for hip ITBS. The leaning on the wall stretch is the best. Some athletes use a rubber ball with rubber spikes to rub against the hip ITB. That helps too."

5. Can I buy an insole from the store?
"No. If you have a specific problem like you do, it is very unlikely that a store-bought insole will help. You need one to be custom made. Our podiatrist is a runner and comes in every Friday if stretching does not solve your problem."

6. Is this something that will heal and resolve itself? I want to run for a long time.
"Stretch a lot and if that doesn't work, make a prosthetic." Hmm. Not quite what I was looking for. The doctor said she has the exact same problem as me and hers kicks in at 7km. I wonder if this is going to be a long-term issue if even the sports doc struggles with this...

and these are the questions I didn't get around to asking.
7. Is it possible to stretch too much?
8. Can I do speed training, run on hills, run laps, play squash?
9. What do our athletes at the Asian Games struggle with?
10. Hey doc, nice Treo!

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Public Pools in Singapore

Swimming is just not my forte. Today, I was nothing like a swift swimmin' tuna. Instead, I swam like a waddling drowning duck. Waddle, waddle, BREATHE!, waddle, waddle, BREATHE!, drink some water, exhale, spit, waddle, waddle, BREATHE!, *where is the ?!?!? wall?*, waddle, waddle, BREATHE!

I waddle on land; I waddle in the water. Why should I be surprised?

Anyway, since it is a lazy Sunday afternoon and I jia ba bo dai ji zuo (eat already nothing better to do), here is my take on the public pools I've visited in the last three weeks.

Cost:
Per Entry (Adults): Weekdays $1; Weekends $1.30
Locker: Small $0.20; Large $0.20 x 2

Yio Chu Kang Swimming Pool
Smole thinks the lights in this pool are very bright and distracting. The toilets are okay, just a little dark and a lot of algae on the walls. The free-form pool is decent for swimming laps if you're not very confident about swimming in the deep pool. The only thing is that there aren't any lines and because the pool is weird-shaped, you may end up not swimming in a straight line. [map]

Buona Vista Swimming Pool
I like this one. It is an "old-styled" pool with the drains at the side of the pool and slippery porcelain-like tiles. I like the sound of water lapping at the sides of the pool. They remind me of swimming in Yan Kit back in the old days, except that Yan Kit had nasty rough walls. Buona Vista also has dry changing rooms -- a big plus! Buona Vista only has one 50m pool. [map]

Ang Mo Kio Swimming Pool
For some reason I can't remember Ang Mo Kio very well. There were a lot of kids the day I went. Erm, that's about all I can remember! [map]

Delta Swimming Pool
Delta is supposedly cruising ground for gay men in Singapore. I wouldn't know. But the signs in the toilets are telling: "G-strings, transparent and translucent swimming attires are not allowed" and "Please do not walk around naked as there may be young children of the opposite sex." Okaay. There were lots of kids taking lessons on Sunday afternoon though, and its fair share of hunky looking guys. Perhaps it was a Sunday, but a lot of the shower stalls had shampoo packets, tissues that people had left behind. Eeck. At least it had dry changing rooms. [map]

Jalan Besar Swimming Pool
There is a friendly lifeguard there who would give you swimming tips if you're lucky. Jalan Besar is the newest swimming pool in Singapore, built only in June 2003. The kids pool has one of those fancy plastic playground things, and everything is new and clean. The non-deep pool is great for laps too as it has painted lines on the floor for you to follow. I think the length is about 30-odd metres. My only gripe? The shower stalls are way too small! [map]

Aranda Country Club
Okay, this is not a public pool, but I got a chance to swim there anyway. It is really small, but hey, the clean and new toilets are worth the numerous times you have to turn around. No wonder people want to live in condos. [map]

Full list of swimming complexes here. Note that you can't swim at Farrer Swimming Pool as it is run by Ang Peng Siong now and it requires a membership.

Stealing Runner's World John Bingham's tagline: Waddle on, friends!
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Handlebars and segways, some of my favourite things

I love the handlebars in the handicapped toilet. When I grow old, I want handlebars like that in my toilet. The way I've been recklessly plopping myself on the seat, it is only a matter of time that my derriere will one day miss its mark and fall right in. I also want a multi-terrain segway, or a walking stick, or a trolley with a butler. If you cannot tell by now, I'm having mobility issues.

Kops and Reno have both suggested that I go for a swim or brisk walk to aid the recovery process. What a good idea. Now if I can just remember how to walk...

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It makes me happy

Objectively, this week in MN's life doesn't look too hot. There is that marathon at the end of the week that she is not prepared for, and there are those two niggly, worrying hospital visits this week. But somehow, in the midst of all this leg dragging and general grouchiness, some things make her feel better, like that smiling log bench with the twig in its mouth; like the following God-sent people:

1. A lifeguard who says to her: "?????????????????" (Miss, you need to pull harder on your stroke, all the way back to your thigh.") And the ensuing conversation on the marathon and how he once had to be carried out on the twenty-something mark and could not pass motion for a week after. He thought my Chinese was good! He must have had chlorine in his ears. ;)

2. A colleague who brings a ??? (hard-boiled egg cooked in tea leaves) in a paper cup covered in tin-foil.

3. A married pastor friend who buys me lunch and is real enough to whisper over kaya toast and teh, "eh, do you think that lady in white there is gorgeous?"

4. A friend who calls on the phone and tells me she is going dancing with the penguins in the arctic.

-----

er, does anyone know why Chinese doesn't show up on my blog?

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A to-do and a to-wish list

Running late. I have five minutes. I wish I could draw.  And run.  And dance the tango.  And settle down.

I've done no running this week -- only freestyle, back and forth until my lungs cannot take it anymore, which doesn't take very much at all.  I've been eating and sleeping in and getting lazy.  So I must -- I tell myself  -- I must go for a short run this evening and hope that it will not protest. 

Running late.  I may have to skip the shower.

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ITB Anonymous: Session III

Hi, my name is Ms. Nomer and I have an ITB problem.

I went for my first swim last weekend, the day after a 21km (achey) long run. The water in the public pool tasted somewhat salty... very gross! But I was determined to swim and so struggled through ten laps anyway. Have I mentioned that I don't like swimming?

In other news for fellow-sufferers, I have discovered a new ITB strengthening exercise. I call it the kungfu stance.



What you have to do is to place your feet far apart (facing outwards) and bend your knees to 90 degrees. Then stand up slowly, without locking your knees. Do 15-20 reps per day, followed with ITB stretching. Do this before AND after your runs to keep your ITB flexible.

I am almost at my wits' end since nothing I'm trying seems to be working. But after talking to a friend who is trained in this area, I'm somewhat cheered with the discovery of the "kungfu stance", the success of swimming ten laps, and the possibility that insoles may help my problem.

If all else fails, will someone please wait for me at the 30km with a pair of crutches? Thanks.

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ITB Anonymous: Session II

Hi, my name is Ms. Nomer.

I think I need to learn how to swim.

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Crossing the English Channel in nothing but your trunks

P.J. Thum will be swimming across the English Channel this Friday. To qualify to even attempt this mammoth feat, you must first show that you are capable of swimming 6 hours non-stop in frigid waters. His training blog is replete with stories of massive stinging jellyfish...

Just as I began to tire from battling the waves, I felt a cattle-prod to my ribs: a jellyfish had smashed into my side, and I grunted, loudly enough for Norman to hear. My side was on fire, but I forged on and it eventually grew numb.

swimming though sewage...

As we entered the Mediterranean, the water slowly turned murky and began to smell. All signs of life disappeared and all I could see were shredded bits of sewage, suspended in the water around me as if in a colloid. "Don't swallow!" was all I could think of, and I tried not to gag and retch at the stench around me. I focused on Norman, and kept moving forward.

vommiting while swimming...

Things, sadly, got steadily worse. At the three hour mark, I swam in for a drink and my hands were trembling so violently that I think I spilt more than I got down. Someone on the beach tossed me a small chocolate cupcake to swallow and I forced the little bite-sized piece down gratefully. Twenty minutes later, after all the excessive saltwater in my stomach, nausea finally overcame me and it all came up again. It was oddly comforting, because as I swam through the vomit it was warm. The chunks of cupcake brushing against my legs as I kicked didn't bother me in the least. I had reached the stage where I'd have swum through urine if it was warm. I really didn't care.

In a way, it was good to practice vomiting, because inevitably while I'm swimming the Channel I will need to vomit while on the move, and so I should get some practice in it while I can.

muscles cramping up from the cold...

Still, it was barely two hours in and I was already shivering, which I knew was my main enemy. Once I start shivering, the cold has penetrated, and my core muscles would slowly cramp up. True enough, over the next three hours all the muscles in my stomach and groin area slowly locked up, and I learnt that stretching them only made it worse. The only fix, albeit a temporary one, was to work heat into the region by "jogging" on the spot.

And other very scary stuff.

A ten hour swim in the sea! In nothing but swimming trunks! It makes the marathon look easy.

I wish P.J. every success.

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