wildcat 50k - 2012 flyer posted

Wildcat 50k 2012 flier is posted at right and here.  We really haven't changed a thing.

some treadmill love - at Eastern Iowa Physical Therapy

Early in the season of our unusually mild winter, I noticed some disturbing trends.  Greater than normal numbers...by my terminally flawed memory...of my runner friends were seemingly injured or heading that way.  Maybe a bad case of good weather, someone quipped.  Too mild a winter means more bugs in the spring and more broken runners because they weren't holed up eating cheezy poofs on the couch-o-doom during customary blizzards.

I remembered a flier that I had seen around Muscatine, but couldn't place where I'd seen it.  After crowdsourcing on Facebook, it turned out to be my friend Beth Desner of Eastern Iowa Physical Therapy. I got to know Beth when she and her husband Dave came to the Wildcat 50k back in November.  Since then, I see her on occasion at Warrior Crossfit Muscatine, where she routinely pounds out more burpees than I care to consider doing.

Here's a few lines from Beth's resume. She has Bachelors and Doctorate in Physical Therapy, but the magic words in my mind were "runner and triathlete."  Most PT's I had seen weren't practitioners of these dark arts.  Got in touch with her and she promised to make good on a consultation and a video of me running on the treadmill.  I really had no particular aches and pains as a runner, but decided to use myself as a test case, guinea pig.

Beth Dessner, DPT, OCS, CSCS

Physical Therapist Beth Dessner is President of Eastern Iowa Physical Therapy, PC and Clinic Director of the Wilton location. She attended the University of Iowa where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Science Education....Beth is an Orthopedic Certified Specialist and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. She is received her doctorate in physical therapy from Des Moines University in 2009.

Beth is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Private Practice Section (PPS), Wilton Chamber of Commerce and Shepherd of the Cross Lutheran Church. She is a runner and triathlete. Beth, her husband Dave Cook, and two children Alex, a junior at the University of Iowa, and Grace, 14, live in Wilton.  Clinically, Beth specializes in treating Women’s Health patients and injuries in runners.

Beth took a total of six videos of me running on a treadmill.  First using my regular road shoes Saucony Kinvaras.  Then using my Vibram Five FIngers.  Both seemed to give a relatively even 180 strides per minute or so, which is what you hope to see.  Also, a mid-foot strike was apparent....something I've been striving for for some time.

Other observations....left arm swings higher than right.  Observation made by my sports Chiropractor Dr. Brad Bark of Muscatine.  I share the videos widely.  He recommended I transfer water bottle from left hand (my dominant) to right hand.  Muscles in back showing imbalances in opposite side shoulder.

Running in the Vibrams also seemed to cause me to pronate more than with the Kinvaras.  Interesting.  I am more used to the Kinvaras for road and Peregrines for trail.  Sharp pointy rocks caused me less Vibram love a few years back.

In all, and educational experience.  Recommend Beth and Eastern Iowa Physical Therapy.  Have sent a few other friends her way since my own experience in early February.  Long span between training and writing finds me still healthy, and pushing some high mileage weeks in prep for spring ultras.  Stay upright.

-Larry

Wildcat 50k - March 2012 UltraRunning Magazine

We got our 15 minutes of fame for the events of last November.

CFX cross country 5k camden park milan illinois 2012

Kudos to Brad Ellis, Johnny Hawkins for setting up race.  Enjoy photos.
-Larry


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

ChiroFitness Xtreme - Rock Island

Looking for a worthy series of features for this blog in the New Year, I decided to write about local businesses, trainers, gyms, and others related to fitness in the Quad Cities and surroundings. Wanted to give the emphasis on local people, independents doing something just a bit different.  The larger businesses, the for-profit, nationally known chain gyms have their own megaphone. The little guy, especially someone more focused on the craft, depends on word of mouth.

Did not intend these blog posts as a QCRunner stamp of approval or blanket endorsement.  I was hoping more towards information, and general impressions of a person encountering the business for the first time...the consumer end of fitness.

I've driven by ChiroFitness Extreme, also known as CFX many times in Rock Valley Plaza in Rock Island.  The business is located in a busy commercial corridor. A couple of enthusiastic CFX members Brad Ellis and Johnny Hawkins did Wildcat 50k, and through them I also met CFX owners Dr. Chris Molke and Shawna Nylin who also did Wildcat.

Dr. Chris Molke is a chiropractor and Shawna Nylin is a chiropractic technician and personal trainer.  CFX is their chiropractic office, gym and workout space.  Shawna tells me they have been at this location for four years,  CFX offers chiropractic care, personal training, nutrition, and fitness classes.  The fitness classes are what intrigued me on the day after New Years 2012.  I had a day off work, and decided to pay CFX a visit.

CFX offers group classes on a Warrior theme....Warrior Fit, Warrior Endurance, Warrior Strength and others.  Focus is on body weight strength, endurance, and use of more non-traditional objects....tires, sledge hammers, kegs, kettlebells, weighted backpacks.   CFX also offers other group fitness, such as Body Pump, Zumba and yoga classes.

The space is a retail store front, next to a Dollar General store. This provides a large open workout area measuring perhaps 40 ft x 100 ft, with offices and examination rooms to one side, traditional exercise equipment around the edges. As I hung up my coat on a peg, I noted a big tractor tire on the floor, and was greeted by name. A promising start.

The class I attended was Warrior Endurance, a cardio strength circuit of 10-12 stations, with 30 secs at each station and 10 secs transition between.  Repeat for as many rounds as you want in 45 mins to an hour. Some example exercises. My names and descriptions...I was sweating and not taking notes, trying to pay attention to instruction.

• Horizontal body rotation, with feet on the elevated on a tire, hands on floor. Rotate body 360 deg, supported by hands, side to side.
• Weighted ski moguls.  Jump side to side over tap mark on floor with dumbells, like a skier.
• Weight carrry.  Pickup kettlebells and walk from one end of room and back. Tape marks on carpet.

There also were a variety of box stepups, stability ball rollouts, jumping jacks, and leaps.  Basic fitness, very approachable.  A wide variety of body types, ages and genders present in the class I attended.

Folks have asked..."Isn't this like Crossfit?"  I have attended Crossfit workouts, and there are similarities.  Fitness freed of traditional machines, geared towards free weights, body weight and lifting non-traditional objects.  Encourages more balance, more real life "functional" fitness.  Crossfit tends towards more traditional barbell work, heavier weights, lots of reps. CFX seems to have a more straight forward, no-nonsense approach.  You would see more, higher box jumps at a Crossfit gym. I saw more step ups, jumps and hops at CFX, with less height and fewer reps.  Emphasis appears on controlled movement, without as much of the clock and competition aspects.

I received instruction and form correction during my workout, which is a good thing.  Attention to form is a feature sometime missed.  Each workout station had tape lines on the carpet, and a few lines of written exercise description on a piece of construction paper at each.  In case you forget what you are doing, like a I often do.

It was a good experience. Some workouts are scheduled at 10 am and 4 pm, which offers some options in addition to gyms that offer classes morning, noon and evening.  I was treated well, offered instruction and form correction.  The drop-in or punch card price of $5 per class is very competitive and reasonable compared to other options.

I'd recommend giving CFX a try. I was treated well.   

-Larry

Wildcat 50k - Final Results

Link to the final results from Wildcat 50k.  Includes everyone 26.2 miles or longer.  Why so long?  Life happens. Anyone who complains will have double their race entry fee refunded.  Don't spend it all in one spot.

UltraRunning article coming shortly....sooner rather than later.

-Larry

wildcat 50k - group photo

Courtesy Mark Stegmaier Photography.  Thanks Mark! Here is a full resolution link on Flickr.

Give Mark some thought for your next wedding or event.  He is a great friend, and has been very good to the local running community.  He also paints a mean house. 563-370-2045.

Regards-
Larry

lots and lots of pictures - wildcat 50k

Click through this link to get to Flickr for around 300 photos.  There were 150 or so participants, so I think everyone has a good chance of having a picture.

You can order prints, re-use the images....do whatever you wish.  Just give attribution to QCRunner.

Have fun and look forward to seeing everyone next year!

-Larry



Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

more wildcat 50k hats?

If you want additional yellow Wildcat 50k hats, please let me know!

I have a few interested.  If we get more, we will make some.

Thanks for all for supporting the event!

We will do it again next year.

-Larry Sandhaas

Race Director

draft results - Wildcat 50k 2011

Here is a link to the un-official, draft, I am tired and they haven't been checked results from the Wildcat 50k 2011.  Please let me know of the mis-spellings of your name.  Not everyone has the best handwriting at the end of more than 30 miles of running.

Thanks to all who came out.  Weather cooperated for the second year.
We had around 150 runners, and raised $2000 to benefit a playground project at Wildcat Den State Park.  Giving back to our home-base of trail running.

Lots of photos to come in the next few days. At left in the Augustana singlet is Tommy Ries of Iowa City, who was our over-all winner at a time of 3:53:04.  He beat last year's course record performance by more than one hour.

Another first time 50k finisher is 14 year old Eli Modreska of the Quad Cities.  Great job, Eli.  You looked strong out there every loop!

While Erin Mahr watches, first time 50k finisher Brad Ellis takes a sip of the un-official finisher's award brewed by the race director.  A little hard cider at around 11% alcohol.

Meanwhile, Johnny Hawkins takes a careful, cautious sniff.

Not the official race photo...stay tuned.

-Larry

wildcat 50k - photos by Phil Pancrazio

Volunteers come out from all over to help.  Thanks Phil!

Phil got photos of many of the runners on the course today...about 80 pictures in total. Enjoy.

Link here.

video from governor's

Courtesy of Marvin Fussell...