TheFinalSprint.com - Track & Field, Marathons, Racing News, Training Advice, Elite Athlete Blogs, Interviews, Podcasts, Videos and More! - TheFinalSprint.com is the Premier Destination for Track & Field, Marathon, Cross Country, Olympic and Road Racing Enthusiasts.

Lead Stories: Saturday, September 6, 2008

Podcast 113: American Steeplechaser Jacques Sallberg on Overcoming Injury

Posted January 9th, 2008 at 6:30 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

Episode 117 of The Final Sprint Podcast, the most listened to running podcast in North America, features my interview with American steeplechaser and Team Running USA member JACQUES SALLBERG.

After being ranked fourth in U.S. for the 3000m steeplechase by Track & Field News at the end of 2006, Jacques struggled with injuries throughout 2007. However, he is now headed back on track and focused on earning the right to represent the U.S. in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

In the interview Jacques talks about his battle with heel spurs and plantar fasciitis, trying to get back to the success and P.R. performances of 2006, and working towards a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team.

Download the podcast to hear Jacques discuss these topics, as well as, his special relationship with Coach Bob Larsen, how their different personalities have created an advantageous dynamic, Team Running USA, his work as a high school track & field coach, and much more!

Listen In
[PLAY] (To Download: Right click and select “save as”)

[RSS] Add The Final Sprint Podcast RSS feed to your RSS reader to have the show delivered to you

Host: Adam Jacobs | Guest: Jacques Sallberg
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Musicians: Ryan Ahlwardt, Darnell Perkins
File Size: 13.7 MB | Length: 20:02 MIN

Episode Sponsored By: Nike +

Long Live Running!
Nike Plus will improve the way you run. Get feedback from your iPod on pace, time, distance and calories burned.

Log into Nikeplus.com to track your progress,
set goals and challenge friends.

Interested in featuring The Final Sprint Podcast on your site, blog or My Space page? Click here to learn how!

Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

ASK LARA:Plantar Fasciitis and 3 Ways to Cross Train

Posted September 3rd, 2007 at 6:00 PM by Lara Johnson

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Columns, Cross Training, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise, Ask Lara

Need advice? Injured? Confused? Overwhelmed? Bored? ASK LARA!
ASK LARA is a free advice column to help you with all of your running, fitness and nutrition inquiries. To ASK LARA — simply fill out the form at the conclusion of the column.

Q. I think I have plantar fasciitis and have a marathon coming up in 2 weeks. I’m not sure how much running I can do between now and then. Any advice on how I can keep my fitness level up? I already bike indoors once a week but I’m not sure if biking can take the place of running. Anything you can suggest is much appreciated.
~Darlene from Boise, Idaho

A. Plantar fasciitis is a pesky problem that affects numerous runners. With a marathon so close, you certainly don’t want to make matters worse, but you do want to maintain your fitness level. The good news is that you are only 2 weeks out from the marathon, and thus the work is done. As you have already accomplished your training over the past weeks, now is the time to begin a taper and thus decrease your training anyway. The severity of the problem should dictate how much you are able to run. If it’s painful to run, it’s not a good sign and you should focus mostly on other activities. Adding some good cross training to the mix can help you heal the problem while maintaining your fitness. First, let’s take a look at the injury.

Plantar fasci-what?
Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the band of tissue, the plantar fascia, that connects the heel bone (calcaneus) to the forefoot, supporting your arch. When this area is strained through overuse or weaknesses, it causes irritation and inflammation, often causing pain in the heel first thing in the morning and …
Read the rest of this entry »

3 comments, add yours | Permalink

Podcast 68: PETER GILMORE NYC Half-Marathon preview interview

Posted August 4th, 2007 at 4:48 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Special Features, Interviews, Podcasts

Episode 68 of TheFinalSprint.com Podcast features my interview with American marathoner PETER GILMORE as he prepares for tomorrows NYC Half-Marathon presented by Nike.

(Note: TFS’s LIVE coverage of the race will begin at 7am EST!)

Tomorrow’s race, which will be Peters first since the Boston Marathon, will feature one of the most competitive professional fields in recent distance running history, including: Haile Gebrselassie (who has never been defeated at this distance), World Marathon Majors leader Robert K. Cheruiyot, Hendrick Ramaala, Abdi Abdirahman and Alan Culpepper.

In the interview Peter talks about his battle with the plantar fasciitis that he developed in Boston, what it will take to race against this field of legends, shaking off the rust from his nearly four-month abstention from racing, getting to know and learning from Hendrick Ramaala, and jokes about his streak as the “Top American Finisher”.

Download the podcast to hear Peter discuss these topics, as well as, his special relationship with and love for NYC, his summer and fall training regimens, preparing and strategizing for this fall’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, and much more!

Listen In
[PLAY] (To Download: Right click and select “save as”)

[RSS] Add The Final Sprint Podcast RSS feed to your RSS reader to have the show delivered to you

Host: Adam Jacobs
Guest: Peter Gilmore
Producer: Greg Cherniet
Music: Ryan Ahlwardt & Darnell Perkins
File size: 13.6 MB
Length: 14:55

Interested in featuring The Final Sprint Podcast on your site, blog or My Space page? Click here to learn how!

Read the rest of this entry »

3 comments, add yours | Permalink

My Aching Feet! . . .
. . . Plantar Fasciitis

Posted July 9th, 2007 at 10:45 AM by Bridget Sullivan

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

One of the most common injuries in tennis and jogging is plantar fascitis (plantar fasciitis), pain on the bottom of the heel (1). A band of tissue called the plantar fascia extends from your five toes, along the bottom of your foot to attach on the bottom of your heel. When you run, you land on your heel and raise yourself on your toes as you shift your weight to your other foot, causing all your weight to be held up by your plantar fascia. Such repetitive force can tear the fascia from its attachment on your heel.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

ASK FLASH: Sore feet and … the dreaded Plantar Fascitis

Posted March 28th, 2007 at 6:05 PM by Joshua Flash Gordon

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Columns, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Ask Flash

Need advice? Injured? Confused? Overwhelmed? Bored? ASK FLASH!
ASK FLASH is a free advice column to help you with all of your running, fitness and nutrition inquiries. To ASK FLASH — simply fill out the form at the conclusion of the column.

Feet, feet, and more feet. Pay attention to your feet my fellow runners.

Q. During my longer runs 1:30+ my feet hurt. It is not plantar related, but more of a dull sore pain all over the bottom of the foot when I strike. My shoes are broken in but not old enough to be broken down. What is this and is there anything I can do to alleviate the pain before, during or after my runs?
~Sore Feet from Philadelphia, PA

A. Do NOT neglect your feet. Feet require attention and can’t just be stuffed in a shoe and ignored. My best guess is that you need to strengthen your feet. Do you walk barefoot a lot? Have you tried exercises where you grab a towel with your toes, etc.? Do you stretch your feet? (see Yoga Toes)

I have worked really hard this winter to get my feet and core strong to lessen the effects of pounding. Thus far, it has made a huge difference. Core strength, foot strength, and stride efficiency can alleviate pounding and minimize foot pain. From my experience, ice baths and Epsom salt are both effective in keeping inflammation and aches to a minimum.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

When to stop running from injury…and how to start again

Posted January 22nd, 2007 at 9:00 AM by Paul Petersen

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

If you browse through any running magazine, website, or forum, you are sure to see a menagerie of articles and posts about overuse injuries. Stress fractures, tendonitis, “runner’s knee”, groin strains, and that beast, plantar fasciitis, all come up with surprising regularity. Let’s face the unfortunate truth, injuries can be a part of running.

Many of us have lost significant time due to injury, time loss that I argue is preventable. Often an injury starts as a minor problem that we ignore and try to train through. Perhaps the next big marathon is coming up and we can’t “afford” to lose the training or the $80-$100 entry fee that we’ve already paid. But the minor injury soon grows into a major injury, and all that we sought to salvage is lost: training is down the tubes, entry fees wasted, and beyond that even more money lost on doctor bills and physcial therapy. Who has been down this road? I have!
Read the rest of this entry »

3 comments, add yours | Permalink

Will achilles tendinitis
ever heal?

Posted December 8th, 2006 at 3:00 PM by Martha Jones

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

Achilles tendinitis means you feel pain in the large tendon that extends from in the back of your heel to your calf muscle. It hurts most when you get up in the morning and when you start to walk or run. It will heal only if you stop running and find another sport that doesn’t hurt when you do it, such as cycling, swimming, or pulling on a rowing machine. Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Plantar Fasciitis: A Dreaded Injury for Runners and Other Athletes

Posted October 26th, 2006 at 4:00 AM by Jeanie Rebb

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

One of the most common injuries in tennis and jogging is plantar fascitis (plantar fasciitis), pain on the bottom of the heel.

A band of tissue called the plantar fascia extends from your five toes, along the bottom of your foot to attach on the bottom of your heel.

When you run, you land on your heel and raise yourself on your toes as you shift your weight to your other foot, causing all your weight to be held up by your plantar fascia. Such repetitive force can tear the fascia from its attachment on your heel.

Several factors increase force on the fascia, such as shoes that have stiff soles that do not bend in the right place just behind the ball of your big toe, shoes that are too wide for your feet, running too fast for the present strength of your plantar fascia, or not allowing enough time to recover between fast workouts. Read the rest of this entry »

One comment, add yours | Permalink