I am going to West Virginia for two weeks to visit family
and friends for the Easter holiday so I decided last minute to jump into the
Alger Alp Half Marathon to see some good friends, enjoy the beautiful spring
weather and get in a solid effort before switching coasts.
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| 1st Place Female, 3rd Overall |
The Alger Alp Half Marathon is part of the Bellingham TrailRunning Series and is directed by Candice Burt, who has
just returned from winning The Zion 100. If you are interested in checking out some of Washington's finest trails, Candice's races are hard to beat.
I have run up Alger, which is 15 minutes south of Bellingham, only once and it was when I had just
moved to Bellingham. I forgot how brutal it can be. The Half distance is a double climb up to the peak and has
an elevation gain of about 2,900 feet. My plan going into the race was to run
the climbs fairly hard and relax on the down hills so as not to beat up my legs.
I didn't want too much pounding on my legs as I am finishing up a tough training
week and heading into another one.
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| Finishing strong thanks to La Sportiva, Align Chiropractic, Terrain Gym and Bogg's Trail Butter. |
After the race I got several questions as to why I had
bright pink masking tape on my knee. I visited my chiropractor, Dr. Chris
Lockwood at Align Chiropractic, on Friday and he put the kinesio tape on my
knee to help support the surrounding muscles and tendons for injury prevention.
Due to the combination of his adjustments, mobility exercises and tricks like
the tape, I felt great the entire run.
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| Every finisher received this sweet pint glass! |
Thank you to Candice and all of the many volunteers who were
out on the course today.
I also want to thank Seven Hills Running Shop
for the generous prize of a $100 gift card for their store in Seattle, WA. I
will be coming by soon to pick out a hydration pack! Thanks!
Dang you little nugget, just hoppin' into races now are we? I believe you are gone as of today & I will miss you greatly. Thank you so much for my lovely card. I am so thankful to have your well wishes, and I would have come watched you kick some mountain ass had I known! Travel safe & stay healthy, have a wonderful, relaxing time with your family.
ReplyDeletexoxo
Great post and good run! What a wonderful way to spend some down time. :-)
ReplyDeleteLooks like this race is a tough one! I'm glad you made it through the finish line in good form. Well, aside from exhaustion, which should be normal for any athlete, sensing pangs of pain while running is one thing no athlete would ever want to feel. Sometimes, we'd need every bit of assistance, such as this kinesio tape that you used, to push yourself to the limit. Who knows, maybe in the next race, you won't need it anymore. Good luck, and take care!
ReplyDeleteAlfonso Warren @ Arkansas Pioneer Chiropractic Health Centre
That kinesio tape does help a lot of athletes stave off injury. Instead worrying about getting hurt, an athlete could focus at the task on hand. Most people would want to end their run "feeling great", but end up not doing so due to exhaustion and stress. At least you didn't have to deal with much of that. Take care!
ReplyDeleteJoan Stevens @ Stringer Chiropractic
It’s great that there are people who support you in your endeavors. And it seems like you did pretty well on this run. Congrats! Anyway, are you still using the Kinesio tape? I think it’s a great way to help prevent muscle injuries, and it wouldn't hurt to be careful. Thanks for sharing, Maria. All the best!
ReplyDeleteJacqueline Hodges @ Dr. Koziol
Hi Jacqueline, thanks for reading! Fortunately, I have not had to use the Kinesio tape. I have stayed healthy via consistent stretching, strength training and regular massage and chiropractic visits. It is a great tool, however, when experiencing any kind of weakness or strain. Happy Trails!
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