Laura continues to provide exceptional content across project management, business analysis and six sigma.  Please let us know what topics in those areas would help you the most!  We’re well over 200 postings now.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed sharing about the Exercise – Brain Connection.  It does pay dividends on your work performance and certification exam success!  As I’ve dug deeper it’s made sense to separate that into a different blog.  So please check out www.coachdavek.com .  Today I shared about a weak area for me – core and pillar strength.  Please follow that blog as well!

I will be continuing a practice oriented thread on consulting tips and techniques.  Look forward to those and again, please share your opinions!

David Kohrell

For exercise this is critical to keep and heighten motivation.  Each person’s kedging is different – for some their first 5k or 500 yard swim is it.  For others it may be a multi day bike ride (100 – 400  miles) or ultra-marathon. The idea  is there’s something pressing you beyond what you’ve done before and you’re doing it with a group of other athletes. 

I thrive when there are a few kedgings each year and have increasingly found myself drawn to events of different types (longer triathlons, open water swimming and nasty marathons).   It’s far too easy to slip into a sedentary state without a goal in front of me.

The Pikes Peak Double presented the perfect kedging opportunity to test myself.  I was blessed to complete the 2005 and 06 Ascents and notched my first PP marathon in 2007.  Last year I was turned back before the A-Frame due to ice (grrrr).  Feeling frustrated and wanting to hedge my bets, I signed up for the Double: half marathon Ascent on Aug 15 (Saturday) and full marathon on August 16 (Sunday).  Net – 40 miles / 14 hours of absolute fun and some pain in 2 days.  I’ve scribed some great information from the Pikes Peak website below.

Before that are my own reactions and notes I shared with friends a couple of days after (Tuesday, August 17th).

Feel good, very good on Ascent.  Jogged the first 1.32 with a short, light stride.  Walked to Double W then steady jogging to Barr Camp.  Walked with some jogging to A-Frame.   I crossed into Barr Camp at 2:07 and A Frame at 3:14 – was going for 4:15 if conditions allowed.  Scaled back at Cirque (1.25 to go) since hit that at 4:04 so final 1.25 was 39 minutes.  I was feeling lively enough to let out a happy shout in one of the photo opportunity just about one mile from the finish.  The weather was perfect and no need for additional cold weather gear gathered about me. 

Ascent - closing in on the finish

The Marathon was a whole new experience.  The marathon Ascent time was 5:43 or 1 full hour slower.  Going down was 3:40.

I didn’t feel like the day after a marathon at start, but could tell legs weren’t fully there (calves were very tight).   I had a good cold soak and massage on Saturday.  Plenty of ibuprofen as well.  Sunday morning was a wee bit nervous.  Plus my new Garmin froze and left my back up Timex in the hotel.  Calves continued to be a little sore going up so walked the entire way up.  Split was an hour slower but reinforced you can walk up the entire way – much more traffic though than the 2007 marathon (8:04 then with 4:49 Ascent up).  Felt more altitude in terms of swollen hands, lips, etc).  Good news going up is that my quads were feeling much better than usual.

I had been practicing some of Matt Carpenter’s tips on up/down hill (finding what good hills are available at 1,300′ in Lincoln Nebraska).  Going down did a bit more running than in 2007 on the Summit to A-Frame, slowed from A-Frame to Barr Camp and then cranked in much faster (approx based on cell phone) from mile 21 in.  Much more confident on foot stride and not hitting anything (leaning in going down and straight posture going up).  My last 5 miles were by far my best of the 2 days – was great to apply Matt’s techniques for running the tangent and correct, slightly bent posture going down (versus very straight posture up).  Had enough to race the final strong – 7:45 mile and give a nice strange looking finish photo.

Pikes Peak Marathon and Double Finish 2009

Definitely felt the adrenaline rush Sunday night – didn’t sleep a whole lot.  But made up for it the two nights after.  Did some walking on Monday and Tuesday after the Pikes Peak Double – lots of hobbling.

So next year goal is Ascent only, under 4:15; then maybe another double in 2011 for 13 hours….  Trying to ramp up to 1/2 Iron Man Tri as well and chase the all elusive Boston Qualifier for 45-50 beginning in January…

I’ll be in Matt Carpenter’s 5 year age group next year..  Ah, he has NO worries from me.  He’s very cool and like 07 congratulates each runner as he passes you on his return trip (which was either Barr Camp or the Cog Railway in my case ).

Whatever your current fitness level, select a “kedging” that truly challenges you – whether your first 5k, group bike tour, ski  trip or ultimate freesbie tournament.  The adrenaline of the day will pay dividends to you for months!

Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon [Home]

A Journey to the Top and Perhaps Back
The Pikes Peak Ascent® and Pikes Peak Marathon® will redefine what you call running. Sure, they start out like a lot of races on Any Street, USA. But your first left turn will have you turning in the direction of up! During the next 10 miles, as you gain almost 6,000 vertical feet, your legs, lungs, heart and mind will be worn to a ragged nothingness. But it won’t be until your last three miles, with still over 2,000′ of vertical to go, that you will realize where the Marathon got its moniker—America’s Ultimate Challenge.

There’s a reason trees don’t bother growing above 12,000′ on Pikes Peak. They can’t! Makes one wonder if trees are smarter than runners. Above treeline most runners take 30 minutes or more, some much more, just to cover a mile. What little air remains can’t satisfy the endless stream of zombies hoping only to survive their next step—a death march right out of a scene from Dawn of the Dead. Adding insult to injury, it might start to snow!

Then, if you are on the deluxe tour, you run back down for the second half of the Marathon. Along the way protruding rocks are waiting to send you crashing to the ground mangling flesh and only temporarily masking the pain of blood filled blisters. Meanwhile, the temperature has often risen by more than 30 degrees since the race start. After all, it’s always best to cook raw meat.

Join us in 2009 for the 54th running of America’s Ultimate Challenge®.

There’s a reason trees don’t bother
growing above 12,000′ on Pikes Peak.
They can’t!

Running – the #1 culprit in aerobic exercise pain. So simple to do.  So simple to get injured from.  The amount of force that hits the ground with each little pitter patter is profound.  Each foot strike can be a bit like a right jab from Mike Tyson in his prime x 20.  Not pretty.  There are some technique flaws that contribute to potential running injury – the top is, ironically, the way modern running shoes force the foot into a heel to toe strike.   While good for walking it’s biomechanically inefficient and awkward for running.  Related to this is the more spent on a running shoe the lesser the benefit – if the human foot is coddled it becomes miserable and aggressively shares its misery with the knee and lower back.  See the article below from Wired for more.

Pain not to ignore in running – chronic pain indicator:

• Plantar Fasciitis – more than just a mild sore arch, plantar fasciitis is a slight to major tear or fracture of the tendon and connecting tissue in your foot.  It’s truly a runner’s plague.  Rehab can take months.  Best prevention is to ensure a strong arch (alas where most running shoes coddle too much and weaken) and cold soaks of the foot before the pain starts. I had a nasty bout of this in 1996 and went from a semi-curved last shoe to a straight shoe (new balance, mizuno and saucony are good brands for the straight last).  It did linger for five months.
• Knee – all sorts of knee pain can be aggravated by running.  Some is transitional soreness.  Others in terms of ligament or knee cap stress should not be ignored.  Efficient running can help avoid this.  Another preventive measure is avoiding 100% of running on concrete surfaces (mix in trails, asphalt and cinder).  You can run on weak knees and see improvement in those knees.  A good friend of mine, after reconstructive knee surgery in one knee and a cocktail of treatments in another, has been able to regroup and resume his cycling / running combination as well as his pursuit of a marathon in every state.

Pain that is typically transitional soreness

• Shin splints.  When I first began running, post high school running in 1992, one of my pain companions was a good old shin splint.  Shin splints occur as muscle and joints are stressed and strengthen along the calf / shin.  These typically grow and heal as consistent running occurs.  A simple way to strengthen your shin is to take can old paint bucket (empty), place a small brick in it (about 2-3 lbs max) and then place over your foot.  Lift your foot up and ease down slowly 12 to 15 times.
• Sprained ankles, oh my.  Sprains travel in pairs.  Sprain one ankle and another one follows.  There are some good stretching exercises – a primary one is to simply flex your ankle in every possible direction.  Strength training for ankles (and other aliments) is important as well.  Check this article out for some good tips http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/tendon-strength-training-7
• Sore shoulders, quads, buns, etc.  Soreness in those areas is just that – soreness.  Typically chronic pain will not ensue.  It’s just your body’s way of saying “hey, was pretty comfy all of these years, why are you changing now?”

To Run Better, Start by Ditching Your Nikes | Wired Science | Wired.com

Strong evidence shows that thickly cushioned running shoes have done nothing to prevent injury in the 30-odd years since Nike founder Bill Bowerman invented them, researchers say. Some smaller, earlier studies suggest that running in shoes may increase the risk of ankle sprains, plantar fasciitis and other injuries. Runners who wear cheap running shoes have fewer injuries than those wearing expensive trainers. Meanwhile, injuries plague 20 to 80 percent of regular runners every year.But the jury’s still out on whether going barefoot is actually an improvement.

“The running shoe right now is doing nothing for preventing injuries,” said Reed Ferber, director of the Running Injury Clinic at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Kinesiology. But, he adds, going barefoot has downsides too, and the research so far is still inconclusive. “It’s a total tradeoff.”

Chris McDougall, author of the recent book Born to Run, goes further. “If this were a drug, it would be yanked off the market,” he said of running shoes. McDougall says his own persistent problems with plantar fasciitis cleared up after he started running in Vibram FiveFingers.

On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest I’m probably a 5 on institutional running pain knowledge.  For two other aerobic exercises, swimming and cycling, my pain savvy is lower (4 for swimming and 2 for cycling).  I do want to share some about each in terms of chronic pain and touch on strength training.  Avid cyclists please add your insights as well.

First and foremost cycling and swimming are considering healing aerobic exercises – they do not impose nearly the force on the body that running does.  There are some longer term, chronic pain issues.

Cycling – there should be minimal chronic pain, if done with proper technique (not grinding the pedal with your legs but smooth stroke cadence) and proper equipment (clip shoes, right bike for right road, right size and seat placement).  The potential for a crash at high speeds does ratchet up the pain potential (remember your helmet).  Beyond that, knees can be stressed by cycling – though as shared this is due more to improper technique or gear.  Buns also take awhile to adapt.

Swimming – even more than cycling, swimming is considered a healing exercise.  Your body endures no impact in terms of gravity.  You’re buoyant in water.  You learn to move well.  There are some chronic pain problems associated with adapting to water (swimmers eye or ear). The butterfly is the number stroke culprit in terms of strained shoulders.  Then again butterfly is not a staple for endurance swimming. Its a great change up stroke for simulating anaerobic debt for workouts.  I have yet to see someone crank out a 1,500 meter fly in the open water and doubt I will.  Also if piling up swim laps is on your agenda, give your body some rest (24 hours) between swimming and strength training – some strength training during a swim is a great idea!

Strength Training – truly no pain, no gain is NOT the right mindset.  The benefit of strength training is for longer term muscle and joint strength.  Keep weights light and reps high as your body adapts.  There’s no benefit from trying to slam down 8, 45lb plates on your squats or 4 plates on your bench to compete in the weight room.  Most serious weight lifters are very helpful in terms of explaining proper technique and weight.  I’m a bit beyond caring whether someone uses my bench press weight for their curls – the person that does can be a great resource.  Absent a physical trainer (recommend you do find a good physical trainer) you can pick up some solid advice.

An overall pain prevention technique is to blend and weave in multiple exercises – tie in the ones listed here with Aerobics, Spinning, Indoor machines (elliptical, stair step), Martial Arts, etc.  Ongoing repetition limits improvement and reinforces the “pain side” of the exercise force.

Next up on the Exercise – Brain Connection is Goal Setting.  Whether at our TAPU blog or via Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn – please do share your experience and opinion with exercise and chronic pain.

Benefits of Exercise – Take 2 – Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Back Pain.

I’ve shared that exercise provides benefit to a person of any age.  Can it help with significant pain diseases / issues?  The research indicates yes!  As with any exercise consult your physician first.  Also, as with the entire series on the Exercise – Brain connection, exercise is not offered a singular, exclusive solution that’s accomplished in four simple steps – it’s meant for a life long commitment that weaves and supports other treatments and activities. This ain’t an  informercial.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) – I’ve seen the debilitating effects of progressive MS on my oldest brother.  Formal confirmation and diagnosis was provided in 2004/05.  His is not a relapse form of MS – it’s a downhill slope.  He is still active, aided by an iron will,  tremendous family support, treatment and moderate exercise.  While a marathon is not in the cards, he can be there at then end laughing at me trying to hold off the winner of the 80 and older age group.  That’s what brotherly love is all about.  Swimming and moderate strength training are his two primary forms of exercise.   The following video from WebMD provides some insights on how exercise can help manage the symptoms from MS

http://www.webmd.com/video/multiple-sclerosis-and-exercise

Fibromyalgia

A disease which has exercise intolerance as a root symptom might seem an unlikely candidate to benefit from exercise.  Research does indicate that, in moderate and careful doses, exercise can provide invaluable support.  The following is from the Arthritis Foundation, Research Update, March / April 2008.

Exercise and Education for Fibromyalgia

The authors conclude in their article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, “The present study suggests that progressive walking, simple strength training movements, and stretching activities are effective at improving physical, emotional and social function, key symptoms, and self-efficacy in women with fibromyalgia who are being actively treated with medication. Furthermore, the benefits of exercise are enhanced when combined with targeted self-management education.”

Back Pain

Back Pain is a common discomfort for most everyone at some point in their life.   For a some though chronic back pain is a life long issues.  President Kennedy’s struggle with back pain following his WW2 service is widely documented.  What is not as widely known is that the best relief was not provided by six daily pain treatment shots, rather it was after that approach was abandoned for moderate, back strengthening exercises.  The National Pain Foundation chronicles the work of Dr. Kraus in the following article:

Muscles, Back Pain and Exercise

Dr. Kraus, who originally was an orthopedic surgeon, actually established the first multidisciplinary pain center in the world in the late 1950s and early 1960s, which very few people know. It was at the Columbia University School of Medicine in the department of orthopedic surgery. There were psychiatrists, social workers, psychologists, physical therapists, physiatrists, and orthopedic surgeons researching at back pain and trying to understand it.
They found that about 80% of patients presented with nothing that could be demonstrated on an x-ray or physical exam that suggested there was something significant pathologically, so they tried to understand it from the perspective of conditioning since that was Dr. Kraus background. They studied about 3,700 patients for 4.5 years and created a test – called the Kraus-Weber test – and an exercise program to go along with the test to deal with what they thought were the types of functional muscle pain that exist

Two Types of Soreness that are good

acute, immediate- this is the type of soreness that occurs during or very soon after you’re done exercising.  It can happen to newbees or experts.  There’s also some characteristics of soreness from different activities – here are some that bubble up high on the list

Running:  shins, quads, hamstrings, knee, feet and shoulders, oh my!  Each of those will be pushed.  Depending on current fitness level and body composition, your soreness in any one area will vary.  Here is one big hint. Learn to run on the balls of your feet (I’ll have an entire blog on fore foot running).  For now let me just say that our bodies are meant to run toe to toe or on the ball of the foot (walking is heel to toe).  The downside is most running shoes cater to heel to toe strike.  Test this yourself – run barefoot for 200 meters and see how your foot falls.  Its natural fall is on the balls of your foot right before your toes.

Cycling:  buns, quads, shoulders and back.  Lots of bending over on top of a bike.  Proper technique (smooth and fast rotation instead of straining or chopping your stroke) helps.  For the buns aka “saddle sore” a cycling or triathlon pair of shorts  is well worth the investment.

Swimming: a wonderful healing aerobic activity swimming can strain the shoulders and back depending on type of stroke and, more importantly, your efficiency with each stroke.  Other irritations include swimmer’s ear and even the dreaded google imprint on the nose.  Compared to running there’s far less soreness involved. 

Lifting: more related to DOMS and discussed below, the soreness from weight lifting is typically 30-48 hours after.  This is the old “bench pressed 205 yesterday and can’t lift my toothbrush today” syndrome.

Sore Muscles? Don’t Stop Exercising  http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/sore-muscles-keep-exercising?page=3
After participating in some kind of strenuous physical activity, particularly something new to your body, it is common to experience muscle soreness, say experts.

In the next Exercise – Brain blog we will share a bit about what to do about chronic soreness or pain that indicates a deeper issue.  Additionally some ideas on how to manage that pain will be provided.

The day after the Marathon

“Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a common result of physical activity that stresses the muscle tissue beyond what it is accustomed to,” says David O. Draper, professor and director of the graduate program in sports medicine/athletic training at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.To be more specific, says Draper, who’s also a member of the heat-responsive pain council, delayed onset muscle soreness occurs when the muscle is performing an eccentric or a lengthening contraction. Examples of this would be running downhill or the lengthening portion of a bicep curl.

While there’s some pain that results from exercise (either during or after – called delayed onset) the pain relief benefit from exercise greatly outweighs the pain creation.  This article provides a nice summary of what’s involved and I’ll shout and echo the sentiment that “Moving is what the human body is designed to do”…

http://www.nationalpainfoundation.org/articles/11/reaping-the-benefits-of-exercise?PHPSESSID=0e91394ee648b212802586b2a34ddd63

Mixing aerobic, strength (anaerobic) and flexibility are the key – one type alone will not accomplish it. 

• Aerobic exercise from running or cycling or aerobics classes help fuel that authentic wonder working tonic called endorphins.  From Medicine.net “Endorphins are manufactured in the brain, spinal cord, and many other parts of the body. They are released in response to neurotransmitters and bind to certain neuron receptors (the same ones that bind opiate medicines). Endorphins act as analgesics (diminishing the perception of pain) and as sedatives”
• Flexibility helps your body correct itself from a generally sedentary lifestyle we have.  If you think about it, sitting at a computer or standing all day on your feet are the most punishing things you can do to your body.  So stretching, yoga and Pilate’s help increase your range of motion
• Strength training does not mean “you’ll get pumped up” in the “governator” sense.  It does mean you’ll build muscles first and then over time (3-6 months later) your joint strength.Consider strength training your body’s natural ibuprofen. 

I’ve seen the benefits of exercise increase as I age or struggle with some minor chronic pain issues.  I have a flaky almost non existent thyroid that presented itself in 2001.  A 2 mile run felt like I was at mile 20.  It didn’t add up.  After a diagnosis and proper meds – Levoxyl rocks – I was back on my way.  However by focusing too much on running I would find myself fatiguing.  As I’ve mixed in a heavy triathlon dose and kept my strength training year round, I’ve noticed a much greater improvement in pain management.  Again, my pain management is very minor and I empathize with those who have arthritis or fybromyalgia or Lyme disease.  I’ve also seen that blending in healing aerobic activity of swimming and cycling helps with the body pounding nature of running (in a future blog I’ll share some secrets on how to make it less body pounding beginning with “get off your heals and onto the balls of your feet”).  My next step is improving my flexibility. 

Now further testifying to the benefit of exercise, I’ve felt the old body aches more if I’m away from some serious workouts for 4-5 days (lets say traveling).  The lower back creaks, feet hurt, etc. 

Please do share what you’ve found – whether you’ve exercised all your life, its been a few months or you’re just beginning.

Next up – overcoming the Pain from Exercise.

I’m not presuming that running is the only exercise to begin with.   It is a lower cost and simple way to begin – go out and run.  There are other equally effective ways.  There’s also some good advice from the Mayo Clinic on what to consider for any exercise program

1. Assess current fitness level
2. Design your program
3. Assemble your equipment
4. Get started (Penguin’s miracle)
5. Monitor your progress

for our Six Sigma fans this resembles the DMAIC process a bit… but I digress http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fitness/hQ00171

A good program should include both aerobic and anaerobic conditioning.

Here’s a quick list of lower cost entry aerobic exercises to begin with:

1. Walking
2. Running
3. Cycling
4. Swimming
5. Dancing (ah, not slow, you need to move)
6. Others – may require some investment
   1. Skiing - downhill or cross country
   2. Indoor passions – elliptical, stair climber, treadmill – at a local club, Y or home
   3. Soccer
   4. Roller Blading

Anaerobic exercises includes

1. Circuit training (health club)
2. Free weights (can be done at home)
3. the “ups” – push, pull, chin and modified sit ups.

How often should you do it each week?  The traditional wisdom is 3 times a week for 20 to 30 minutes to begin.  My observation and one shared by the “Younger Next Year” authors Chris Cowley and Dr. Harry Lodge http://www.youngernextyear.comis more than that – at least 4 aerobic sessions for 45 minutes each week and 2 to 3 anaerobic / strength training programs.  Why?  Am I harsh?  Old School?  Grumpy? 

Maybe, but the deeper reason is our bodies were made for movement every single day and not just 2 or 3 days a week.  While 3 days a week for 20 minutes is a start, your body actually craves a bit more .  As we share more on heart rates and endorphins, 45 minutes is when you begin receiving the “thank you” from your body.

Now that 45 minutes is NOT at break neck pace.  If your goal is to run, then begin with a walk/jog combination – a 50/50 mix over those 45 minutes.  If cycling, then a mix of 8-12 mph with occasional bursts to 15.  The idea is to extend your session, reasonable.   How long should you stay at this “introduction” phase – the simple answer, as long as it takes for you to feel comfortable to add time to each session or increase intensity or both.  That may mean weeks or months or even a year. 

Next up are blogs on Anaerobic exercises, “Pain”, Extending your Performance and psychological benefits from exercise.  For now venture out and make the exercise stuff happen!

Cover via Amazon

Greetings.

From David Kohrell (aka CoachDaveK)

As of July 21, 2009, there are 124 core descriptions of project management.  We’ve indexed over 500 core learning objects across business analysis, human resource management, information technology, project management and quality management  disciplines.  A good number of those objects cross over those disciplines – for example group formation and development (forming, storming, norming, performing and reforming).

To help your understanding and mastery of those objects, over the last six months I’ve been researching the  impact of physical, spiritual and mental performance on each other. The gate swings all ways.  There’s some solid, reliable research out there to back it up.  Call it the body, spirit and mind game.   My interest is twofold:

• from our work to help professionals achieve certification results as efficiently as possible and
• my passion for exercise – primarily in triathlons, marathons and quests to reach milestones in each.

Exam Day

What started as “ten things to do before your PMP exam” five years ago has grown into a deeper passion of mine.  In looking at 9 certification exam experiences of mine since 2000, I did very well on 8 and so/so on 1.   One of the factors on the so/so one in 2004 was taking exam after a period of 2 weeks of semi activity and on depleted resources (lack of sleep, stress and poor nutrition).

Before my most recent exam (CBAP – certified business analyst professional –  in April of 2008) I purposely ran two miles (7 minute pace) , 30 minutes prior to the exam.  I had a good overall aerobic and anaerobic exercise week (30 mile running week and 3 strength training sessions).  I felt pumped, though sweaty.  Pity my fellow exam takers .  My pulse was moderate through the experience – not spiking up. I got up twice to grab some water and finished the exam rather fast.  Now, my mental preparation wasn’t necessarily text book – I crammed during a 6 hour lay over at the St Louis airport.  Granted I had been immersed in the BA jargon for 15 years –still not the ideal prep.

So what?  We coach and recommend that exam takers get up and move around during an exam.  Prior to entering the exam we recommend aerobic exercise commensurate with the exam takers current level of fitness. It helps the different pieces and parts of the brain.    It will not replace adequate preparation!  It does help you reach the optimum mental state.

Day to Day Performance

I’ll share more on later blogs in terms of how it does that.  The essence of it is that we’re wired to move; as we move our brain thinks and learns better; as we move we also touch a spiritual pulse inside and the spirit and mind also propel our body to move.  The three are connected.

To complete this first “exermindspir” blog – I want to share two links to one of the works I’ve studied from Dr. John Ratey’s “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.”  Take a peek and let me know what you think!

http://brainsciencpodcast.wordpress.com/2008/03/21/brain-science-podcast-33-exercise-and-the-brain/